Publications Chair & Editor-in-Chief:
Nicholas Athanasiou, MD, MBA, DFASAM
Co-Editors:
Brandon Aden, MD
John A. Fromson, MD
Jack Woodside, MD
ASAM Staff Producer:
Zach Caruso
An audio source and summary of the top stories from the field of addiction medicine.
2 days ago
2 days ago
Suicide in people prescribed opioid-agonist therapy in Scotland, United Kingdom, 2011–2020: A national retrospective cohort study 🔓
Addiction
This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine if opioid agonist therapy (OAT) in Scotland is protective against suicide, and measure trends in suicide rates in those with opioid dependence over time. The study included 46,453 individuals who received at least one prescription for OAT between 2011 and 2020 with over 304,000 person-years (pys) of follow-up. Results suggested that people with opioid dependence in Scotland have a greater risk of suicide than the general population. Treatment is protective, with rates of suicide lower among those on opioid agonist therapy. Suicide rates have decreased over time, during a period in which drug-related death rates in Scotland have risen to globally high levels.
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Tuesday Nov 05, 2024
Tuesday Nov 05, 2024
Links between adolescent binge drinking and midlife alcohol use behaviors by age, sex, and race/ethnicity 🔓
Alcohol Clinical and Experimental Research
Using data from the Monitoring the Future study, which enrolled cohorts of high school seniors annually starting in 1976, this analysis evaluated alcohol drinking patterns in adults 35-60 and potential association with their drinking patterns at age 18. Overall, the reported mean number of drinks at a time ranged from 1.7 to 1.4, and the mean maximum number of drinks ranged from 3.2 to 2.3. The reported number of drinks was generally lower at older ages. Those who reported binge drinking at 18 versus those who did not report a significantly higher mean (2.3 vs. 1.3) and maximum (4.0 vs. 2.3) number of drinks as adults. Additionally, they were more likely to report binge drinking (39.5% vs 19.1%) and high-intensity drinking (10.5% vs 4.4%) as adults. Further, this association was even stronger in older age groups, suggesting adolescent binge drinking is a risk factor across the lifespan.
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Tuesday Oct 29, 2024
Tuesday Oct 29, 2024
Buprenorphine/Naloxone vs Methadone for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
JAMA Network
This population-based retrospective cohort study assessed whether the use of buprenorphine/naloxone is associated with lower risk of treatment discontinuation and mortality compared with methadone. It included 30,891 individuals initiating treatment for the first time during the study period and found that the risk of treatment discontinuation was higher among recipients of buprenorphine/naloxone compared with methadone (88.8% vs 81.5% within 24 months). The risk of mortality was low while in either form of treatment (0.08% vs 0.13%). Individuals receiving methadone had a lower risk of treatment discontinuation compared with those who received buprenorphine/naloxone. The risk of mortality while receiving treatment was similar between medications.
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Tuesday Oct 22, 2024
Tuesday Oct 22, 2024
Association of Daily Doses of Buprenorphine With Urgent Health Care Utilization 🔓
JAMA Network Open
This cross-sectional study using health care claims data from 35,451 US adults with an opioid use disorder diagnosis assessed whether buprenorphine treatment using doses higher than Food and Drug Administration recommendations is associated with subsequent acute health care utilization. Those receiving higher maximum doses of buprenorphine (i.e., doses above 16 mg and 24 mg) had significantly lower rates of acute care utilization than their peers receiving FDA-recommended doses (between 8 mg and 16 mg). These results suggest that higher doses of buprenorphine are associated with lower acute care utilization and could provide benefits to patients, particularly those using fentanyl who might need these higher doses.
