scholarly journals Evaluation of buprenorphine/naloxone dose and use of sedating supportive medication on treatment outcomes in veterans with opioid use disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 271-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber Kapuganti ◽  
Traci Turner ◽  
Christopher J. Thomas

Abstract Introduction: This retrospective cohort study evaluated effects of buprenorphine/naloxone dose and concomitant use of selected sedating medications on treatment outcomes in patients with opioid use disorder. Methods: Patients enrolled in the buprenorphine/naloxone clinic at the study institution from 2009 until April 2013 were included. There were no exclusion criteria. Part 1 assessed treatment failure within 6 months and time to treatment failure with buprenorphine doses >8 mg and ≤8 mg. Part 2 assessed for treatment failure within 6 months and time to treatment failure with use of selected sedating medications. Sedating medications were cyproheptadine, hydroxyzine, quetiapine, and trazodone. Treatment failure was defined as documentation of illicit opioid use per patient report, urine drug screen showing opioid use, or patient lost to follow-up. Results: There were 132 patients included in this study, but 163 separate encounters due to multiple enrollments. Treatment failure was experienced within 6 months 51 times a patient was prescribed ≤8 mg (66.2%) and 26 times a patient was prescribed >8 mg (33.8%) (P = .0005). Average time to treatment failure was 5.1 months with ≤8 mg and 8.4 months with >8 mg. The 48% of patients who received sedating medications did not demonstrate any significant differences in treatment response at 6 months (P = .2746) or time to treatment failure (P = .2209). Discussion: Doses of buprenorphine/naloxone >8 mg demonstrated better treatment response and prolonged time to treatment failure. Concomitant sedating medications did not have a statistically significant effect on treatment response or time to treatment failure.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 3533-3533
Author(s):  
Mohamed Alaa Gouda ◽  
Helen J Huang ◽  
Sarina Anne Piha-Paul ◽  
S. Greg Call ◽  
Daniel D. Karp ◽  
...  

3533 Background: Short fragments of ctDNA can be detected and quantified from blood samples of patients with cancer. We hypothesize that dynamic changes in quantity of ctDNA in patients with advanced solid cancers during the first few weeks of therapy can predict treatment outcomes reported by standard imaging. Methods: We enrolled patients with advanced cancers treated with experimental therapies, who had blood collection for ctDNA isolation and testing at baseline, mid-cycle and at the time of restaging imaging. Patients who were treated with multiple treatment lines were included with separate record for each therapy. Genomically informed molecular testing of ctDNA was performed using unamplified droplet digital PCR (QX200, Bio-Rad) designed based on known molecular profile of tumor tissue and ctDNA was quantified as aggregate variant allele frequency (VAF%) for detected molecular aberrations. Patients were classified based on results of their first restaging imaging as responders (complete [CR] or partial response [PR]) vs. non-responders (stable disease [SD], progressive disease [PD]) and progressors (PD) vs. non-progressors (CR, PR, SD). Results: Total of 85 patients who received 132 courses of therapies between May 2012 and June 2019 were analyzed. Breast (N = 21), melanoma (N = 14) and cholangiocarcinoma (N = 14) were most frequent tumor types. Aggregate VAF at mid-cycle was higher in non-responders (3.98%) compared to responders (0.40%, P = 0.016) and in progressors (4.40%) compared to non-progressors (2.10%, P = 0.019) as measured by 5% trimmed mean. Similarly, aggregate VAFs at first imaging restaging was higher in non-responders (5.10%) compared to responders (0.10%, P = 0.001) and in progressors (10.80%) compared to non-progressors (0.90%, P < 0.001). Progressors demonstrated increase in ctDNA VAF at the time of the first imaging restaging compared to decrease in non-progressors (0.7% vs. -4%, P = 0.015). In addition, increase in ctDNA VAF at the first imaging restaging was associated with more PD (44% vs. 8%, P = 0.019) and less PR/CR (0% vs. 31%, P < 0.001). Median time-to-treatment failure was shorter in patients with increase in ctDNA VAF at the time of the first imaging restaging (52 days vs. 89 days, P = 0.002). Conclusions: Dynamic changes in quantity of blood-derived ctDNA within the first few weeks of therapy correspond with treatment outcomes reported by the first restaging imaging and time-to-treatment failure.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107026
Author(s):  
Sarah Meshberg-Cohen ◽  
R. Ross MacLean ◽  
Ashley M. Schnakenberg Martin ◽  
Mehmet Sofuoglu ◽  
Ismene L. Petrakis

