Pain
From the Journals
‘Deeper dive’ into opioid overdose deaths during COVID pandemic
Results also showed that, compared to 2019, significantly more men died from overdoses in 2020 in Colorado and Indiana.
News from the FDA/CDC
EDs saw more benzodiazepine overdoses, but fewer patients overall, in 2020
Fentanyl became increasingly involved in benzodiazepine overdose deaths through the first half of the year.
From the Journals
Opioid prescribing laws having an impact
The number of days an opioid was prescribed for each Medicare beneficiary decreased by 11.6 days in 2018 in states that imposed duration limits....
Feature
Sen. Schumer backs federal decriminalization of marijuana
Passage of the bill is highly uncertain because of strong Republican opposition in the Senate, where Democrats hold a narrow majority.
Conference Coverage
Chronic headache pain in veterans linked to suicide attempts
U.S. veterans with chronic headache pain had an increased risk of attempting suicide compared with vets with chronic neck or back pain,...
Feature
Physician convicted in buprenorphine scheme faces up to 20 years in prison
The West Virgina Board of Medicine suspended the license of Sriramloo Kesari, MD, 78, in February 2020.
From the Journals
Transcranial brain stimulation can modulate placebo and nocebo experiences
It remains to be seen if this method could eventually alter chronic pain.
FDA/CDC
FDA OKs higher-dose naloxone nasal spray for opioid overdose
Kloxxado delivers 8 mg of naloxone into the nasal cavity, which is twice as much as the 4 mg of naloxone contained in Narcan.
Feature
The cloudy role of cannabis as a neuropsychiatric treatment
Medical cannabis has been made widely available to patients and has largely outpaced the clinical evidence.
Evidence-Based Reviews
Cannabinoid-based medications for pain
Interest in these agents may be outpacing the evidence supporting their analgesic benefits.
From the Journals
Doctors more likely to prescribe opioids to COVID ‘long-haulers,’ raising addiction fears
The new study “suggests to me that many clinicians still don’t get it,” said Dr. Andrew Kolodny.