objectives: according to the gateway drug theory, tobacco use is a predisposing factor for future substance abuse. this study was conducted to compare nicotine and opiate dependents to identify the differences between their personality traits and psychopathology that makes them turn to other substances after cigarette smoking. methods: a causal-comparative study was conducted. three groups were...

Signs characteristic of opiate withdrawal symptoms can be precipitated by an opiate antagonist after short-term infusion or even a single dose of an opiate both in humans and in animals. This phenomenon has been referred to as acute dependence. In contrast to extensive studies on chronic dependence, less is known about the neural mechanisms mediating acute dependence. It will benefit the develo...

It has been suggested that an increase firing rate of noradrenergic neurons of the locus ceruleus is responsible for the opiate withdrawal syndrome. However, lesion studies have indicated that the noradrenergic neurons of the locus ceruleus are not essential for either the expression or suppression by clonidine of opiate withdrawal. The present study was designed to determine the effect of the ...

Opiate withdrawal is followed by a protracted abstinence syndrome consisting of craving and physiological changes. However, few studies have been dedicated to both the characterization and understanding of these long-term alterations in post-dependent subjects. The aim of the present study was to develop an opiate dependence model, which induces long-lasting behavioral changes in abstinent rats...

BACKGROUND The Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) is a five-item scale that has been reported to be a reliable and valid screening instrument for dependence in several types of substances. Optimal cutoff points on the SDS indicative of clinically significant dependence have been determined for a large range of substance types, however, to date no data have been reported on its performance in a ...

BACKGROUND Opiate dependence is a major health and social issue in many countries. A mainstay of therapy has been methadone maintenance treatment, but other treatments, particularly buprenorphine, are increasingly being considered. AIM To conduct a systematic review to synthesise and critically appraise the evidence on the effectiveness of community maintenance programmes with methadone or bu...

INTRODUCTION While several studies have identified an increased incidence of cardiovascular disorders in opiate dependence, neither opiates as a cardiovascular risk factor nor their effect on central arterial function has been considered. METHODS Pulse wave analysis (SphygmoCor, AtCorMedical Pty Limited, Sydney, NSW, Australia) was undertaken on a cohort of controls and opiate dependent patie...

objectives: early maladaptive schemas are valid representations of unpleasant childhood experiences that shape a person’s viewpoints of the world, and lead to clinical symptoms such as depression, personality disorders, and substance abuse. given the importance of this matter, we conducted a research on early maladaptive schemas in substance-abusers, to allow more appropriate preventive measure...

BACKGROUND Attention from researchers and health care workers to the quality of life (QoL) of opiate users is growing, but most studies are quantitative, giving limited attention to the consumer's perspective. No information is available on how opiate-dependent individuals themselves perceive QoL and what they see as the important components that contribute to a good QoL. OBJECTIVES This qual...