Latest Questions

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2019, 20.4% of adults in the United States (US) suffered from chronic pain, and 7.4% reported their chronic pain interfered with daily activities.1 Prescription opioids are frequently used to treat chronic pain. Although the total number of opioid prescriptions dispensed each year in the US has steadily decreased in the past decade, CDC data confirms that in 2019 Americans filled more than 153 million opioid prescriptions or 46.7 prescriptions per 100 individuals.2 Coupled with th…

Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) is found in the proximal renal tubule and its function is to reabsorb filtered glucose from the urine.1,2 The SGLT2 inhibitor(s) (SGLT2i) (canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, and ertugliflozin) are a class of antihyperglycemic medications that block this glucose reabsorption process, promoting the renal excretion of glucose and thereby resulting in the blood glucose lowering effect.2

Opioid withdrawal syndrome encompasses the signs and symptoms that occur as a result of a rapid decrease or cessation of opioids after prolonged use. For short-acting opioids, opioid withdrawal symptoms present within approximately 12 hours of last dose and continue for about 3-5 days. For long-acting opioids, withdrawal symptoms occur within approximately 30 hours of last dose and continue for up to 10 days. While opioid withdrawal syndrome is rarely life threatening, it may lead to relapse if not managed properly.

Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids.1 In response to the growing opioid crisis, Illinois has focused its efforts on promoting the appropriate use and increasing the availability of overdose-reversing drugs, such as naloxone, for individuals with opioid addiction and their families, with the goal of reducing opioid overdose deaths.

When treating pain in children in the era of the opioid epidemic, judicious pain management is required in order to alleviate pain while minimizing adverse events, opioid dependence, opioid misuse, and addiction.1-4 Neonates with prenatal opioid exposure may present with opioid withdrawal and developmental issues.5 In addition to the fact that children’s bodies are still developing, genetic and phenotypic variability are factors that do not make all opioids therapeutically viable options for pain management in children.6-9 Pain management also varies de…

In 2016, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain in an effort to ensure prescribers and patients consider all safe and effective treatment options and minimize risks. Limited evidence is available to support the use of long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain and this topic is highly controversial, however, there is significant evidence regarding risks associated with long-term use including opioid use disorder and overdose.