Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Dec 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialA randomized clinical trial of methadone maintenance for prisoners: results at 1-month post-release.
Despite its effectiveness, methadone maintenance is rarely provided in American correctional facilities. This study is the first randomized clinical trial in the US to examine the effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatment provided to prisoners with pre-incarceration heroin addiction. ⋯ Methadone maintenance initiated prior to or immediately after release from prison appears to have beneficial short-term impact on community treatment entry and heroin use. This intervention may be able to fill an urgent treatment need for prisoners with heroin addiction histories.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Dec 2007
Trends in the use and abuse of branded and generic extended release oxycodone and fentanyl products in the United States.
A great deal of previous work on the pharmacoeconomics of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug abuse indicates that as cost decreases, abuse increases and vice versa. The application of these cost principles to the abuse of prescribed medications is largely unknown. In this paper we assessed whether the introduction of generic products in the U.S. increased the therapeutic use and illicit abuse of extended release oxycodone products and the fentanyl patch. ⋯ Our data suggest that drug costs alone do not increase the overall likelihood that a prescription opioid analgesic will be used therapeutically or abused. However, while generics are rapidly endorsed by insurance companies as a prescribed entity, abuse of the branded versions of ER oxycodone and fentanyl remains predominant for some time.