The role of withdrawal in mesocorticolimbic drug cue reactivity in opioid use disorder

ABSTRACT Background Medication-assisted treatment has been shown to be effective in treating opioid use disorder among both older adults and veterans of U.S. Armed Forces. However, limited evidence exists on MAT’s differential effect on treatment completion across age groups. This study aims to ascertain the role of MAT and age in treatment completion among veterans seeking treatment in non–Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare facilities for opioid use disorder. Methods We used the Treatment Episode Data Set—Discharges (TEDS-D; 2006-2017) to examine trends in treatment and MAT usage over time and TEDS-2017 to determine the role of age and MAT in treatment completion. We examined a subset of those who self-identified as veterans and who sought treatment for an opioid use disorder. Results Veterans presented in treatment more often as heroin users than prescription opioid users, and older veterans were more likely to get MAT than younger veterans. We found that before propensity score matching, MAT initially appeared to be associated with a lower likelihood of treatment completion in inpatient ($\beta $ = −1.47, 95% CI −1.56 to −1.39) and outpatient ($\beta $ = −1.40, 95% CI −2.21 to −0.58) settings, and age (50+ years) appeared to mediate the effect of MAT on treatment completion ($\beta $ = −0.54, 95% CI −0.87 to −0.21). After matching, older veterans were more likely to complete substance use disorder treatment ($\beta $ = 0.21, 95% CI 0.01-0.42), while age no longer mediated the effect of MAT, and MAT had a significant positive impact on treatment completion in detox settings ($\beta $ = 1.36, 95% CI 1.15-1.50) and inpatient settings ($\beta $ = 1.54, 95% CI 1.37 -1.71). Conclusion The results show that age plays an important role in outpatient treatment completion, while MAT plays an important role in inpatient treatment completion. Implications for veterans are discussed.

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A review of the evidence to explain pharmacological basis of injection (ab)use of buprenorphine–naloxone tablets

Journal of Opioid Management ◽

10.5055/jom.2021.0651 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (7) ◽

pp. 141-152

Author(s):

Tamoud Modak, MD, DM ◽

Siddharth Sarkar, MD, MRCPsych ◽

Yatan Pal Singh Balhara, MD

Keyword(s):

Public Health Problem ◽

Opioid Use Disorder ◽

Critical Examination ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Major Public Health Problem ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Evidence Based Treatment ◽

Opioid Replacement Therapy ◽

Pharmacological Basis

Opioid use disorder is a major public health problem, and opioid replacement therapy with buprenorphine (BPN) is a clinically effective and evidence-based treatment for it. To deter misuse of the tablet through the injecting route, BPN coformulated with naloxone (BNX) in 4:1 ratio is available in many countries. Despite this, significant diversion and injecting use of the BNX combination has been reported from across the world. In this article, the pharmacological properties of BPN and BNX and the evidence for their diversion are reviewed. Also, a critical examination is made of the evidence supporting the role of naloxone in reducing the agonist effects of BPN when used through the injecting route. Based on this evidence, a hypothesis explaining the continued diversion of BNX has been proposed.

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Target Population: Treatment-Resistant Opioid Use Disorder and the Role of Therapeutic Communities

The Opioid Epidemic and the Therapeutic Community Model ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-26273-0_6 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 75-85

Author(s):

Kristopher A. Kast

Keyword(s):

Target Population ◽

Opioid Use Disorder ◽

Therapeutic Communities ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Treatment Resistant ◽

Population Treatment

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The role of social network support in treatment outcomes for medication for opioid use disorder: a systematic review

10.1101/2020.07.18.20156950 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Navin Kumar ◽

William Oles ◽

Benjamin A. Howell ◽

Kamila Janmohamed ◽

Selena T. Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Social Network ◽

Treatment Outcomes ◽

Opioid Use Disorder ◽

Social Connections ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Network Support ◽

Social Network Support ◽

Partner Relationships

AbstractBackgroundSocial connections can lead to contagion of healthy behaviors. Successful treatment of patients with opioid use disorder, as well as recovery of their communities from the opioid epidemic, may lay in rebuilding social networks. Strong social networks of support can reinforce the benefits of medication treatments that are the current standard of care and the most effective tool physicians have to fight the opioid epidemic.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of electronic research databases, specialist journals and grey literature up to August 2020 to identify experimental and observational studies of social network support in patient populations receiving medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). We place the studies into a conceptual framework of dynamic social networks, examining the role of networks before MOUD treatment is initiated, during the treatment, and in the long-term following the treatment. We analyze the results across three sources of social network support: partner relationships, family, and peer networks. We also consider the impact of negative social connections.ResultsOf 5193 articles screened, 46 studies were identified as meeting inclusion criteria (12 were experimental and 34 were observational). 39 studies indicated that social network support, or lack thereof, had a statistically significant relationship with improved MOUD treatment outcomes. We find the strongest support for the positive impact of family and partner relationships when integrated into treatment attempts. We also identify strong evidence for a negative impact of maintaining contacts with the drug-using network on treatment outcomes.ConclusionsSocial networks significantly shape effectiveness of opioid use disorder treatments. While negative social ties reinforce addiction, positive social support networks can amplify the benefits of medication treatments. Targeted interventions to reconstruct social networks can be designed as a part of medication treatment with their effects evaluated in improving patients’ odds of recovery from opioid use disorder and reversing the rising trend in opioid deaths.

