Drug and alcohol dependence
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The areca nut is consumed by approximately 10% of the world's population, and its consumption is associated with long-term health risks, with or without tobacco additives. However, it is not known whether its use is associated with a dependence syndrome, as is seen with other psychoactive substances. ⋯ Areca nut use by itself and more so with tobacco additives, is associated with the development of a dependence syndrome in a substantial numbers of users.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jul 2008
Comparative StudyBuprenorphine and methadone treatment of opiate dependence during pregnancy: comparison of fetal growth and neonatal outcomes in two consecutive case series.
To compare the effects of fetal buprenorphine and methadone exposure during maintenance treatment of pregnant heroin dependent subjects. ⋯ Data from this non-randomized comparison suggest that buprenorphine may offer advantages for treatment of opiate dependence during pregnancy.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · May 2008
Rapid assessment of drug-related HIV risk among men who have sex with men in three South African cities.
The current assessment was undertaken to examine the link between drug use and sexual risk behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM) in locations known to have high prevalence rates of drug use and sexual risk behavior in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria, South Africa. Street intercepts and purposive snowball sampling were used to recruit drug-using MSM. A rapid assessment was undertaken which included observation, mapping, key informant interviews and focus group interviews with MSM. ⋯ Views about drug and HIV treatment and preventive services and their efficacy were mixed. Various barriers to accessing services were highlighted including homosexual stigmatization and availability of drugs in treatment facilities. Recommendations include addressing the gap between HIV-risk knowledge and practice, extending VCT services for MSM, increasing the visibility of drug abuse services within communities, addressing concerns about drug availability in treatment centers as well as reintegration issues and the need for after-care services, reducing stigmatization in drug and HIV services for MSM and finally, strengthening the link between drug treatment services and HIV prevention by integrating HIV/drug-related risks into HIV prevention efforts and HIV risks into drug use prevention efforts.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Apr 2008
Divergent effects of cannabidiol on the discriminative stimulus and place conditioning effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol.
Cannabis sativa (marijuana plant) contains myriad cannabinoid compounds; yet, investigative attention has focused almost exclusively on Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), its primary psychoactive substituent. Interest in modulation of THC's effects by these other cannabinoids (e.g., cannabidiol (CBD)) has been stimulated anew by recent approval by Canada of Sativex (a 1:1 dose ratio combination of CBD:THC) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The goal of this study was to determine the degree to which THC's abuse-related effects were altered by co-administration of CBD. ⋯ When administered alone, CBD did not produce effects in either procedure. These results suggest that CBD, when administered with THC at therapeutically relevant ratios, may ameliorate aversive effects (e.g., dysphoria) often associated with initial use of THC alone. While this effect may be beneficial for therapeutic usage of a CBD:THC combination medication, our discrimination results showing that CBD did not alter THC's discriminative stimulus effects suggest that CBD:THC combination medications may also produce THC-like subjective effects at these dose ratios.