Journal of addiction medicine
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Previous studies have not examined patterns of pain treatment use among patients seeking office-based buprenorphine-naloxone treatment (BNT) for opioid dependence. ⋯ Individuals with pain seeking BNT for opioid dependence report a wide range of conventional, complementary, and alternative pain-related treatments and are interested (especially those with CP) in receiving pain management services along with BNT.
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To characterize the range of symptoms experienced by pregnant methadone-maintained (MM) and buprenorphine-maintained (BM) women to determine whether these differ from those experienced by a control group of nonopioid exposed pregnant women. Opioid-maintained (OM) patients report high rates of symptoms related to direct opioid effects and withdrawal. Pregnancy is associated with a range of symptoms, some overlapping with opioid effects and withdrawal. ⋯ Patterns of symptom reports may have clinical implications for maternal and fetal health during pregnancy for OM women including optimization of opioid dosing regimens, education regarding maternal nutritional intake and preventing postnatal depression, thereby ensuring maternal health and fetal development during pregnancy and enhancing mother-infant bonding and healthy child development postnatally.
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Since 2004, a new wave of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) known as "Spice drugs" has come under scrutiny because of their suspected link to neurological and psychiatric sequelae. These "herbal incense" or "potpourri blends" have gained popularity as a result of being more potent than natural cannabinoids, are not detected with current screening tests, and are easily modified by manufacturers to bypass legal restrictions. Unfortunately, cases of withdrawal phenomena, nausea, hypertension, and psychosis are now being reported in the medical literature. In addition, after reports in lay media of seizures and coma attributed to the consumption of the drug, anecdotal reports have emerged of similar findings in the medical literature. ⋯ The authors interpreted the history and findings consistent with the consumption of a large amount of synthetic cannabinoids leading to new-onset seizures and coma. However, at the time of admission, the lack of routine laboratory testing and treatment options delayed the diagnosis and delivery of appropriate therapy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparisons of analgesic potency and side effects of buprenorphine and buprenorphine with ultra-low-dose naloxone.
Opioids are the most effective pain medication available, yet concerns about their safety may limit their administration to those in need. In efforts to identify analgesics with lower potential for abuse and dependence, recent evidence suggests that combinations of opioids with ultra-low doses of the opioid antagonist naloxone may enhance the analgesic effect with increased safety. This study investigated the use of buprenorphine (0.3 mg) plus ultra-low-dose naloxone (0.02 mg) (BUP + ULDN) as compared with buprenorphine alone (0.3 mg) (BUP) for the treatment of pain. ⋯ These findings suggest that BUP + ULDN is not more effective in reducing pain than BUP.
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Prescription opioid misuse: characteristics of earliest and most recent memory of hydromorphone use.
Prescription opioid use is highly prevalent and a major physician concern. However, little is known about how individuals initiate into use of these medications or how they use them later in life. Hydromorphone is a medication of particular interest given its subjective similarities to heroin and tendency to be misused by illicit opioid users. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of initial, and more recent, hydromorphone use occasions as remembered by a population of individuals in treatment for their opioid use. ⋯ There was considerable variability in characteristics of hydromorphone use initiation among individuals enrolled in low-threshold methadone maintenance treatment. However, later use of hydromorphone was remarkably consistent across individuals and shares many characteristics previously documented for heroin use. Additional investigations into hydromorphone are warranted, particularly given previous findings regarding the prevalence of nonmedical use of this drug and its similarities to heroin.