The Latest News from Our Field

Top headlines of the week from Friday, May 6- Thursday, May 12, 2016.

The unfortunate reflex for most doctors when they hear complaints of pain is to simply write a prescription for narcotic pain medications. There are more than enough alternatives to opioids when treating pain and pain management specialists are trained to work with patients to offer these solutions, explains Dr. Corey Hunter of The Ainsworth Institute of Pain Management.

The news that Prince was rescued from an overdose of the painkiller Percocet with the drug naloxone six days before he died underscores the challenge of using the life-saving tool, public health experts tell The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. House is scheduled this week to vote on 18 bills designed to combat opioid addiction. The measures are expected to be approved, The New York Times reports.

A new study estimates that a 10 percent reduction in the U.S. smoking rate would result in $63 billion in savings in healthcare costs one year later.

A case of “chemsex” in the news in Britain highlights the dangers of intentional sex under the influence of psychoactive drugs, mostly among men who have sex with men. The case involves a London lawyer who supplied his boyfriend with a cocktail of drugs, which he overdosed on, according to CNN.

Poison control centers around the country have seen a sharp increase in calls about young children’s exposure to e-cigarettes. The biggest threat appears to be ingestion of liquid nicotine, HealthDay reports.

Many people who abuse drugs or alcohol are self-medicating chronic pain, a new study suggests. Researchers at Boston University studied 589 people who fit the criteria for drug abuse or illicit drug use, and found 87 percent reported chronic pain. More than half of these patients said they were self-medicating.

A study using brain scans suggests prayer may help Alcoholics Anonymous members reduce cravings.

A new report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety concludes there is no scientific basis for setting legal limits for marijuana and driving. These limits are arbitrary and unsupported by science, the group says.

Prince’s addiction to opioid painkillers, which has come to light since his death, was hidden from even some of his closest friends, The New York Times reports.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced it is extending its oversight to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, Reuters reports. The agency will ban sales of e-cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and hookah tobacco to people under age 18.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Wednesday voted to recommend requiring doctors who prescribe opioids to receive training. Doctors’ groups have resisted mandatory training.

Hillary Clinton this week said she supports a plan by Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia to levy a tax on prescription opioids. Manchin says the tax would raise up to $2 billion annually, which would be used to expand access to opioid addiction treatment.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, April 29- Thursday, May 5, 2016.

Drug management programs that require at-risk individuals to use designated pharmacies or physicians for opioid prescriptions can protect patients from using harmful amounts of opioids while ensuring they still receive appropriate amounts of pain medication, according to the lead author of a new report on the programs.

Some people are using the anti-diarrhea drug loperamide (Imodium) to manage their opioid addiction or to get high, researchers report in this week’s Annals of Emergency Medicine. The results can be deadly, according to NPR.

A new medically supervised space where people can go after they inject heroin has opened in Boston. ABC News reports the room, run by the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, is part of a growing movement to use harm reduction strategies to reduce the risk of overdose.

The health insurance company Cigna is teaming up with the American Society of Addiction Medicine to study which substance abuse treatments are effective, Forbes reports.

Too many children ages 2 to 5 who are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are receiving medication as the first treatment, before behavioral therapy is tried, a new government report states.

A panel of experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration is meeting this week to consider whether to require doctors to undergo training to prescribe opioid painkillers. Doctors’ groups have resisted mandatory training, The New York Times reports.

A new national poll finds 44 percent of Americans say they personally know someone who has been addicted to prescription painkillers, CNBC reports.

A new federal policy will allow 96,000 inmates in halfway houses after release from prison to be eligible for Medicaid benefits, according to USA Today. The policy will allow the former inmates access to treatment for addiction and mental health issues in states that have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

A growing number of foreign investors are putting their money into drug rehabilitation and psychiatric clinics, according to The Boston Globe. The investments are being made under the EB-5 program, which lets foreigners who invest at least $500,000 in a development that creates jobs qualify for an America visa.

Addiction treatment centers are struggling to find enough qualified personnel as the opioid crisis worsens, The Wall Street Journal reports.