BACKGROUND Finding an effective, non-pharmacological approach to treat opioid withdrawal could remove some of the barriers associated with pharmacotherapy. The BRIDGE® is a noninvasive, percutaneous electrical nerve field stimulator developed to target pain. OBJECTIVES This pilot study aimed to determine (1) the effects of the BRIDGE on withdrawal scores during the induction phase of opioid w...

Pregnancy can motivate opioid-dependent women to seek substance abuse treatment. Research has demonstrated that although prenatal exposure to buprenorphine results in less severe neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) relative to prenatal methadone exposure, the maternal and other neonatal outcomes are similar for the two medications. Maternal and neonatal outcomes for opioid-dependent pregnant wom...

OPIOID DEPENDENCE AND ITS ASSOCIATED MORBIDity, mortality, and social costs continue to plague societies around the world. Opioid dependence is characterized by physical dependence as evidenced by tolerance and withdrawal and by behavioral problems, including the inability to control opioid use, opioid use despite adverse consequences, and social dysfunction. The 2003 National Survey on Drug Us...

Nineteen heroin-dependent male volunteers were administered buprenorphine sublingually, in ascending daily doses of 2, 4, and 8 mg. They were maintained on 8 mg daily through study day 18. On study days 19 through 36, subjects in group 1 continued to receive burprenorphine daily; subjects in group 2 received buprenorphine or placebo on alternate days. On days 37 through 52, all subjects receive...

Legislation has enabled physicians to treat opioid-dependent patients with an office-based maintenance program using buprenorphine, a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist. Clinical studies indicate buprenorphine effectively manages opioid addiction. Buprenorphine is more effective than placebo for managing opioid addiction but may not be superior to methadone if high doses are needed. It is compa...

UV light is an established carcinogen, yet evidence suggests that UV-seeking behavior has addictive features. Following UV exposure, epidermal keratinocytes synthesize proopiomelanocortin (POMC) that is processed to melanocyte-stimulating hormone, inducing tanning. We show that, in rodents, another POMC-derived peptide, β-endorphin, is coordinately synthesized in skin, elevating plasma levels a...

The present study was performed to explore the modulatory potential of different endogenous opioid systems on transmission of presumed nociceptive information at the spinal cord level in thermally injured rats. Thermal injury was performed by dipping the left paw into water 60 degrees C for 20 s. This induced a significant bilateral decrease in hindpaw withdrawal latency HWL to pressure. Intrat...

Combined use of an opioid with a psychostimulant is popular among drug abusers. Such "polydrug use" may increase drug effects or attenuate adverse effects of either drug alone. We proposed that a combination of methamphetamine (meth) and morphine may change physical opioid withdrawal symptoms. Adult male rats were chronically injected with cumulative subcutaneous (s.c.) doses of morphine, meth ...

Recent data suggest that opioid receptors are involved in the development of nicotine physical dependence in mammals. Evidence in support of a similar involvement in an invertebrate (Planaria) is presented using the selective opioid receptor antagonist naloxone, and the more receptor subtype-selective antagonists CTAP (D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2) (μ, MOR), naltrindole (δ, DOR), and...

Given the increase of opioid dependence and opioid-related morbidity and mortality, improving treatment options for individuals with opioid dependence warrants increased attention. This article provides a concise review of work in this area. Remission from opioid dependence can be very difficult to sustain, particularly in the absence of opioid replacement or opioid antagonist therapy. For thos...