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Community-based management of opioid use disorder: Role of nursing professionals and paramedical workers

Indian Journal of Psychiatric Nursing ◽

10.4103/iopn.iopn_14_19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 43

Author(s):

Roshan Bhad ◽

Naveen Dhagudu ◽

Snehil Gupta ◽

Ravindra Rao

Keyword(s):

Opioid Use Disorder ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Community Based ◽

Role Of Nursing ◽

Nursing Professionals

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The Role of Hospitalists in Treating Opioid Use Disorder

Journal of Addiction Medicine ◽

10.1097/adm.0000000000000545 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 178

Author(s):

Richard Bottner ◽

Christopher Moriates ◽

Carlos Tirado

Keyword(s):

Opioid Use Disorder ◽

Opioid Use

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Abuse of Opioids and Prescription Medications

10.1093/med/9780199392063.003.0005 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Isis Burgos-Chapman ◽

Louis A. Trevisan ◽

Kevin Sevarino

Keyword(s):

Pain Treatment ◽

The Elderly ◽

Pain Medication ◽

Opioid Use Disorder ◽

Prescription Medications ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Opioid Medication ◽

Medication Misuse ◽

Chronic Pain Treatment

This chapter reviews an under-recognized aspect of geriatrics. The elderly population is growing in number, as is the proportion of aging baby-boomers at high risk for pain medication misuse and opioid use disorders. Given the widespread use of opioids in pain management, one can expect that problems with opioid use will increase among the elderly in the coming years. We describe the magnitude of the problem and discuss the importance of risk-stratification to identify which older patients are at elevated risk to develop problems with opioids. We examine the role of opioids in chronic pain treatment and the pitfalls of their use in the elderly. Finally, we provide general guidelines for the treatment of pain medication misuse and/or an opioid use disorder in the elderly. Opioid medication misuse and use disorders should be on every practitioner’s radar as a possible reason for problems surfacing in the elderly patient.

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The Role of Quality of Education in Neurocognitive Functioning in a Diverse Sample with Chronic Opioid Use Disorder

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acz029.36 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (7) ◽

pp. 1269-1269

Author(s):

J Olsen ◽

J Arnsten ◽

T Scott ◽

F Arias ◽

C Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Functioning ◽

Opioid Use Disorder ◽

Reading Level ◽

Quality Of Education ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Significant Group ◽

Wide Range ◽

Chronic Opioid Use

Abstract Objective Literacy is a proxy for quality of education (QoE) and mediates ethnicity-related differences in neurocognitive (NC) performance in some populations (Manly et al., 2002; Rivera Mindt et al., 2008). However, it is unknown whether this relationship exists in the context of chronic opioid use disorder (OUD). This study examined the role of ethnicity, QoE, opioid use severity, and depression in predicting NC performance in a diverse sample of persons with OUD. Participants and Method This cross-sectional study included 74 adults with OUD (Age M = 40.3 [SD = 10.5]; Education M = 11.3 [2.5]; 24% female; 68% Latinx and 32% Non-Latinx White [NLW]). All participants completed comprehensive NC testing and psychiatric/substance use questionnaires. Variables included ethnicity (Latinx vs. Non-Latinx White), years of education, QoE (Wide Range Achievement Test, Third Edition; WRAT-3 Reading Standard Scores), opioid use severity (high vs. low OAT dose), current depression (Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition; BDI-II Total Score), and demographically-corrected NC T-scores were computed and used for average domain T-scores (e.g., learning, memory, verbal fluency, executive function). Bivariate and ANCOVA analyses were used to compare ethnic groups. Results There were no significant group differences on opioid use severity or current depression (p’s > .05). However, compared to the NLW group, the Latinx group had lower years of education (M = 10.9 [SD = 1.7] vs. M = 12.2 [SD = 3.5]; t[72)] = 2.1, p < .05), QoE (M = 83.1 [SD = 13.6] vs. M = 94.8 [SD = 9.4]; t[72] = 3.8, p < .001), executive functioning (M = 42.0 [SD = 6.5] vs. M = 45.8 [SD = 8.5]; t[72) = 2.1, p < .05), and learning (M = 32.2 [SD = 8.2] vs. M = 37.8 [SD = 8.7]; t[72)] = 2.7, p < .05), with medium to large effect sizes (Cohen’s d > .50). The overall effect of ethnicity became non-significant for executive functioning after accounting for QoE (F[2,70] = 10.0, p = .002) and years of education (F[2,70)] = 16.8, p < .001). Conclusions The current study found that accounting for years of education and QoE attenuates some differences in NC performance between Latinx and Non-Latinx participants. References Manly, J. J., Jacobs, D. M., Touradji, P., Small, S. A., & Stern, Y. (2002). Reading level attenuates differences in neuropsychological test performance between African American and White elders. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 8(3), 341-348. Mindt, M. R., Arentoft, A., Germano, K. K., D’Aquila, E., Scheiner, D., Pizzirusso, M., ... & Gollan, T. H. (2008). Neuropsychological, cognitive, and theoretical considerations for evaluation of bilingual individuals. Neuropsychology review, 18(3), 255-268.

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