Latest News On Substance Misuse

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Listen: Inexpensive Nerve Drug Often Abused As Opioid Epidemic Grows

KFF Health News Original

Gabapentin, a medication approved to help patients with nerve pain or epilepsy, is being abused by people addicted to opioids to help prolong their high or stave off withdrawal from other drugs. Kaiser Health News reporter Carmen Heredia Rodriguez talks about the problem during a wide-ranging health discussion on the NPR program “On Point.”

Pacientes con dolor crónico se sienten atrapados en el debate sobre opioides

KFF Health News Original

Los pacientes que necesitan esta medicación se sienten afectados injustamente por la tendencia a recetarlos cada vez menos, como una estrategia para frenar la creciente epidemia de abuso de opioides.

Texas Clinics Busting Traditional Silos Of Mental And Physical Health Care

KFF Health News Original

Efforts to provide care that integrates physical and mental health services are spreading, partly because untreated mental health conditions negatively affect physical health and escalate health care costs.

Doling Out Pain Pills Post-Surgery: An Ingrown Toenail Not The Same As A Bypass

KFF Health News Original

As the opioid epidemic rages, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and researcher is leading an effort to curb overprescribing by offering procedure-specific guidelines to ensure that post-surgical patients leave the hospital with enough, but not too much, pain medication.

After Opioid Overdose, Only 30 Percent Get Medicine To Treat Addiction

KFF Health News Original

Patients revived from an opioid overdose who get methadone or Suboxone treatment for addiction afterward are much more likely to be alive a year later, says a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Reversing An Overdose Isn’t Complicated, But Getting The Antidote Can Be

KFF Health News Original

Last month, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged more Americans to carry and learn to use naloxone, which can save someone from an opioid overdose. But the drug, brand-name Narcan, can be difficult to get and expensive.

For The Babies Of The Opioid Crisis, The Best Care May Be Mom’s Recovery

KFF Health News Original

Research is just beginning on infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, and doctors are optimistic that normal development is possible. Monitoring the families and making sure parents are treated for addiction is key.