Addiction Rehab: [Long Term Effectiveness of Methadone Maintenance Treatments in Persons With Addiction to Opiates].
[Long term effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatments in persons with addiction to opiates].
Filed under: Addiction Rehab
Adicciones. 2012; 24(3): 179-83
Bobes García J, Bobes Bascarán MT
There is no large prospective cohort studies using different therapeutic doses and standardized distal outcomes, however there is a fair amount of evidence on the effectiveness of methadone as a long-term treatment for the addiction to opiates. Strengths include less illegal drug use, decreased criminal activity and better general functioning. Also physical and mental health seems to be more preserved and recovered. Since patients undergoing methadone treatment exhibit diminished likelihood of suffering from cardiovascular conditions, HIV, HCV, HBV and other infections, and lesser psychiatric comorbidity. This Editorial intends to define and guide the therapeutic statement to address the management of persons with opiate abuse or dependence. These proposals have been grounded in the main long-term studies, systematic analysis and meta-analytic approaches on the effectiveness of methadone. Thereby it is recommended, with the maximum level of evidence, methadone maintenance treatments in spite of its weaknesses (ie. Toxicity, cardiovascular risk, sedation problems and cognitive impairment), considering the clinical history, general health status, and willingness and preferences of the patient.
HubMed – addiction
[The role of the striatum in addiction].
Filed under: Addiction Rehab
Brain Nerve. 2012 Aug; 64(8): 911-7
Toda S
Abstract
Addiction is a notorious treatment-resistant psychiatric disorder characterized by the impairment of self-monitoring, loss of interest in other targets of pleasure, and uncorrectable impulsive/compulsive drug-seeking behaviors. The striatum, particularly the ventral striatum (= the nucleus accumbens) is deeply involved in the acquisition and expression of addiction. Although only few pharmacotherapeutic approaches against addiction are available, the currently used animal models of addiction are sophisticated enough to mimic most of the representative phenotypes observed in human addicts. In addition, recent advances in neuroimaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography or functional magnetic resonance imaging, as well as computational neuroscience approaches have promoted our understanding of addiction, particularly at the circuitry level. In this review, I introduce some pivotal topics regarding addiction for discussion. First, I outline the updated concept regarding how dopamine is involved in addiction by focusing on 2 seemingly uncompromising hypotheses, prediction-error theory and incentive salience theory. Second, after providing a brief introduction to unmanageable maladaptive behaviors in addiction that may be attributable to the impairments of the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex, I emphasize the roles of glutamatergic inputs projecting from these frontal areas to the nucleus accumbens in cue-primed reinstatement of drug-seeking and impaired neuronal plasticity. Third, on the basis of the complementary or counterbalancing relationship between goal-directed behaviors and habits, I discuss the foresights and pitfalls of the current concept of “addiction as a pathological habit.” Lastly, I conclude my discussion with an integrated (but a rough) circuitry model of addiction.
HubMed – addiction
Efficacy and Safety of a Novel ?-Agonist for Managing Intractable Pruritus in Dialysis Patients.
Filed under: Addiction Rehab
Am J Nephrol. 2012 Aug 3; 36(2): 175-183
Kumagai H, Ebata T, Takamori K, Miyasato K, Muramatsu T, Nakamoto H, Kurihara M, Yanagita T, Suzuki H
Background: Our previous placebo-controlled, prospective, double-blind study demonstrated that a new opioid ?-receptor agonist, nalfurafine hydrochloride, effectively reduced treatment-resistant pruritus in 337 hemodialysis patients. Thus, we designed this study to evaluate prospectively the efficacy, safety, addiction liability, and pharmacokinetics of nalfurafine given orally for 1 year. Methods: This open-label study examined the effects and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of 52-week oral administration of nalfurafine hydrochloride (5 µg/day) in 211 hemodialysis patients with a treatment-resistant itch. Results: Of 211 patients, 145 completed the study as scheduled. The mean pruritus value assessed by the visual analogue scale was 75.2 mm during the pre-observation period, which decreased significantly to 50.9 and 30.9 mm in week 2 and 52, respectively, indicating a long-lasting efficacy. ADRs occurred in 103 patients (48.8%). Frequent ADRs were insomnia (sleep disturbance, 19.4%), constipation (7.1%) and increased blood prolactin (3.3%), similar to previous reports. Regarding addiction liability, it appeared unlikely that nalfurafine hydrochloride was abused. After the start of treatment, plasma drug levels reached a steady state in week 2 with no apparent tendency of systemic accumulation. Conclusions: Nalfurafine hydrochloride, orally administered at 5 µg/day for 52 weeks to hemodialysis patients, produced a long-term suppression of pruritus without significant safety problems.
