opioids
Ceasing use
An Australian study of 10,000 patients has found opioid cessation led to reduced pain and improved function in people attending chronic pain services Researchers from the Australian Health Services Research …
‘Hillbilly heroin’ dispensed on defaced, altered handwritten scripts
A pharmacist has had his bid to reinstate his registration knocked back in a Tribunal hearing which noted that his former store now belonged to his son In June 2018, …
Problematic opioid use often temporary: study
Aussie researchers followed more than 1500 people with pain over five years… what did they find? Contrary to predominant thinking in pain management, there is considerable fluidity in opioid use …
Pain management and opioid misuse
Despite regulatory changes to codeine, pharmacists continue to play a vital role in the safe and appropriate use of analgesics As our knowledge of pain has progressed, we now recognise …
Research Roundup
Debbie Rigby rounds up the latest in research news Efficacy and safety of low-dose colchicine in patients with coronary disease A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials indicates that …
Opioid script changes mean well, but have left some people in chronic pain
How have changes to opioid prescribing affected some patients? Aili Langford, Carl Schneider, Christine Lin, and Danijela Gnjidic, from the University of Sydney, take a look Chronic pain affects about …
World news wrapup: 21 January 2021
Pharmacy allegedly bought 61 times the state average of fentanyl; actor asked to leave LA pharmacy for going maskless; customer queued at pharmacy and said they had COVID Cleveland, Ohio: …
Naloxone update
SHPA has released a practice update to support safe, immediate use of naloxone The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia notes that the opioid toxicity antidote is now more readily …
‘You have put a gun in my mum’s hand.’
A patient would visit her doctor several times a week and ask for “the usual”— thought to be Panadeine Forte, Temaze and Valium by her child who was in the …
Nuance needed: opioids and harm
Overreliance on opioid dose as a predictor of problems needs to be addressed – and pharmacists may need help assessing other predictors Problematic opioid behaviours in people with chronic pain, …
Opioid quantities studied
How many people were prescribed 10‐ or 20‐tablet pack sizes prior to PBAC-recommended changes? Research led by the Pharmacy Department at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane has reviewed oxycodone …
Are dentists being targeted for codeine?
A dentist and pharmacist has identified an increase in the prescribing by dentists of opioids, and suggests they should have access to real-time monitoring systems In a new article in …