opioids

Narcan Nasal Spray Is Now Available Over the Counter

Narcan Nasal Spray Is Now Available Over the Counter. Should You Get It?

Here’s why the lifesaving medication naloxone — commonly known by the brand name Narcan — should be in your medicine cabinet

Shopping cart toy with medicaments in front of laptop screen with pharmacy web site on it.

Dangerous Counterfeit Drugs Are Putting Millions of US Consumers at Risk, According to a New Study

Rogue online pharmacies frequently use social media platforms to reach potential customers

Pain Management text

Want to Manage Postsurgical Pain Without Opioids? There Are Other Options.

How to work with your OB-GYN to make a pain management plan for a better recovery after surgery

Ashley K Heller

I Recovered From Surgery on My Own Terms

I struggled with side effects from opioids after my first C-section, so I chose to do things differently the second time around

Pregnant woman taking pill

Using for Two

Our webinar, Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Mom: Reducing Barriers to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder, addressed challenges and support for women with opioid use disorder

Red and white capsules

Designing Less Addictive Opioids, Through Chemistry

One potential way to make opioids less addictive is to make them target injured tissue rather than the healthy brain

Debbie Dingell

15 Minutes With Congresswoman Debbie Dingell

A champion for women's health, Debbie Dingell opens up about her recent emergency surgery and her thoughts about health care in the United States

What Are the Risks of Pain Relief Alternatives to Opioids?

What Are the Risks of Pain Relief Alternatives to Opioids?

With so much attention focused on the dangers of opioid painkillers, it's easy to forget that even "safe" over-the-counter products carry some dangers.

Innovative Ways Communities are Fighting Opioid Addiction

How Communities Are Helping Women and Families Fight the Opioid Crisis

While traditional drug rehabilitation programs continue to play an important role in fighting opioid abuse, here are a few unique approaches making a difference for women and families.

How to Talk to Your Doctor About Opioid Abuse

How to Talk to Your Health Care Professional About Opioid Abuse

As the opioid epidemic continues to sweep the nation, it may be time for women to talk to their health care professional about opioid overdoses.

New Toolkit Aims to Help Educate Women About Prescription Opioids

New Toolkit Aims to Help Educate Women About Prescription Opioids

Pain management is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Research shows that women are more likely to be prescribed opioids than men and tend to become persistent users of opioids.

I Will Not Be Shamed for Using Opioids to Manage My Cancer Pain

I Will Not Be Shamed for Using Opioids to Manage My Cancer Pain

One woman’s story about how her pharmacist made her feel wrong for taking opioids for her cancer pain.

Violence against women is overlooked in its role in opioid epidemic

Violence Against Women Is Overlooked in Its Role in Opioid Epidemic

Women who are subject to violence – often from intimate partners – are more likely to turn to opioids or other substances leading to further health and life problems, including increased risk for HIV infection.

Is Opioid Addiction Hereditary

Is Opioid Addiction Hereditary?

When parents abuse prescription painkillers, their teenagers may follow their example.

Insurers Making It Harder to Treat Opioid Addiction

Insurers Making It Harder to Treat Opioid Addiction

Insurance rules that limit access to the addiction treatment medication buprenorphine may be worsening the U.S. opioid epidemic.

Opioids Increasingly Tied to Deaths of Pregnant Women

Opioids Increasingly Tied to Deaths of Pregnant Women

Pregnancy-related deaths due to opioid misuse more than doubled between 2007 and 2016.

A Couple's Tough Trek Back From Opioid Addiction

A Couple's Tough Trek Back From Opioid Addiction

It is possible to recover from even the most serious of addictions. Just ask Katelyn and Jeffrey Hoglund.

As Treatable As Diabetes? Lawmakers Push New Ways To Stem Opioid Addiction

As Treatable As Diabetes? Lawmakers Push New Ways To Stem Opioid Addiction

When people are using medicines to treat their opioid use disorder – just like diabetics use insulin – and their insurance requires pre-authorization before they can get their monthly supply of their medicine, this puts them at great risk for relapse.

HealthyWomen Helping to Combat Opioid Epidemic – Better Treatment and Better Policies

HealthyWomen Helping to Combat Opioid Epidemic – Better Treatment and Better Policies

HealthyWomen is helping to combat the opioid epidemic by working with the Legal Action Center, women state legislators, and others to spread understanding of the disease of opioid use disorder (OUD), and best practices for treating OUD.

Babies Dependent On Opioids Need Touch, Not Tech

Babies Dependent On Opioids Need Touch, Not Tech

Infants born to women who have been using opioids have developed a physical dependence on the opioid while in the womb. New studies have shown how physical contact can help those infants do better, reduce symptoms of withdrawal, and recover more quickly.

Patients With Chronic Pain Feel Caught In An Opioid-Prescribing Debate

Patients With Chronic Pain Feel Caught In An Opioid-Prescribing Debate

People with chronic pain may be having trouble getting adequate medication because of concerns about opioid over prescribing and new rules and laws intended to reduce over prescribing and abuse.

Where Are Opioid Painkillers Prescribed the Most?

Where Are Opioid Painkillers Prescribed the Most?

A close look at U.S. congressional districts has yielded new information about the opioid crisis: The highest rates of prescriptions for opioid painkillers are in the Southeast, Appalachia and the rural West.

Opioids Given Too Easily to Children

Opioids Given Too Easily to Children

Many children are prescribed powerful opioid painkillers they don't really need, putting them and those around them at risk, a new study shows.