All articles tagged with #opioids
Utah officials linked four deaths to semi-synthetic kratom compounds hidden in supplements labeled as 'cat's claw.' The products, often sold under the brand 'Buzzers,' contain illegal Schedule 1 drugs that mimic opioid effects. While natural cat's claw is safe, these adulterated items are being sold in gas stations and smoke shops despite state bans.
Kratom remains legal in most US states despite a surge in poison control reports and recent fatalities. While federal agencies flag the substance as a concern, state legislatures are increasingly moving to ban synthetic derivatives or impose strict regulations, with Utah issuing urgent warnings after four deaths linked to mislabeled supplements.
Kratom and its concentrated derivative 7-OH are sparking a public health crisis across the U.S. Sold widely in gas stations and smoke shops without age restrictions, these substances are linked to overdoses, dependency, and neonatal withdrawal. While federal agencies flag them as dangerous, legislative responses vary by state, with some jurisdictions banning sales and others still debating regulations.
Decades after the idea was first pitched, researchers are testing a fentanyl‑targeting vaccine (Fentanyl Armour) in humans while other teams pursue multivalent vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. Early data show the vaccine is safe and elicits anti‑fentanyl antibodies, but whether enough people develop protective antibody levels and how long protection lasts remain unknown amid funding and political hurdles. The work aims to block fentanyl in the bloodstream before it reaches the brain, offering an overdose‑prevention strategy rather than a cure for addiction.
Researchers in Egypt followed 184 breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy and found those with vitamin D deficiency (<30 nmol/L) reported more moderate-to-severe pain in the first 24 hours and used more opioids—about 112 mg more tramadol postoperatively and 8 μg more fentanyl intraoperatively—than those with sufficient vitamin D; the study cannot prove cause-and-effect and did not measure inflammatory markers, but suggests preoperative vitamin D supplementation may help reduce postoperative pain, pending further research.
A San Francisco teen’s death is tied to cychlorphine, a newly detected synthetic opioid said to be up to 10x more potent than fentanyl. The drug often appears in counterfeit pills or mixed with other substances, is hard to detect with standard tests, and may require multiple naloxone doses to reverse an overdose. Federal and local officials have issued warnings, and the DEA has placed cychlorphine on Schedule I as its presence spreads across several states.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee is in a narrow Democratic primary against Helena Foulkes, a former CVS executive. McKee has attacked Foulkes as an out-of-touch corporate candidate and touted labor endorsements, while Foulkes defends CVS’s record, including opioid-related settlements and her leadership there. The contest highlights party divisions, with McKee carrying some labor support and Foulkes seeking to broaden her base, including ties to McKee’s hometown. The race features contrasting visions of leadership and accountability in a state where neither the state Democratic Party nor the AFL‑CIO endorsed a candidate.
Walmart has settled a federal lawsuit accusing its pharmacies of violating the Controlled Substances Act by unlawfully dispensing opioids; terms are undisclosed and the case was dismissed by stipulation in Delaware. The settlement ends a high-profile DOJ case tied to the opioid epidemic, following Walmart's 2022 $3.1 billion deal to resolve related claims.
Your age, genetics, hair color, and substance use can affect how much anesthesia you’ll need during and after surgery, with redheads potentially requiring more anesthesia due to genetic variants.
Global research shows minority ethnic patients are routinely undervalued and undertreated for pain from birth to end of life, across emergency care, maternity, chronic pain, cancer, and palliative settings. Studies consistently find minority children receive less recognition of pain and fewer opioids, Black women face bias in childbirth, and minority cancer patients receive lower opioid prescriptions and doses, contributing to worse pain control and outcomes.
In north Minneapolis, a community-led harm-reduction network anchored by NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center has expanded naloxone access, syringe services, and outreach, contributing to a drop in opioid-related ER visits in the 55411 ZIP code since 2021. While overdose deaths remain higher than statewide averages, local advocates credit ground-level outreach, Safe Station services, and a new coalition of community organizations with improving prevention and treatment access for residents, including efforts to address racial and income disparities.
An experimental fentanyl vaccine developed by ARMR Sciences showed promising results in an early human trial, marking the first fentanyl vaccine tested in people and offering potential to prevent overdoses and aid addiction treatment if effectiveness is confirmed in larger studies.
Laboratory analysis of a gas-station kratom pill revealed a potent, unlisted dose of 7-OH, an opioid-like chemical marketed as kratom and sold in gummies, drinks and even ice cream. The FDA says 7-OH could be the next wave of the opioid epidemic; CDC data link kratom to rising hospitalizations and deaths, especially when mixed with alcohol or other drugs. Because many products don’t disclose 7-OH on labels, consumers may not know what they’re taking. While some advocates push bans on 7-OH, others call for tighter labeling and professional guidance rather than outright prohibition.
A BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine review analyzed 19 randomized trials (6,506 participants) and found tramadol provides only modest, likely non-meaningful relief for chronic pain while doubling the risk of harm versus placebo—predominantly heart-related events—with common side effects such as nausea, dizziness, and constipation. Many included studies carried biases that may overstate benefits and understate harms; a questionable signal for cancer risk was noted due to short follow-up. Overall, the potential harms appear to outweigh the limited benefits, underscoring a need to rethink tramadol’s role in chronic-pain care amid broader opioid concerns.
A pediatric journal admitted that 138 published case reports were fictional, created under a confidentiality program to protect patients; at least 61 of these cases have been cited as fact in other journals, prompting corrections, scrutiny of potential retractions, and concern over how misinformation spread, including the controversial 'baby boy blue' opioid-in-breast milk case. Editors say future reports will clearly label cases as fictional, but copies and citations in databases like PubMed Central and Semantic Scholar have already propagated the error.