Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Dec 2019
Opioid prescribing rates from the emergency department: Down but not out.
To examine opioid prescribing rates following emergency department (ED) discharge stratified by patient's clinical and demographic characteristics over an 11-year period. ⋯ Efforts to reduce opioid prescribing could consider focusing on the pain types, age groups, and regions with high prescription rates identified in this study.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2019
Trends in prior receipt of prescription opioid or adjuvant analgesics among patients with incident opioid use disorder or opioid-related overdose from 2006 to 2016.
With increasing efforts to scrutinize and reduce opioid prescribing, limited data exist on the recent trend in receipt of prescription pain medications before diagnosis of opioid use disorder (OUD) or opioid-related overdose (OD). ⋯ In US commercially insured patients newly diagnosed with OUD/OD, receipt of high-dose opioid prescriptions preceding the diagnosis decreased over time, paralleled by increased use of anticonvulsants commonly prescribed for pain conditions. Further investigations are warranted to understand how prescribed and anticonvulsants contribute to the development of OUD/OD.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2019
Pain severity and prescription opioid misuse among individuals with chronic pain: The moderating role of alcohol use severity.
Chronic pain is a public health problem associated with opioid misuse. Yet, it is important to understand factors underlying opioid misuse in the context of pain. Alcohol use is one factor to consider given past work documenting use of alcohol to manage pain. However, it is unknown whether alcohol use severity exacerbates the relation between pain and opioid misuse. This study sought to examine relations between pain and prescription opioid misuse and the moderating role of alcohol use severity in two online survey studies of individuals with chronic pain. ⋯ In two online samples, there was evidence of a novel interaction of pain severity and alcohol use severity in relation to opioid misuse. Although cross-sectional, results replicated in two studies. Pain severity was related to opioid misuse among those with higher but not lower alcohol use. Those who use alcohol, even below suggested cut-offs, may be more likely to misuse opioids when in pain.
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In Korea, the sale of the first heated tobacco product (HTP), IQOS®, commenced in June 2017. This study evaluates the rates of HTP use and examines HTP users' smoking patterns of various tobacco products. ⋯ Given the smoking pattern of HTP users in terms of mutual use with cigarettes, HTPs might not be an alternative to cigarettes as tobacco companies claim.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Nov 2019
Take-home naloxone possession among people who inject drugs in rural West Virginia.
Take-home naloxone (THN) possession among people who inject drugs (PWID) in rural communities is understudied. Better understanding the nature of THN possession among rural PWID could inform the implementation of overdose prevention initiatives. The purpose of this research is to determine factors associated with rural PWID having recently received THN. ⋯ Among rural PWID in West Virginia, slightly less than half received THN in the past 6 months. Rural communities need overdose prevention interventions that are responsive to the unique needs of rural PWID, decrease stigma, and ensure PWID have access to harm reduction services and drug treatment programs.