Drug and alcohol dependence
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2009
Evaluation of prevalent phytocannabinoids in the acetic acid model of visceral nociception.
Considerable preclinical research has demonstrated the efficacy of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC), the primary psychoactive constituent of Cannabis sativa, in a wide variety of animal models of pain, but few studies have examined other phytocannabinoids. Indeed, other plant-derived cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN), and cannabichromene (CBC) elicit antinociceptive effects in some assays. In contrast, tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), another component of cannabis, antagonizes the pharmacological effects of Delta(9)-THC. ⋯ Although THCV bound to the CB(1) receptor with similar affinity as Delta(9)-THC, it had no effects when administered alone, but antagonized the antinociceptive effects of Delta(9)-THC when both drugs were given in combination. Importantly, the antinociceptive effects of Delta(9)-THC and CBN occurred at lower doses than those necessary to produce locomotor suppression, suggesting motor dysfunction did not account for the decreases in acetic acid-induced abdominal stretching. These data raise the intriguing possibility that other constituents of cannabis can be used to modify the pharmacological effects of Delta(9)-THC by either eliciting antinociceptive effects (i.e., CBN) or antagonizing (i.e., THCV) the actions of Delta(9)-THC.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2009
Mortality among clients of a state-wide opioid pharmacotherapy program over 20 years: risk factors and lives saved.
The small size of previous studies of mortality in opioid dependent people has prevented an assessment of the extent to which elevated mortality risks are consistent across time, clinical and/or patient groups. The current study examines reductions in mortality related to treatment in an entire treatment population. ⋯ Mortality among treatment-seeking opioid-dependent persons is dynamic across time, patient and treatment variables. The comparative reduction in mortality during buprenorphine induction may be offset by the increased risk of longer out-of-treatment time periods. Despite periods of elevated risk, this large-scale provision of pharmacotherapy is estimated to have resulted in significant reductions in mortality.