Opioids and Pain Management

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Learn about the opioid crisis, safe opioid prescribing, and overdose prevention.

Opioids and Drug Overdose and Addiction Crisis

Review general information and related resources on opioids, including an overview of how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are taking steps to combat it. Read about other current national strategies and guidelines to tackle the crisis, such as:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC):
  • Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain
  • Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Opioid Overdose: What's Working in the United States
• The U.S. Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids
• NIH HEAL Initiative’s News and Research Spotlights
• The American Dental Association’s New Policy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic
• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' CMS Roadmap: Fighting the Opioid Crisis
• The Food and Drug Administration's Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy
• Health and Human Services (HHS):
  • Opioid Crisis page
  • HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy
  • The HHS Guide for Clinicians on the Appropriate Dosage Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Analgesics
  • Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force

To learn more about the impact of the opioid crisis through experiences and personal accounts from a physician, a first responder, and a patient, check out these three videos.

For insights from NIDA Director, Dr. Nora Volkow, read her blog:

• NIH Partners with the Dental Community to Help Curb the Opioid Crisis
• Million-Participant NIH Study Could Yield Important Insights into Addiction and Pain

Opioids, Pregnancy, and Neonatal Care

Pregnancy and the postpartum period are critical times to intervene to help women with unhealthy substance use and their babies. Visit the Opioids, Pregnancy, and Neonatal Care page for practice guidance; research and news; and further education for clinicians on treating opioid-dependent pregnant women, mothers, and infants.

Opioid Prescribing & Pain

For more information on opioid prescribing and pain, please visit the CDC’s Opioid Prescribing Resources for health professionals.