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Tuesday Oct 15, 2024
Tuesday Oct 15, 2024
Facilitators of and barriers to buprenorphine initiation in the emergency department: a scoping review
The Lancet Regional Health Americas
In the context of the opioid overdose epidemic, great efforts have been made to increase access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), specifically buprenorphine. Initiation of buprenorphine in emergency departments (ED) has been a focus of these efforts. While initiation has been increasing, only 3-15% of persons treated in EDs fill a prescription. In this summary literature review, authors examined potential barriers and facilitators to initiation. Having care-coordination with streamlined and easy connection to outpatient treatment was associated with increased initiation. Conversely, the absence of care-coordination was associated with decreased uptake. Additionally, provider training and comfort increased uptake as did flexibility in induction strategies.
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Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Cannabis Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity
National Academy of Sciences Engineering Medicine
This report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine urges the federal government to provide policy guidance to states that have legalized cannabis, close regulatory loopholes on intoxicating products derived from hemp, and create a public health campaign aimed at parents and vulnerable populations, among other measures that would protect public health and reduce the harms of rising cannabis use. Federal action includes closing regulatory loopholes for hemp-derived cannabinoids, a cannabis public health campaign, best practices for cannabis policy, and improved cannabis public health data and allowing research. State action includes required training for cannabis retail staff, automatically expunging criminal records, a model for state cannabis policy, and setting product standards.
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Monday Sep 30, 2024
Monday Sep 30, 2024
In this episode recorded live at ASAM's 55th Annual Conference in Fort Worth, TX, host Dr. Nick Athanasiou sat down with Dr. Shannon Miller to discuss his work on PAM-7, and his path to addiction medicine.
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Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Risk of Incident Psychosis and Mania With Prescription Amphetamines
The American Journal of Psychiatry
This case-control study used electronic health records to examine the impact of dose levels of prescription amphetamines on the risk of incident psychosis and mania with prescription amphetamines. Among 1,374 case subjects and 2,748 control subjects, the odds of psychosis and mania were increased for individuals with past-month prescription amphetamine use compared with no use. A dose-response relationship was observed; high doses of amphetamines (>30 mg dextroamphetamine equivalents) were associated with 5.28-fold increased odds of psychosis or mania. Past-month methylphenidate use was not associated with increased odds of psychosis or mania compared with no use. Caution should be exercised when prescribing high doses of amphetamines, with regular screening for symptoms of psychosis or mania.
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Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Cannabis Laws and Utilization of Medications for the Treatment of Mental Health Disorders 🔓
JAMA Network Open
This cross-sectional study of 9,438,716 commercially insured patients examined if access to cannabis, via medical or recreational legalization, is associated with changes in the dispensing of prescription medications to treat mental health disorders. Researchers found statistically significant reductions in benzodiazepine dispensing after increases in both medical and recreational cannabis access. However, evidence suggests increases in other types of psychotropic dispensing. The study suggests that cannabis laws may be significantly associated with the population-level use of prescription drugs to treat mental health disorders, although the associations vary by drug class and state.
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Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
State-level racial and ethnic disparities in buprenorphine treatment duration in the United States
The American Journal on Addictions
National trends reveal a concerning escalation in racial and ethnic disparities in buprenorphine treatment duration for opioid use disorder. This study examined such disparities at the state level. Analyzing 9,040,620 buprenorphine prescriptions dispensed between January 2011 and December 2020 from IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription data, the study revealed substantial statewide variations in racial and ethnic disparities. Specifically, 21 states showed longer treatment durations for White people across all episodes, and 8 states displayed similar trends among episodes lasting ≥180 days. Longer treatment durations for White people in both overall and long-term episodes were exhibited in 5 states, and 15 states showed no racial and ethnic disparities.
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ASAM, founded in 1954, is a professional medical society representing over 7,000 physicians, clinicians, and associated professionals in the field of addiction medicine.
ASAM is dedicated to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment, educating physicians and the public, supporting research and prevention, and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addiction.
Visit www.ASAM.org for more information.
Publications Chair & Editor-in-Chief:
Nicholas Athanasiou, MD, MBA, DFASAM
Co-Editors:
Brandon Aden, MD
John A. Fromson, MD
Jack Woodside, MD
ASAM Staff Producer:
Zach Caruso
Disclaimer:
This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered health advice.
• We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast.
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• The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.