Prescription opioids taken during pregnancy are not associated with a substantial increase in risk of developmental disorders like ADHD in children, a new study has found.

"A slightly increased risk of neuropsychiatric disorders was found, but this should not be considered clinically meaningful"because it ...

Most ex-cons are unlikely to receive substance use treatment following their release from prison, even though odds are high they are struggling with addiction, a new study finds.

National estimates suggest as many as 85% of inmates leave prison with some form of substance abuse problem, researchers said.

But only 17% of ex-cons on Medicaid in Virginia have been diagnosed with substa...

A combo of an allergy drug and a blood pressure med appears to lower daily drinking in folks battling severe alcoholism, French researchers report.

The two generic drugs are the antihistamine cyproheptadine and prazosin, which treats high blood pressure and urinary urgency, noted a team led by Henri-Jean Aubin, of the Uni...

Two-thirds of homeless people are experiencing some form of mental health disorder, a large, new review of data on the subject.

The analysis found that men who are homeless are more likely to be battling mental illness than women, although rates were high for both genders compared to the general population.

There are signs that rates of mental illness may be on the rise among homele...

People who gamble on sports are more likely to be binge drinkers as well, a new report finds.

Both women and men who bet on sports were at least twice as likely to binge drink compared to non-gamblers, results showed. Further, the odds of binge drinking increased with the frequency of gambling.

"With past research showing that sports gamblers are more likely to report symptoms of al...

For folks who have battled alcohol dependency for years, any treatment that could curb or block alcohol cravings would be a huge advance.

Now, research in mice is giving a glimmer of hope that just such a therapy might be possible.

A compound -- so far dubbed LY2444296 -- appears to block a key brain cell receptor called the kappa opioid receptor (KOP), a team at the Scripps Researc...

Telehealth might be a more effective way of treating alcoholism than in-person therapy sessions, a new study reports.

Alcoholics who receive treatment through telehealth were more likely to engage in more therapy visits and stick to anti-alcohol medication longer than those who venture out for alcohol use disorder therapy, researchers found.

These results are "particularly important...

College students who use drugs like Adderall to help them focus on their studies may be setting themselves up for trouble.

Researchers asked 700 undergraduates across the United States about drugs commonly used by students -- including ADHD medications like Adderall, cannabis, nicotine, alcohol, MDMA and ecstasy. They also asked about students' academic performance and physical and mental...

Deaths where alcohol played a key role climbed sharply in recent years, hitting women even harder than men, new government data shows.

Between 2016 and 2021 (the latest numbers available), "the average number of U.S. deaths from excessive alcohol use increased by more than 40,000 [29%], to 178,000 per year," reported a team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

P...

More than two in every five Americans know someone who's died from a drug overdose, a new study shows.

The study highlights the heavy toll that the U.S. opioid epidemic has taken on the nation, researchers say.

"The experiences and needs of millions of survivors of an overdose loss largely have been overlooked in the clinical and public health response to the nation's overdose crisi...

A ban on menthol cigarettes would likely lead to a meaningful reduction in smoking rates, a new review argues.

Almost a quarter of menthol smokers quit smoking altogether after menthol cigarettes were banned in their country or community, researchers report Feb. 21 in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

"This review provides compelling evidence for the U.S. Food an...

Americans addicted to opioids who need the anti-addiction med buprenorphine are far more likely to find it if they live in a predominantly white neighborhood, new research finds.

"Access is substantially better in areas that are very white," said study lead author Coleman Drake, an assistant professor of health policy and mana...

Increased access to prescription opioids has driven up U.S. suicide rates by making it easier to women to end their lives, a new study claims.

The study also blames a shrinking federal safety net during tough economic times for rising suicide rates.

"We contend that the U.S. federal government's weak regulatory oversight of the pharmaceutical industry and tattered social safety nets...

FRIDAY, Feb. 16, 2024 (HealthDay news) -- A drug first developed to treat cocaine addiction might also help slow the spread of advanced colon cancer, a new study suggests.

The drug vanoxerine appears to suppress cancer stem cell activity by essentially rewiring gene networks critical to tumor growth, the researchers explained.

"Tumors treated with vanoxerine become more susceptible ...

Coupons for e-cigarettes appear to be a powerful way to get people hooked on vaping, a new study shows.

People who receive coupons for e-cigarettes are 50% more likely to begin vaping, and less likely to quit once they've started, according to findings published recently in the American Journal of Preventive M...