Journal of Addiction Medicine最新文献

Abstract: The opioid crisis, particularly the "fourth wave" involving fentanyl and stimulants, has been responsible for an alarming increase in overdose deaths in the United States. Although fentanyl contamination in cocaine has gained significant attention, the converse-cocaine-adulterated fentanyl-has been largely overlooked despite its health implications. The rise in concurrent cocaine and fentanyl overdose deaths could be attributed to various factors, from intentional polysubstance use to unintentional adulterations. Cocaine-related health issues may amplify the problem. Four potential pathways for the increased risk of overdose with cocaine-adulterated opioids include enhanced drug reinforcement, potential overdose risk with switching drug samples, altered metabolism of medications used for opioid use disorder, and increased myocardial demand juxtaposed with opioid-induced respiratory depression. With these risks, the importance of drug testing becomes paramount in the unregulated drug market. As polysubstance use overdoses surge, there is an urgent need to understand how drug supplies are changing in order to effectively identify appropriate harm reduction strategies. Specifically, further research is needed evaluating complications of low-level cocaine exposure with chronic/persistent opioid use. The hazards associated with cocaine-adulterated fentanyl emphasize the significance of understanding not only fentanyl's presence in cocaine but also cocaine's role in the fentanyl supply.

Objectives: Medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUDs) are recommended for patients with alcohol use disorder yet are underprescribed. Consistent with Minority Stress and Intersectionality theories, persons with multiple sociodemographically marginalized identities (eg, Black women) often experience greater barriers to care and have poorer health outcomes. We use data from the Veterans Health Administration to assess disparities in Federal Drug Administration (FDA)-approved MAUDs and all effective MAUDs between the following groups: racialized and ethnic identity, sex, transgender status, and their intersections.

Methods: Among all Veterans Health Administration outpatients between August 1, 2015, and July 31, 2017, with documented alcohol screenings and an International Classification of Diseases diagnosis for alcohol use disorder in the 0-365 days prior (N = 308,238), we estimated the prevalence and 95% confidence intervals of receiving FDA-approved MAUDs and any MAUDs in the following year and compared them using χ2 or Fisher's exact test. Analyses are unadjusted to present true prevalence and group differences.

Results: The overall prevalence for MAUDs was low (FDA-MAUDs = 8.7%, any MAUDs = 20.0%). Within sex, Black males had the lowest rate of FDA-MAUDs (7.3%, [7.1-7.5]), whereas American Indian/Alaskan Native females had the highest (18.4%, [13.8-23.0]). Among those identified as transgender, Asian and Black transgender persons had the lowest rates of FDA-MAUDs (0%; 4.3%, [1.8-8.5], respectively), whereas American Indian/Alaskan Native transgender patients had the highest (33.3%, [2.5-64.1]). Similar patterns were observed for any MAUDs, with higher rates overall.

Conclusions: Substantial variation exists in MAUD prescribing, with marginalized veterans disproportionately receiving MAUDs at lower and higher rates than average. Implementation and quality improvement efforts are needed to improve MAUD prescribing practices and reduce disparities.

Objectives: To prospectively assess rates of QT prolongation, arrhythmia, syncope, and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a cohort of people with heroin dependence.

Methods: To estimate rates of QT prolongation, arrhythmia, and syncope, a subcohort (n = 130) from the Australian Treatment Outcomes Study, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of 615 people with heroin dependence, underwent medical history, venepuncture, and ECG at the 18- to 20-year follow-up.To estimate rates of SCD, probabilistic matching for the entire cohort was undertaken with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Death Index. Deaths were classified into suicide, accidental overdose, trauma, unknown, and disease, which were then further subclassified by probability of SCD. SCD rate was the number of possible or probable SCDs divided by total patient years from the cohort.

Results: From the subcohort, 4 participants (3%) met the criteria for QT prolongation; 3 were prescribed methadone. Seven participants (5%) reported history of arrhythmia, including 2 transferred from methadone to buprenorphine. Thirty participants (23%) reported a previous syncopal event-14 diagnosed as nonarrhythmic syncope and 13 not investigated. In the previous 12 months, 66 participants (51%) reported heroin use; 55 participants (42%) were prescribed methadone. No participant had QTc greater than 500 milliseconds.There were 3 possible SCDs, translating to an estimated SCD rate of 0.29 (CI: 0.05, 0.8) events per 1000 patient years. More cohort members died of overdose (n = 50), suicide (n = 11), and hepatitis C (n = 4).

Conclusions: Low rates of QT prolongation, arrhythmia, syncope, and SCD in the cohort despite high rates of heroin use and methadone treatment.

Abstract: The directors of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism have proposed new efforts to enable earlier identification and intervention for harmful substance use and its consequences. As editors of The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine, we fully support this goal. The word "preaddiction" has been suggested as a diagnostic label to describe individuals who would be targeted for early intervention. In this commentary, we offer that "unhealthy substance use" would be a better descriptor than "preaddiction" and review several potential barriers to be addressed in order to maximize the impact of introducing this new paradigm.

Abstract: The concept of treatment-refractory addiction, proposed by Eric Strain in this edition of the Journal, has the potential to invigorate the field of addiction treatment and research by focusing on a phenomenon that is familiar to any clinician treating patients with substance use disorders, namely, the patient who does not experience sufficient improvement from standard treatments. An analogy is drawn to the concept of treatment-resistant depression and the STAR*D study, which demonstrated an algorithmic approach to treatment, where if the first antidepressant medication tried did not result in remission from depression, subsequent trials of medications or cognitive behavioral therapy doubled the proportion of patients achieving remission. Recognizing treatment-refractory addiction challenges our field to develop analogous, stepwise, algorithmic approaches to treatment of substance use disorders, moving away from siloed treatment programs toward integrated treatment systems where alternative treatments are available, offering the kind of personalized, tailored forms of care used in the treatment of most other chronic illnesses. Like in STAR*D, research could focus on samples of patients who have not benefitted from initial trials of standard addiction treatments, addressing the key clinical question of what to do next when previous treatments fail.