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-173
Author(s):  
Amir Levine ◽  
Kelly Clemenza ◽  
Shira Weiss ◽  
Adam Bisaga ◽  
Erez Eitan ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundOpioid use disorder (OUD) continues to be the driving force behind drug overdoses in the United States, killing nearly 47,000 people in 2018 alone. The increasing presence of deadlier fentanyl analogues in the heroin drug supply are putting users at a greater risk for overdose than ever before. Admissions to treatment programs for OUD have also nearly doubled since 2006, yet relapse rates remain high. In response to these alarming statistics, developing approaches to reduce overdose deaths has become an area of high priority. As it is not yet known which patients are most likely to benefit from a specific treatment, there is a dire need to utilize new molecular tools to guide precision medicine approaches and improve treatment outcomes. Here we describe a proof-of-concept study evaluating plasma-derived extracellular vesicle (EV) signatures and how they differ in patients who responded to two pharmacologically contrasting treatments for OUD: the μOR agonist methadone, and the μOR antagonist naltrexone.MethodsWe obtained blood samples from patients with OUD who remained abstinent from illicit opioids for at least 3 months during treatment with methadone (n=5) and naltrexone (n=5), as well as matched healthy controls (n=5). EVs were isolated from plasma and histones were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). EVs were then analyzed for lipid and histone post-translational modification (PTM) content using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. EV miRNA cargo was determined by RNA sequencing.ResultsWe found one lipid class and six miRNAs that differed significantly between the naltrexone group and the methadone and control groups. We also found that histone H3acK9acK14 was increasingly acetylated in PMBCs from both the methadone and naltrexone groups compared to controls.DiscussionNaltrexone, which is used in treatment of OUD and other substance use disorders as well as disorders of impulse control, was found to have multiple potential corresponding molecular signatures that can be identified after long-term treatment. It remains to be seen if these markers can also be a good predictor for treatment response. In addition, significant gender differences in EV content are found between men and women with OUD, which supports the importance of examining changes in response to treatment in a gender informed way.


Author(s):  
R. Ross MacLean ◽  
Suzanne Spinola ◽  
Gabriella Garcia-Vassallo ◽  
Mehmet Sofuoglu

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tea Rosic ◽  
Raveena Kapoor ◽  
Balpreet Panesar ◽  
Leen Naji ◽  
Darren B. Chai ◽  
...  

Abstract Background With the ongoing opioid crisis and policy changes regarding legalization of cannabis occurring around the world, it is necessary to consider cannabis use in the context of opioid use disorder (OUD) and its treatment. We aimed to examine (1) past-month cannabis use in patients with OUD, (2) self-reported cannabis-related side effects and craving, and (3) the association between specific characteristics of cannabis use and opioid use during treatment in cannabis users. Methods Participants receiving pharmacological treatment for OUD (n = 2315) were recruited from community-based addiction treatment clinics in Ontario, Canada, and provided information on past-month cannabis use (self-report). Participants were followed for 3 months with routine urine drug screens in order to assess opioid use during treatment. We used logistic regression analysis to explore (1) the association between any cannabis use and opioid use during treatment, and (2) amongst cannabis-users, specific cannabis use characteristics associated with opioid use. Qualitative methods were used to examine responses to the question: “What effect does marijuana have on your treatment?”. Results Past-month cannabis use was reported by 51% of participants (n = 1178). Any cannabis use compared to non-use was not associated with opioid use (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.87–1.23, p = 0.703). Amongst cannabis users, nearly 70% reported daily use, and half reported experiencing cannabis-related side effects, with the most common side effects being slower thought process (26.2%) and lack of motivation (17.3%). For cannabis users, daily cannabis use was associated with lower odds of opioid use, when compared  with occasional use (OR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.47–0.79, p < 0.001) as was older age of onset of cannabis use (OR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.94, 0.99, p = 0.032), and reporting cannabis-related side effects (OR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.51, 0.85, p = 0.001). Altogether, 75% of cannabis users perceived no impact of cannabis on their OUD treatment. Conclusion Past-month cannabis use was not associated with more or less opioid use during treatment. For patients who use cannabis, we identified specific characteristics of cannabis use associated with differential outcomes. Further examination of characteristics and patterns of cannabis use is warranted and may inform more tailored assessments and treatment recommendations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-17
Author(s):  
Adam Rzetelny, PhD ◽  
Diana Meske, PhD ◽  
Parag Patel, MD, FACOG, FASAM ◽  
Steven Passik, PhD

