BACKGROUND Opiate addiction affects young adults whose life expectancy is reduced as a consequence of their habit. In the midst of the AIDS epidemic, the present study objective was to analyse recent overall and cause-specific mortality trends among opiate addicts in Catalonia (Spain). METHODS Mortality was assessed retrospectively in an opiate addict cohort assembled from admissions to hospi...

Given that buprenorphine + naloxone is prescribed for opioid-dependent pregnant women, it is important to examine the extent to which it differs from buprenorphine alone, methadone, or methadone-assisted withdrawal on neonatal and maternal outcomes. Summary statistics on maternal and neonatal outcomes were collected from 7 previously published studies examining treatment for opioid-dependent pr...

OBJECTIVE The present study examined the impact of a telephonic patient support program known as HereToHelp™ (HTH) on compliance and treatment outcomes among opioid dependent (OD) patients new to buprenorphine treatment (BUP). METHOD A total of 1426 OD patients new to BUP were randomized to receive BUP alone (standard care) or BUP plus the HTH patient support program. All patients completed t...

OBJECTIVE To study narcotic drug abuse, particularly opiate addiction, and other risk factors in patients with acute cholecystitis. METHODS In this prospective cross sectional study, variables such as age, gender, weight, narcotics drug abuse, hormone taking, number of pregnancies, and coexistent disease(s) were recorded in pre-designed forms for 100 consecutive patients who underwent operati...

It has long been hypothesized that conditioning mechanisms play major roles in addiction. Specifically, the associations between rewarding properties of drugs of abuse and the drug context can contribute to future use and facilitate the transition from initial drug use into drug dependency. On the other hand, the self-medication hypothesis of drug abuse suggests that negative consequences of dr...

The importance of the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex and its subtypes are increasingly recognised in addiction. Using the α1/α5 benzodiazepine receptor PET radioligand [(11)C]Ro15 4513, we previously showed reduced binding in the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus in abstinent alcohol dependence. We proposed that reduced [(11)C]Ro15 4513 binding in the nucleus accumbens was a marker of add...

Opioid abuse is a growing global problem. Current therapies for opioid target withdrawal symptoms and have several adverse side effects. There are no treatments to address opioid-induced neural adaptations associated with addiction. Preclinical research demonstrates interactions between the endogenous cannabinoid systems, suggesting that cannabinoids may be used treat addiction dependence. The ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Extended-release (XR) injection naltrexone has proved promising in the treatment of opioid dependence. Induction onto naltrexone is often accomplished with a procedure known as rapid naltrexone induction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pre-treatment patient characteristics as predictors of successful completion of a rapid naltrexone induction procedure prior...

Thirteen opioid-dependent outpatients participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Twenty-one days of daily sublingual buprenorphine administration were compared to 21-days of alternate-day buprenorphine administration where patients received twice their daily maintenance dose every other day with placebo on the interposed day. Observer- and subject-rated measures of opi...