Articles: opioid.
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Patients with renal colic present to the emergency department in excruciating pain. There is variability in practice regarding the choice of initial analgesic to be used in renal colic. The aim of this article is to outline the protocol for review of the efficacy and safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids and paracetamol use in renal colic pain management. ⋯ Formal ethics approval is not required, as primary data will not be collected. We plan to publish the result of this review in a peer-reviewed journal.
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Multicenter Study
The Impact of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and Prescribing Guidelines on Emergency Department Opioid Prescribing: A Multi-Center Survey.
Emergency department (ED) providers are high volume but low quantity prescribers of opioid analgesics (OA). Few studies have examined differences in opioid prescribing decisions specifically among ED providers. The aim of this study was to describe OA prescribing decisions of ED providers at geographically diverse centers, including utilization of prescribing guidelines and prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP). ⋯ In this multi-center survey study of ED clinicians, OA prescribing varied between centers The utilization of prescribing guidelines and PDMPs was not associated with differences in OA prescribing decisions.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · May 2017
Causes of death and expected years of life lost among treated opioid-dependent individuals in the United States and Taiwan.
This study compared the cause-specific standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and expected years of life lost (EYLL) among opioid-dependent individuals in the United States and Taiwan. ⋯ Our study identified differences by country in EYLL and causes of deaths. These findings suggest that intervention strategies to reduce mortality risk by overdose (particularly in the U.S.) and suicide (particularly in Taiwan) are urgently needed in these countries.
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Human psychopharmacology · May 2017
Multicenter StudyImpact of synthetic cannabinoids on the duration of opioid-related withdrawal and craving among patients of addiction clinics in Kazakhstan: A prospective case-control study.
The aim of the study was to prospectively assess whether regular use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) affects the duration of opioid-related withdrawal and craving symptoms in patients undergoing drug detoxification treatments. ⋯ This is the first study to assess the impact of SCs on the course of opioid withdrawal and craving symptoms. The results (a) suggest that patients with opioid use disorder in combination with regular use of SCs exhibit a significantly longer duration of opioid withdrawal and craving symptoms, (b) add to the accumulating evidence showing clinical and molecular cross talks between cannabinoids and opioids, and (c) underline novel harmful effects of SCs.