European addiction research
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There is emerging evidence of gabapentin and pregabalin (gabapentinoid) abuse, particularly in the substance misuse population, and some suggestion of gabapentinoids being abused alongside methadone. ⋯ Gabapentinoid abuse along with methadone has not previously been described. These findings are of relevance to clinicians working within both substance misuse services and chronic pain services.
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Although awareness of the misuse of medicines is increasing, data on the extent of the problem in the European Union (EU) are lacking. ⋯ The implications of these findings for prevention, treatment, and policy in the EU are considered.
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To determine whether frequent emergency department (ED) users who enter specialized treatment programs for alcohol and/or drug problems have any characteristics that predict their future ED use. ⋯ The strongest predictive factors of visiting ED repeatedly were previous repeat emergency care use and hospitalization with addiction diagnosis. Entering regular addiction treatment does not appear to alter the pattern of ED utilization.
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Comparative Study
Validation of the French version of the alcohol, smoking and substance involvement screening test (ASSIST).
The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) was developed to detect substance use disorders. ⋯ Concurrent validity was demonstrated by significant correlations between ASSIST scores and scores from ASI, AUDIT and RTQ, as well as significantly greater ASSIST scores for patients with a MINI-Plus diagnosis of abuse or dependence. The ASSIST questionnaire was found to have high internal consistency for the total substance involvement as well as for specific substance involvement as assessed with Cronbach's α, ranging from 0.74 to 0.93. When possibly computed, ASSIST cutoff scores have interesting sensitivity and specificity for discrimination between use and abuse and between abuse and dependence. The findings demonstrated that the French version of ASSIST is a valid screening test for identifying substance use disorders in various health care settings, including psychiatric settings.
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Clinical Trial
Effects of pregabalin on subjective sleep disturbance symptoms during withdrawal from long-term benzodiazepine use.
To evaluate the effectiveness of pregabalin as a tapering therapy on the subjective sleep quality of patients who underwent a benzodiazepine withdrawal program in routine medical practice. ⋯ These findings suggest that pregabalin may improve subjective sleep quality in patients who underwent a benzodiazepine withdrawal program. This effect appears to be partly independent of improvements in symptoms of anxiety or withdrawal. However, controlled studies are needed to establish the magnitude of the effect of pregabalin.