October 12, 2020

Reduced Drinking May Improve Veterans' Chronic Pain

FRIDAY, Oct. 9, 2020 -- Cutting back on booze may reduce chronic pain and use of other substances among U.S. veterans who are heavy drinkers, according to a new report.

The study included about 1,500 veterans who completed annual surveys between 2003 and 2015, and reported heavy drinking in at least one of those surveys.

October 12, 2020

Was FDA Lax in Approving Opioids Too Easily?

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30, 2020 -- For at least two decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been approving new formulations of prescription opioids without requiring drug manufacturers to gather important information on safety and effectiveness, a new study claims.

The FDA approved dozens of these highly addictive medications for treatment of chronic pain between 1997 and 2018 based on clinical trials that:

September 29, 2020

Middle-Aged Americans Report More Pain Than Seniors

MONDAY, Sept. 21, 2020 -- Middle-aged Americans are living with more physical pain than older adults are -- and the problem is concentrated among the less-educated, a new study finds.

The pattern may seem counterintuitive, since older age generally means more chronic health conditions and wear-and-tear on the body. And the middle-age pain peak is not seen in other wealthy countries, researchers said.

September 21, 2020

Study Tackles Long-Term Opioid Use Among Retired NFL Players

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 16, 2020 -- Many former National Football League (NFL) players who took opioid painkillers early in their retirement still used them nine years later, a new study finds.

The researchers also found that those who continued to use opioids were more likely to report moderate to severe depressive symptoms and low mental health-related quality of life.

September 2, 2020

1 in 20 Older Americans Smoke Pot Regularly, Survey Finds

TUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2020 -- Marijuana use is on the rise among older Americans, with one in 20 saying they had used within the previous month, according to a new study.

About 5% of men and women aged 55 and older said they'd used marijuana or hashish in the previous month between 2016 and 2018, according to an annual federal government survey on potentially risky behaviors.