Articles: opioid.
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Opioid use and addiction in adolescents and young adults is a health problem of epidemic proportions, with devastating consequences for youth and their families. Opioid overdose is a life-threatening emergency that should be treated with naloxone, and respiratory support if necessary. ⋯ Treatment for OUDs is effective but treatment capacity is alarmingly limited and under-developed. Emerging consensus supports the incorporation of relapse prevention medications such as buprenorphine and extended release naltrexone into comprehensive psychosocial treatment including counseling and family involvement.
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The risk for misuse of opioid medications is a significant challenge in the management of chronic pain. The identification of those who may be at greater risk for misusing opioids is needed to facilitate closer monitoring of high-risk subgroups, and may help to identify therapeutic targets for mitigating this risk. The aim of this study was to examine whether distress intolerance-the perceived or actual inability to manage negative emotional and somatic states-was associated with opioid misuse in those with chronic pain. A sample of 51 participants prescribed opioid analgesics for chronic back or neck pain were recruited for a 1-time laboratory study. Participants completed measures of distress intolerance and opioid misuse, and a quantitative sensory testing battery. Results suggested that distress intolerance was associated with opioid misuse, even controlling for pain severity and negative affect. Distress intolerance was not associated with pain severity, threshold, or tolerance, but was associated with self-reported anxiety and stress after noxious stimuli. This study found robust differences in distress intolerance between adults with chronic pain with and without opioid medication misuse. Distress intolerance may be a relevant marker of risk for opioid misuse among those with chronic pain. ⋯ This study demonstrated that distress intolerance was associated with opioid misuse in adults with chronic pain who were prescribed opioids. Distress intolerance can be modified with treatment, and thus may be relevant not only for identification of risk for opioid misuse, but also for mitigation of this risk.
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Fatal outcome of opioid overdose, once detected, is preventable through timely administration of the antidote naloxone. Take-home naloxone provision directly to opioid users for emergency use has been implemented recently in more than 15 countries worldwide, albeit mainly as pilot schemes and without formal evaluation. This systematic review assesses the effectiveness of take-home naloxone, with two specific aims: (1) to study the impact of take-home naloxone distribution on overdose-related mortality; and (2) to assess the safety of take-home naloxone in terms of adverse events. ⋯ Take-home naloxone programmes are found to reduce overdose mortality among programme participants and in the community and have a low rate of adverse events.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Jul 2016
Twenty-five years of prescription opioid use in Australia: a whole-of-population analysis using pharmaceutical claims.
The aim of this paper is to investigate 25-year trends in community use of prescribed opioid analgesics in Australia, and to map these trends against major changes to opioid registration and subsidy. ⋯ Opioid utilization in Australia is increasing, although these figures remain below levels reported in the US and Canada. The increased use of opioids was largely driven by the subsidy of long-acting formulations and opioids for the treatment of noncancer pain.
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Glial activation is hypothesized to contribute directly to opioid withdrawal. This study investigated the dose-dependent effects of a glial cell modulator, ibudilast, on withdrawal symptoms in opioid-dependent volunteers after abrupt discontinuation of morphine administration. Non-treatment-seeking heroin-dependent volunteers (n = 31) completed the in-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject and between-group study. ⋯ Ibudilast was well tolerated; no serious adverse events occurred during the study. Pharmacological modulation of glial activity with ibudilast decreased some subjective ratings of opioid withdrawal symptoms. These exploratory findings are the first to demonstrate the potential clinical utility of glial modulators for treating opioid withdrawal in humans.