Opioids are quite potent drugs that relieve pain and produce feelings of euphoria, and should only be taken for short periods of time for acute pain, such as after an injury or surgery.

A new study, published in PLOS Medicine, examined the use of gabapentin along with opioid painkillers. Researchers conducted a case-control study among people who were prescribed opioid analgesics in ...

Opioid painkillers perscribed to breastfeeding women do not harm babies through breast milk, new research shows. A study published in the BMJ has found there is no association between maternal opioid ...

Scientists have known for decades that opioids relieve pain by binding to molecular switches in the brain called mu-opioid receptors. What they didn't know—until now—was exactly what happens next.

Drugmakers must educate doctors about opioid prescription, agency says. July 10, 2012— -- Companies that manufacture powerful, long-acting opioid painkillers will have to sponsor education ...

Two different versions of the mu-opioid receptor within a cellular membrane illustrate how the receptor changes its conformation to send a signal into the cell. Scientists captured six high-resolution ...

Scientists have known for decades that opioids relieve pain by binding to molecular switches in the brain called mu-opioid (pronounced "mew-opioid") receptors. What they didn't know - until now - was ...

A new study finds that an increasing number of surgeries — and the painkillers that follow — could derail recovery for those who once misused opioids.

Investigators used the SEER-Medicare claims linked database to explore the persistence of racial-ethnic disparities in pain treatment among survivors of cancer.

(CNN) -- CVS and Walgreens have tentatively agreed to pay a combined $10 billion to settle lawsuits brought by states and local governments alleging the retailers mishandled prescriptions of opioid ...