Articles related to OPIOIDS

Pandemic-era telemedicine exceptions that currently allow telehealth prescription of Schedule II narcotics and stimulants without an initial in-person evaluation are to be ended on May 11.

The extensive training requirements and caps on patients treated have been removed. That means all prescriptions for buprenorphine now require only a standard DEA registration number.

In this extensive meta-analysis, myorelaxants, NSAIDS, and NSAIDs plus acetaminophen were all effective at one week in improving comfort and activity in sufferers of acute low back pain. NSAIDs plus acetaminophen were more effective than either drug class alone.

There is no readily available test for xylazine and narcotic antagonists are ineffective. Overdosage is characterized by sedation and unresponsiveness. When combined with fentanyl, overdose symptoms can include blue-to-grayish skin, slowed breathing and bradycardia.

The update was based on the findings of 31 systematic reviews and 16 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) chosen from a total of 820 publications. The investigators set out to answer seven questions:

In the US, chronic pain is widespread and continues to be a burden for people, families, and society as a whole. Extreme caution should be exercised when choosing to take an opioid to treat pain. The organizations do not advocate the regular use of opiate analgesics to treat chronic pain, as the hazards to the patient outweigh the minimal benefits that opioids may offer. Buprenorphine should be taken into consideration if it is decided to employ long-term opioid therapy for a patient due to its lower risk profile. By checking for underlying mental problems and a history of traumatic brain injury, clinicians can further lower the risk. Although risk mitigation strategies have been used to reduce risk in opioid patients, the guideline development group was surprised to find little evidence in this area.