Background: Previous data suggest that tapentadol, an atypical opioid with a putative dual mechanism of action, has relatively low rates of abuse. A better understanding of the rates of abuse among different prescription opioids may help clinicians when considering their potential risks and benefits. The results of urine drug tests (UDTs) may provide a unique opportunity to help answer this question.Method: To investigate different rates of prescription-opioid abuse in this retrospective study, we examined urine drug test results from patients seeking treatment at four facilities of an opioid-use-disorder (OUD) treatment program in Ohio. Urine specimens were collected on admission, one from each patient, in the regular course of care. The opioids reviewed in the present study were tapentadol, hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and tramadol. Drug dispensing data, including morphine-milligram equivalents (MME) dispensed, were examined to adjust for the relative prevalence of each opioid being examined.Results: Data from 4,162 patients were examined. Tapentadol was the least common finding in UDT results in this cohort and remained so after adjusting for drug availability. The percentage of specimens positive for a given opioid ranged from 0.12 percent (tapentadol) to 7.04 percent (oxycodone). The availability and MME adjustments resulted in a change of rank order, with tapentadol remaining the lowest but tramadol replacing oxycodone as the prescription opioid with the highest rate of abuse.Conclusions: In this sample of UDT results from patients seeking treatment at an OUD program in Ohio, tapentadol was the least frequent finding among the opioids examined, and this remained true when adjusting for dispensing data. Factors potentially contributing to this difference may include pharmacological properties unique to tapentadol. Several important limitations notwithstanding, these findings are consistent with previous real-world evidence and warrant an ongoing line of inquiry. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1374-1380 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Alexandra Schickli ◽  
Michael J Berger ◽  
Maryam Lustberg ◽  
Marilly Palettas ◽  
Craig A Vargo

Purpose The management of endocrine therapy resistance is one of the most challenging facets of advanced breast cancer treatment. Palbociclib is an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 approved for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with fulvestrant in postmenopausal women with disease progression following endocrine therapy. However, treatment responsiveness of tumors to palbociclib after multiple lines of endocrine therapy is not clearly established. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of palbociclib and letrozole in patients pretreated with one or more lines of endocrine therapy. Methods This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of all postmenopausal hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer patients who received palbociclib and letrozole as a second-line endocrine therapy or beyond (and no prior cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 inhibitor therapy) between February 1, 2015, and July 31, 2016. The primary objective was to evaluate time to treatment failure of palbociclib in combination with letrozole as a second-line of therapy or beyond. Results Fifty-three patients meeting eligibility criteria were included in the analysis. For the primary outcome, the median time to treatment failure of palbociclib and letrozole was 6.3 months (95% CI 3.1–7.4 months). Progression-free survival of palbociclib and letrozole therapy was 6.4 months (95% CI 4.9–8.3 months). Conclusions Palbociclib and letrozole therapy is a viable, effective treatment option for metastatic breast cancer patients who were not exposed to cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 inhibitors as a first-line endocrine therapy. The benefits of palbociclib and letrozole therapy were seen without excessive toxicity, and although neutropenia was common, it may be managed with dose reduction.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document