Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jun 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialAntinociceptive, subjective and behavioral effects of smoked marijuana in humans.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether marijuana produced dose-dependent antinociception in humans and, if so, whether endogenous opiates modulate this effect. A total of five male regular marijuana users participated in three test sessions during which they smoked cigarettes containing 0% (placebo) and 3. 55% Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC) (active). Each of four controlled smoking bouts per session, spaced at 40-min intervals, consisted of nine puffs from active and placebo cigarettes (three cigarettes, three puffs per cigarette, one puff per min). ⋯ Before smoking, between smoking bouts and postsmoking, participants completed an assessment battery that included antinociceptive (finger withdrawal from radiant heat stimulation), biological, subjective, observer-rated signs and performance measures. Marijuana produced significant dose-dependent antinociception (increased finger withdrawal latency) and biobehavioral effects. Naltrexone did not significantly influence marijuana dose-effect curves, suggesting no role of endogenous opiates in marijuana-induced antinociception under these conditions.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Oct 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialEfficacy of orally administered methylnaltrexone in decreasing subjective effects after intravenous morphine.
Opioid compounds are commonly used analgesics. After opioid administration, troublesome subjective effects, such as dysphoria, dizziness, nausea, and pruritus, have been reported. While some if not all of these are believed to occur due to central nervous system effects of opioids, the anecdotal reports heard from volunteers in our other studies suggest that a peripheral opioid antagonist reduced some of these effects. ⋯ Oral methylnaltrexone 19.2 mg/kg significantly decreased these four ratings. Plasma methylnaltrexone concentrations at two different oral doses were also measured to correlate between pharmacological effects of the compound and its plasma levels. Our results suggested that methylnaltrexone has a potential therapeutic value in decreasing some undesirable subjective effects associated with opioid medications.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Apr 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA comparison of subjective, psychomotor and physiological effects of a novel muscarinic analgesic, LY297802 tartrate, and oral morphine in occasional drug users.
This study compared the subjective, physiological and psychomotor effects of a novel muscarinic analgesic (LY297802) and oral morphine in healthy volunteers. Nine, non-dependent, occasional drug users participated in nine experimental sessions in which they received the following conditions: placebo, 0.1, 0.3, 0.56 and 1 mg of oral LY297802 and 10, 30, 56 and 100 mg of oral morphine. Subjective drug effects were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI) and subjective and objective agonist and antagonist scales of the Adjective Rating Scale (ARS). ⋯ Morphine produced significant dose-dependent effects in DSST performance, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation and pupil diameter. LY297802 significantly and dose dependently increased heart rate, mean arterial pressure and diastolic blood pressure. These results suggest that LY297802 does not induce subjective effects similar to morphine, but that it has some significant physiological effects.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Sep 1995
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialCurrent strategies for the treatment of alcohol dependence in the United States.
Substantial progress has been reported in the treatment of patients with alcoholism in the United States. Studies that seek to identify the most appropriate form of therapy for alcohol-dependent patients have been an important part of this effort. Recognition that psychotherapy alone cannot help all patients who have alcoholism has led to interest in the use of pharmacotherapy. Recent research demonstrates that pharmacotherapy with the opioid receptor antagonists naltrexone and nalmefene helps prevent relapse in many alcohol-dependent patients.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Oct 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialOpiate detoxification of methadone maintenance patients using lefetamine, clonidine and buprenorphine.
Thirty-nine methadone maintenance patients were included in a 9-day, double blind, randomized, inpatient detoxification trial. Methadone was tapered to 10 mg/day and then patients were assigned to one of these 3 protocols: clonidine (0.3-0.9 mg/day), lefetamine (60-240 mg/day), buprenorphine (0.15-0.9 mg/day). ⋯ Clonidine was more effective than lefetamine in suppressing withdrawal in the first 3 days of treatment (day 3: F = 4.10 df = 2, 30 P < 0.05), and this trend was apparent on the objective and psychological items. In addition to evaluations of the efficacy of the single drugs used, the study showed that tapering methadone to low doses before entering the pharmacologically assisted discontinuation phase was clinically acceptable in detoxification from long-term methadone treatment.