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Addiction Disorders
Promising efforts to mitigate the opioid crisis
Promising efforts to mitigate the opioid crisis
Margaret Lowenstein, an LDI senior fellow and assistant professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine discusses the increase in opioid and drug overdoses since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parental nicotine use and addiction risk for children
Parental nicotine use and addiction risk for children
In research done using rats, Penn Nursing’s Heath Schmidt and colleagues found that males that engaged in voluntary nicotine use had offspring more likely to do so, too. Some offspring also developed impaired memory and anxiety-like behavior.
Program issuing mailed kits doubles rate of leftover opioids disposal
Program issuing mailed kits doubles rate of leftover opioids disposal
A Penn study finds that patients of orthopaedic and urologic procedures were more likely to dispose of their extra opioid tablets when they received kits in the mail to do so.
Elizabeth Heller’s lab uncovers how drug addiction can create lasting changes in genes
Elizabeth Heller’s lab uncovers how drug addiction can create lasting changes in genes
Leading a neuroepigenetics lab at her alma mater, Heller and the work of her 10-person lab is focused on molecular brain mechanisms, aiming to uncover chronic changes that can happen and keep happening in the brain long after exposure to addictive substances ends.
Overcoming barriers to treatment for opioid use disorder
Overcoming barriers to treatment for opioid use disorder
New research shows that emergency departments can be a gateway to medications for opioid use disorder.
The origins of the opioid epidemic
The origins of the opioid epidemic
The study, “Origins of the Opioid Crisis and its Enduring Impacts” examines the role of the 1996 introduction and marketing of OxyContin as a potential leading cause of the opioid crisis.
Pregnancy and opioid-use disorder: How to keep pregnant patients and babies healthy
Pregnancy and opioid-use disorder: How to keep pregnant patients and babies healthy
At the Perinatal Resources for Opioid Use Disorder (PROUD) Clinic at Penn Family Care, patients are screened for mental health conditions and supported with integrated care before, during, and after pregnancy.
Barriers and facilitators in treating opioid addiction in the ER
Barriers and facilitators in treating opioid addiction in the ER
Despite effective medications for opioid use disorder, such as buprenorphine and methadone, few people receive treatment. The ongoing challenge is to expand access to these lifesaving treatments to people who need them the most.
Boots on the ground for the opioid task force
Boots on the ground for the opioid task force
Opioid addiction is a “public health emergency,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Overdose deaths involving opioids—both prescription and illegal—have increased fivefold between 1999 and 2016.
From addiction and loss to recovery and empathy: Q&A with Nicole O’Donnell
From addiction and loss to recovery and empathy: Q&A with Nicole O’Donnell
At Penn Medicine’s Center of Excellence, the certified recovery specialist reaches out to people who are addicted in need of support and guidance, drawing on her own experience to be uniquely helpful and intuitive for people who need the most help.
In the News
Forbes
Healthcare organizations are finding novel uses for virtual health technology
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Care Connect program is spearheading the use of virtual urgent care services and substance abuse professionals to provide treatment to patients, with a quote from Margaret Lowenstein.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Cigarette nicotine levels to make ‘monumental’ shift, and Pa. needs to prepare
In an Op-Ed, postdoc Teresa DeAtley of the Perelman School of Medicine urges Pennsylvania to prepare for the FDA’s new proposal to reduce the maximum level of nicotine in cigarettes.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Hospitalizations for opioid overdoses are increasing among Black and Hispanic Pennsylvanians, study finds
Jeanmarie Perrone of the Perelman School of Medicine explains why a new study on opioid overdoses likely doesn’t reflect the full picture of hospitalizations for Pennsylvania.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Could these common medications help curb addiction?
In a Q&A, Anna Rose Childress of the Perelman School of Medicine speaks on the cycle of opioid addiction and her current clinical trials on the benefits of “add-on” medications with Kyle Kampman of the Perelman School of Medicine.
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WION (New Dehli)
Predisposition to alcohol abuse is inherited, needs personalised treatment: Addiction expert
A study by Henry Kranzler of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that treatment for excessive drinking should be tailored according to individual genetic makeup, with predisposition to alcohol abuse partially inherited from relatives.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
What makes addiction a disease?
Charles O’Brien and Daniel Langleben of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed the brain’s reward system and its relationship to addiction.
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