National 'This Case Will Set A Precedent': First Major Opioid Trial To Begin In Oklahoma Oklahoma's trial is the first in a wave of litigation attempting to bring claims against opioid manufacturers. The state is seeking millions of dollars in damages and penalties. Jackie Fortier
Health A map to treatment for Washington's opioid epidemic There's a new tool in Washington state to combat the opioid epidemic. Paige Browning
Health Antidepressants Can Interfere With Pain Relief Of Common Opioids Some antidepressants inhibit a liver enzyme that converts common opioids into their active form. The interaction may reduce the effectiveness of certain opioids for people taking both medicines. Jonathan Lambert
National Steep Climb In Benzodiazepine Prescribing By Primary Care Doctors U.S. prescriptions for Valium, Ativan and other benzodiazepines have shot up since 2003, statistics show, especially for chronic pain. Roughly half those prescriptions are from primary care providers. Rhitu Chatterjee
Health Health officials investigate rash of same-day North Seattle overdoses Health officials are concerned about seven overdoses that occurred within hours of one another in North Seattle on Thursday. Patricia Murphy
Science How a smartphone app could save the lives of opioid users Kim Malcolm talks with Dr. Jacob Sunshine about the smartphone app "Second Chance." Kim Malcolm Andy Hurst
Health 300 percent spike in HIV infections among straight IV users in Seattle A 300 percent increase in HIV infections among heterosexuals is unusual and concerning, say public health officials in King County. Patricia Murphy
Health 'Finding Fixes' to the opioid crisis with bus passes and other solutions The drugs are not the problem, it’s the pain of living that’s the problem. And pain is driving this opioid epidemic. Brie Ripley Anna Boiko-Weyrauch Kyle Norris
Medical Treatments Inspired By Her Own Pain, A Researcher Explores Alternatives To Opioid Treatments New options for nonaddictive pain treatment are sorely needed. One researcher is borrowing from the field of cancer nanomedicine to test an idea that could bring relief to chronic pain sufferers. Joe Palca
