Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Sep 2006
The effect of FDA approval of a generic competitor to OxyContin (oxycodone HCl controlled-release) tablets on the abuse of oxycodone.
Controversy exists concerning whether abuse of oxycodone will increase after the introduction of generic controlled-release (CR) oxycodone. We evaluated the effect of FDA approval of generic CR oxycodone on the misuse/abuse of oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone and morphine utilizing data from eight poison control centers (PCC). PCC intentional exposure (IE) reason codes were used as measures of abuse. ⋯ When changes in oxycodone's IE rates were compared to the other opioids, no statistically significant differences were found, indicating a lack of time-opioid interaction. These results did not vary when population rates or patient rates were used. PCC data indicate that approval of generic CR oxycodone was not followed by an immediate unfavorable effect on the misuse/abuse of oxycodone.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jul 2006
Alcohol use, alcohol problems, and depressive symptomatology among newly married couples.
Individuals married to heavy drinking spouses often have poorer health compared to those whose spouses are not heavy drinkers. This work examined how one spouse's alcohol involvement and alcohol-related problems affect his/her spouse's depressive symptomatology over time. ⋯ In a community sample of married couples, we found that husbands' and wives' marital alcohol problems affect wives' depressive symptoms, but only husbands' marital alcohol problems affect husbands' depressive symptoms. Future work should consider other subgroups of alcohol-related problems in one spouse and their relation to depression in his/her partner.
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Abuse of several categories of prescription drugs has increased markedly in the United States in the past decade and is now at alarming levels for certain agents, especially opioid analgesics and stimulants. Prescription drugs of abuse fit into the same pharmacological classes as their non-prescription counterparts. ⋯ Future scientific work on prescription drug abuse will include identification of clinical practices that minimize the risks of addiction, the development of guidelines for early detection and management of addiction, and the development of clinically effective agents that minimize the risks for abuse. With the high rates of prescription drug abuse among teenagers in the United States, a particularly urgent priority is the investigation of best practices for effective prevention and treatment for adolescents, as well as the development of strategies to reduce diversion and abuse of medications intended for medical use.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jun 2006
Impact of formulation on the abuse liability, safety and regulation of medications: the expert panel report.
A scientific meeting was held in April 2005 to consider how the formulation of medications might impact on their potential for abuse. The background papers prepared for this meeting, as well as abstracts of volunteered presentations, are published in this supplemental issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. This paper is the Expert Panel Report summarizing the discussions held following the formal presentations and including the suggested recommendations for additional research that emerged from these discussions. ⋯ Those who need to take part in this discussion include scientific groups, pharmaceutical companies, as well as governmental and regulatory agencies. The areas where more research is needed include development of standards for assessing tamper-resistance, improved animal models that can address formulation-related variables (e.g., onset, duration), the redesign of human laboratory studies providing appropriate models for comparing formulations, and improved post-marketing surveillance. Finally, knowledge and experience are needed to translate scientific work into a predictable, transparent and reliable regulatory process.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jun 2006
Development of opioid formulations with limited diversion and abuse potential.
Non-medical abuse of prescription opioid medications is not a new phenomenon, but such use has been increasing in recent years. Various methods have been used and continue to be developed in an effort to limit diversion and abuse of opioid medications. ⋯ The focus, though not exclusively, will be on those formulations that represent a combination of an opioid agonist with an antagonist. These methods must take into consideration the pharmacokinetic profile of the agonist and antagonist, the expected primary route of abuse of the medication and the medication combination, the dose of medication that is likely to be abused, the availability of alternative drugs of abuse, and the population of potential abusers that is being targeted with the revised formulation.