Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Apr 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialOpioid detoxification with buprenorphine, clonidine, or methadone in hospitalized heroin-dependent patients with HIV infection.
With the growing role of intravenous drug use in the transmission of HIV infection, HIV-infected patients frequently present with comorbid opioid dependence. Yet, few empirical evaluations of the efficacy and consequences of opioid detoxification medications in medically ill HIV-infected patients have been reported. In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, we evaluated the impact of three medications on the signs and symptoms of withdrawal and on the pain severity in heroin-dependent HIV-infected patients (N=55) hospitalized for medical reasons on an inpatient AIDS service. ⋯ There were no significant differences of pain decline and other measures of withdrawal between the three treatment groups. During the intervention period, supplemental opiates were administered as medically indicated for pain to 45% of the patients; only 34% of men versus 62% of women received morphine (P<0.05). These findings suggest buprenorphine, clonidine, and methadone regimens each decrease opioid withdrawal in medically ill HIV-infected patients.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Apr 2003
Comparative StudyEarly-onset cannabis use and cognitive deficits: what is the nature of the association?
Individuals who initiate cannabis use at an early age, when the brain is still developing, might be more vulnerable to lasting neuropsychological deficits than individuals who begin use later in life. ⋯ Early-onset cannabis users exhibit poorer cognitive performance than late-onset users or control subjects, especially in VIQ, but the cause of this difference cannot be determined from our data. The difference may reflect (1). innate differences between groups in cognitive ability, antedating first cannabis use; (2). an actual neurotoxic effect of cannabis on the developing brain; or (3). poorer learning of conventional cognitive skills by young cannabis users who have eschewed academics and diverged from the mainstream culture.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Apr 2003
Review Comparative StudyCollege on Problems of Drug Dependence taskforce on prescription opioid non-medical use and abuse: position statement.
This position paper from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence addresses the issues related to non-medical use and abuse of prescription opioids. A central theme throughout is the need to strike a balance between risk management strategies to prevent and deter prescription opioid abuse and the need for physicians and patients to have appropriate access to opioid pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pain. The epidemiology of prescription opioid use and abuse is reviewed. ⋯ Treatment options are discussed; these depend on whether or not an abuser is in pain. Prescription opioid abuse has harmful ramifications for the legitimate and appropriate use of opioids, including stigmatization, opiophobia, and undertreatment of pain. Recommended steps to take include further epidemiological research, laboratory testing of prescription opioids to determine abuse liability, and clinical trials to determine the efficacy of different approaches to the prevention and treatment of prescription opioid abuse.