Healio (8/15, Demko) reports research indicates that “combined use of opioids and cannabis was linked to greater symptoms of anxiety, depression and substance use problems compared with opioid use alone in adults with chronic pain.” The findings of the 450-patient study were published in the July/August issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Mixing opioids, cannabis tied to greater anxiety, depression symptoms, “Savannah Demko, Healio, August 15, 2019

HealthDay (8/15, Preidt) reports, “Nearly half of U.S. patients don’t tell their physicians about potentially life-threatening risks such as domestic violence, sexual assault, depression or thoughts of suicide,” researchers concluded after analyzing “the responses of more than 4,500 people who took part in two national online surveys.” The study revealed that “40%-47.5% of the respondents did not tell their” healthcare professional “about one of the four health threats.” What’s more, “more than 70% said the reason for withholding the information was embarrassment or fear of being judged or lectured.” The findings were published online Aug. 14 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Nearly Half of U.S. Patients Keep Vital Secrets From Their Doctors, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 15, 2019

USA Today (8/14, Thornton, O’Donnell) reports despite mounting evidence that marijuana consumption during pregnancy is harmful, many women continue to use marijuana. For example, a study recently published in JAMA found a “sharp increase in the number of pregnant women smoking marijuana and an alarming link between cannabis use and preterm births, defined as 37 weeks or earlier.” Another JAMA study “concluded marijuana is ‘likely unsafe’ because pre-term births were twice as common in marijuana users vs. non users. (12% vs 6.1%).” Meanwhile, women may be subject to misinformation, as an NIH study of “over 400 Colorado dispensaries found nearly 70% recommended treatment of morning sickness with cannabis.” Furthermore, some women may be fearful of discussing marijuana use with their clinicians. Moreover, “with mixed messaging on marijuana in the U.S., pregnant women in need of relief are not able to make fully-informed decisions, physicians say.”

Related Links:

— “Weed while pregnant: Far more common and concerning than many realize, “Claire Thornton and Jayne O’Donnell, USA Today, August 14, 2019

HealthDay (8/14, Norton) reports, “School kids who get to bed early rather than staring at their devices at night may be better equipped to control their behavior,” research indicates. Investigators “found that 8- to 11-year-olds who got adequate sleep and had limits on ‘screen time’ were less likely than their peers to report problems with impulsive behavior.” The findings, which are “based on over 4,500 Canadian kids aged 8 to 11,” were published online in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Less ‘Screen Time,’ More Sleep = Better-Behaved Kids, “Amy Norton, HealthDay, August 14, 2019

CNN (8/14, Williams) reports California high school and middle school students “will have some lifesaving information at their fingertips as they go back to school this year.” A law that went into effect in July “requires schools to print the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on student ID cards for seventh- through 12th-graders in public, private and charter schools.” The law “also says that student IDs may have information on the Crisis Text Line – which can be reached by texting HOME to 741741 – as well as local suicide prevention resources.”

Related Links:

— “California law puts a suicide hotline number on school ID cards, “David Williams, CNN, August 14, 2019