Journal of psychoactive drugs
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J Psychoactive Drugs · Apr 2001
Case ReportsGamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and gamma butyrolactone (GBL) withdrawal: five case studies.
There is little medical information available about gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) or gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) dependence or withdrawal. In this study the authors treated and reviewed multiple cases of GHB and GBL withdrawal in high-dose users. ⋯ They conclude that patients with GHB or GBL withdrawal may present with agitated psychosis, delirium, and autonomic instability. In this sample, relapse to GHB or GBL use occurred soon after treatment of withdrawal.
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J Psychoactive Drugs · Jul 2000
Blood alcohol content and death from fatal injury: a study in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil.
This study analyzed 5,690 toxicological screenings carried out on blood and viscera of fatally injured victims at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in the Metropolitan area of São Paulo during 1994. The screenings analyzed correspond to 39.5% of all deaths due to injury in this metropolitan area during the same period. Almost half of the victims (48.3%) presented a positive blood alcohol content (BAC). ⋯ Few cases tested positive for drugs other than alcohol, and of those who did, the majority were positive for cocaine. However, it should be emphasized that the methods used for the detection of substances other than alcohol were only accurate enough to detect cases of overdose. These findings highlight the need to improve surveillance of alcohol-related fatalities in Brazil and suggest an important link between alcohol intoxication and fatal injury.
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Criminality among female (n=351) drug abusers is compared to that of men (n=798) as part of a longitudinal study of persons in treatment in Sweden (the SWEDATE project). The extent of criminality was much less among females than among males, and fewer women than men were criminal. The pattern of criminality varied between the sexes. ⋯ There was also a criminal group (as there was among men) with a very early and intensive juvenile delinquency pattern, early drug debuts and a rapid transition to regular abuse and extensive adult criminality. Forty-two percent of the women had no criminal records; they had more extensive multiple drug abuse than the other women (this was also true for the noncriminal male addicts). The study shows that drug abuse and criminality are interrelated for certain individuals, but not for others.
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Considerable controversy exists regarding the role of marijuana as a therapeutic agent; however, many practitioners are taught very little about existing marijuana data. The authors therefore undertook a comprehensive literature review of the topic. References were identified using textbooks, review and opinion articles, and a primary literature review in MEDLINE. ⋯ Health care providers can best minimize short term adverse consequences and drug interactions for terminally ill patients by having a thorough understanding of the pharmacology of marijuana, potential adverse reactions, infection risks, and drug interactions (along with on-going monitoring of the patient). For chronic conditions, the significance and risk of short and long term adverse effects must be weighed against the desired benefit. Patients who are best suited to medicinal marijuana will be those who will gain substantial benefit to offset these risks, and who have failed a well-documented, compliant and comprehensive approach to standard therapies.
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J Psychoactive Drugs · Apr 1997
Review Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialKetamine psychedelic therapy (KPT): a review of the results of ten years of research.
Ketamine is a prescription drug used for general anesthesia. In subanesthetic doses, it induces profound psychedelic experiences and hallucinations. The subanesthetic effect of ketamine was the hypothesized therapeutic mechanism in the authors' use of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for alcoholism. ⋯ The data from biochemical investigations showed that pharmacological action of KPT affects both monoaminergic and opioidergic neurotransmitter metabolism, i.e., those neurochemical systems which are involved in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence. The data from EEG computer-assisted analysis demonstrated that ketamine increases theta activity in cerebrocortical regions of alcoholic patients. This is evidence of the reinforcement of limbic cortex interaction during KPT session.