Drug and alcohol dependence
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2004
Substance use histories in patients seeking treatment for controlled-release oxycodone dependence.
The characteristics of patients currently abusing controlled-release (CR) oxycodone admitted for inpatient detoxification were ascertained from medical record review of 48 inpatients with CR oxycodone dependence. Patients were categorized according to the manner in which they initially received the drug: illicitly or by prescription for legitimate medical use. ⋯ While none of these 15 patients had a history of prior opioid misuse, they were more likely than illicit CR oxycodone users to report prior detoxifications (P<0.03) as well as a lower mean age of first alcohol use (legitimate=11.7 versus illicit=14.7, P<0.05) and first illicit drug use (legitimate=12.8 versus illicit=15.8, P<0.05). These findings suggest that a history of substance abuse is common among patients abusing CR oxycodone, including individuals for whom CR oxycodone was initially legitimately prescribed for pain.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Oct 2004
ReviewThe Controlled Substances Act: how a "big tent" reform became a punitive drug law.
The 1970 Controlled Substances Act was part of an omnibus reform package designed to rationalize, and in some respects to liberalize, American drug policy. While the legislation provided additional resources for law enforcement and a systematic means for regulating the use of most psychoactive drugs, it also did away with mandatory minimum sentences and provided more support for treatment and research. ⋯ The amendments, which gave the Drug Enforcement Administration greater control over scheduling and maintenance and which substantially increased penalties for illicit trafficking, transformed the law into the legal foundation of America's "drug war," as the stricter criminal approach came to be known. By the 1980s, the flexibility and innovative spirit of the original Controlled Substances Act (and that of Nixon-era drug strategy generally) had largely disappeared from American drug policy.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Jul 2004
ReviewClinical features and management of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) withdrawal: a review.
To examine the clinical course of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) withdrawal and generate management guidelines. ⋯ GHB withdrawal is potentially life threatening and requires vigorous clinical management, preferably as an inpatient for severe cases. A management algorithm is proposed.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Apr 2004
Borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder and risk-taking among heroin users: findings from the Australian Treatment Outcome Study (ATOS).
To determine the relationship between borderline personality disorder (BPD), antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and harm among current heroin users. ⋯ The extensive comorbidity between BPD and ASPD means that, unless BPD is controlled for, artefactual relationships may emerge between ASPD and harm.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Feb 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialCharacterizing the subjective, psychomotor, and physiological effects of oral propoxyphene in non-drug-abusing volunteers.
The subjective, psychomotor, and physiological effects of a widely prescribed prescription opioid, propoxyphene, have not been studied in a population of non-drug-abusing people. The drug also has potential for abuse and it was of interest in the present study to determine if the drug had any abuse liability-related subjective effects in this population. ⋯ There was a lack of statistically significant subjective effects of propoxyphene in the group as a whole, including a propoxyphene dose that was twice as high as the typical clinically-prescribed dose of 100 mg. However, there were some subjects who did report effects, consistent with the notion that patients differ in their sensitivity to opioid effects.