Articles: opioid.
-
Addictive behaviors · Jan 2018
Trends in average days' supply of opioid medications in Medicaid and commercial insurance.
To calculate trends in adult average days' supply for six commonly prescribed opioids: hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and tapentadol to assess whether physicians changed prescribing practices at the time of the intensifying epidemic. ⋯ Our results find that days' supply of opioids are increasing despite public health campaigns and media attention on the risks of opioid prescribing. More effective interventions to curb opioid prescribing are needed to reverse these trends.
-
To implement a telephone-based pharmacy driven clinic and increase access to opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) in an effort to reduce opioid mortality across the catchment area of one Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. The project intended to assess the feasibility of telephone-based OEND, which has not been reported in the literature. ⋯ Using a combination of printed material and telephone discussion with a pharmacist, the Clinic greatly increased naloxone access in the catchment area. No statistical tests or analysis were performed, however, the clinic dramatically increased the raw number of patients with access to OEND.
-
Int. Immunopharmacol. · Jan 2018
In contrast to morphine, buprenorphine enhances macrophage-induced humoral immunity and, as oxycodone, slightly suppresses the effector phase of cell-mediated immune response in mice.
Opioid receptors are commonly expressed on various immune cells, macrophages especially. Thus, these cells are prone to stimulation with opioids, which seems to be responsible for opioid-induced immunomodulatory effects. While morphine, fentanyl and methadone influence on mouse immune response was recently studied, little is known about the potential immunomodulatory impact of buprenorphine and oxycodone. ⋯ Current observations confirm that macrophages greatly contribute to immunomodulatory effects of opioids. Studies on immunomodulation by opioids have great importance related to the evaluation of its beneficial and adverse effects on patient condition. Our research showed that oxycodone exerts the weakest immunomodulatory properties, allowing us to assume this drug as safer than morphine during prolonged therapy.
-
Am J Health Syst Pharm · Dec 2017
Evaluation of opioid prescribing after rescheduling of hydrocodone-containing products.
Institutional prescribing trends of hydrocodone-containing products (HCPs) before and after the Drug Enforcement Administration's rescheduling of HCPs were evaluated. ⋯ The rescheduling of HCPs resulted in a reduction in HCP prescriptions but was accompanied by increases in the use of codeine-containing products and tramadol in all settings.