HubMed – addiction
The Maximum Willingness to Pay for Smoking Cessation Method among Adult Smokers in Mexico.
Filed under: Addiction Rehab
Value Health. 2012 Jul; 15(5): 750-8
Heredia-Pi IB, Servan-Mori E, Reynales-Shigematsu LM, Bautista-Arredondo S
To estimate the maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for an effective smoking cessation treatment among smokers in Mexico and to identify the environmental, demographic, and socioeconomic factors associated with the WTP.A cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample contained 777 smokers (willingness to quit using a WTP of >0) who had responded to the 2009 Global Adult Tobacco Survey conducted in Mexico. Statistical associations and descriptive analyses were conducted to describe smokers and their WTP by using tobacco-related environmental, socioeconomic, and demographic variables.Overall, 74.4% of the smokers were men and 51.4% were daily smokers. On average, the smokers had been consuming tobacco for more than 15 years, 58.6% had made cessation attempts in the past, and around 10.0% knew about the existence of centers to aid in smoking cessation. The average WTP for an effective cessation method was US $ 191. Among men, the WTP was US $ 152 lower than among women. In all the estimated models, the higher an individual’s education and socioeconomic level, the higher his or her WTP.This study suggests that Mexican smokers interested in quitting smoking attribute a high monetary value to an effective cessation method. Male smokers demonstrated less altruistic behavior than did female smokers. Mexico requires the implementation of more policies designed to support smoking cessation and to limit tobacco addiction. Expanding the availability of cessation programs and access to pharmacological treatments may contribute to reaching universal coverage by integrating new pharmacological alternatives into the health sector’s medicine formulary.
HubMed – addiction
Placebo-Group Responders in Methamphetamine Pharmacotherapy Trials: The Role of Immediate Establishment of Abstinence.
Filed under: Addiction Rehab
Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2012 Aug 6;
Brensilver M, Heinzerling KG, Swanson AN, Shoptaw SJ
Treatment responses of placebo groups in addiction medicine trials have important implications for research methodology and clinical practice, however studies examining placebo group responses in addiction medicine are scarce. Extant data suggest the importance of early treatment responsiveness for long-term outcomes. Among methamphetamine- (MA) dependent individuals randomized to placebo pill plus behavioral support conditions in pharmacotherapy development trials, we hypothesized that immediate abstinence would be a necessary but insufficient predictor for end-of-trial (EOT) abstinence. The study is a secondary analysis of participants (n = 184; 36% female) in the placebo condition of three randomized, placebo-controlled methamphetamine dependence pharmacotherapy trials. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses assessed the predictive power of initial abstinence, assessed by thrice weekly urine samples, for EOT abstinence. Sixty percent of individuals with complete abstinence in the first two weeks of treatment were abstinent at EOT, while 18% of people who failed to meet this standard were abstinent at EOT. Early response was related to retention at EOT and 12-month follow-up. Findings suggest that the inability to achieve at least three MA negative screenings in the first two weeks is associated with greater than 90% likelihood of treatment failure. A third week of screening added minimally to the prediction of EOT outcomes. The prediction of treatment failure was more precise than the prediction of treatment success. The absence of a clinical response in the first two weeks of treatment among participants in the placebo group signals high risk of treatment failure. The majority of information regarding response in the placebo group from a 12-week trial is obtained early in the trial. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).
HubMed – addiction
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