Objectives: Stimulant use is a growing problem, but little is known about service utilization among patients with stimulant use disorder (StUD). In the context of the overdose crisis, much research has focused on patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). It is unclear how the characteristics, treatment receipt, and hospitalization of patients with StUD differ from patients with OUD.

Methods: Electronic health record data were extracted for national Veterans Health Administration patients with a visit from March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021 with StUD and/or OUD (N = 132,273). We compared patients with StUD without OUD to those with (1) co-occurring StUD + OUD and (2) OUD without StUD. Patient characteristics, substance use disorder treatment, and hospitalizations in the year following patients' first study period visit were descriptively compared. Treatment and hospitalization were also compared in adjusted regression models.

Results: Compared with patients with OUD + StUD, those with StUD without OUD were less likely to receive outpatient (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-0.50) or any treatment (aOR 0.47, 95% CI 0.46-0.49). Compared with patients with OUD without StUD, those with StUD without OUD were less likely to receive outpatient (aOR 0.51, 95% CI 0.49-0.52) or any treatment (aOR 0.56, 95% CI 0.54-0.58) and more likely to receive residential treatment (aOR 2.18, 95% 2.05-2.30) and to be hospitalized (aOR 1.62, 95% 1.56-1.69).

Conclusions: Patients with StUD may be less likely to receive treatment and more likely to be hospitalized than patients with OUD. Efforts focused on mitigating hospitalization and increasing treatment receipt for patients with StUD are needed.

Objectives: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a global health problem with significant negative consequences, including preventable deaths. Although olfactory dysfunction is associated with chronic alcohol drinking, the relationship among specific types of olfactory deficits, depressive symptoms, and problematic drinking remains to be explored. Here, we examined the prevalence of olfactory distortion (parosmia) and hallucination (phantosmia) and assessed their associations with problematic drinking and depressive symptoms.

Methods: In April-June 2022, 250 participants across the spectrum of AUD were recruited for assessment in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Alcohol study. Surveys covered self-reported olfactory function, depressive symptoms, and problematic drinking, with key measures assessed, including the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Patient Health Questionnaire. Predictors in the analysis included parosmia and phantosmia, with covariates comprising age, sex, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, COVID-19 infection status, and smoking status.

Results: Among 250 individuals, 5.2% experienced parosmia and 4.4% reported phantosmia. Parosmia was associated with higher Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores (β = 7.14; 95% confidence interval = 3.31, 10.96; P < 0.001), whereas phantosmia was linked to higher Patient Health Questionnaire scores (β = 3.32; 95% confidence interval = 0.22, 6.42; P = 0.03). These associations persisted in both the full sample and the subset of participants without COVID-19.

Conclusions: Our study highlights strong existing links among olfactory deficits, problem drinking, and depressive symptoms, underscoring the need to assess smell impairments in clinical settings. Future research should explore these connections further to develop new treatments for individuals with AUD and depression.

Objectives: Patients with substance use disorder (SUD) may face many challenges when being cared for in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), such as stigma and inadequate access to treatment. This study aims to learn from the perspectives of SNF residents with SUD.

Methods: Nineteen semistructured interviews were conducted at 5 SNFs in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Additionally, Likert-type responses and substance use screening tests were collected. Qualitative data were analyzed using Dedoose version 9.0.107 (Sociocultural Research Consultants, LLC, Los Angeles, CA).

Results: Qualitative analyses identified 4 themes: (1) the SNF can be a positive site for recovery, (2) barriers to recovery in SNFs are variable, (3) lived experiences with SUD care and harm reduction are heterogeneous, and (4) the needs of residents with SUD encompass multiple domains. Results highlighted the variability of access to counseling and SUD treatment, as well as the prevalence of stigma, substance use, and overdose in SNFs. Results revealed the need for access to social work support, activities, counseling services, and improved staff knowledge of treating SUD.

Conclusions: SNF residents living with SUD experience variable quality of care and may have difficulty accessing counseling and medical treatments for SUD, depending on the available resources in the facility to which they were admitted. The quality of care for residents living with SUD requires further study as more patients with SUD require SNF care.

Abstract: Kava consumption is a traditional practice in Polynesian and Micronesian cultures. It has recently gained popularity in the United States for therapeutic and recreational use. We report the following case. A man presented to the emergency department after a fall while intoxicated on kava. He was medically admitted for altered mental status, facial and clavicle fractures, and hyponatremia. Psychiatry was consulted for management of delirium. On interview, he reported consuming escalating amounts of kava for weeks despite attempts to stop. He was diagnosed with acute kava withdrawal with hyperactive delirium, treated with phenobarbital load (860 mg) and taper (390 mg). Continuous dexmedetomidine drip to hospital day 3 treated sympathetic activation and breakthrough agitation. By day 4, his delirium resolved and remained in remission until discharge. We performed a systematic review for reports of kava withdrawal, returning 9 studies. Eight assessed withdrawal symptoms after cessation of a low controlled dose of kava extract with no symptoms noted. One reported a case series of heavy kava users with seizure-like events. No publications discussed treatment of kava withdrawal. To our knowledge, this is the first publication to describe kava withdrawal syndrome and its effective treatment with phenobarbital.