ABSTRACT Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic relapsing condition with a high mortality rate. While medications such as methadone are valuable first-line therapies, retention is poor, with the highest dropout rates early in a treatment attempt. Poor outcomes are due in part to the very high rates of co-morbid depression in people with OUD, as depression can drive opioid use....
Background: Ketamine has emerged as a prominent substance of misuse. Leptin, an adipocyte-derived polypeptide hormone, has been implicated in the development of addiction. Sex-specific changes in leptin levels have been demonstrated following acute ketamine administration; the persistence of long-term ketamine use on leptin levels is uncertain.Objectives: To assess the sex-difference of leptin...
Background: There exists an underexploited opportunity to develop innovative therapeutic approaches to SUDs based upon the complementarity between modern and traditional health systems.Objectives: Illustrate the feasibility and potentiality of such an approach through the comprehensive description of Takiwasi Center's treatment model and program, where health concepts and practices from...
A drug concoction called tusi has emerged in Latin America and in Europe and is now beginning to acquire popularity in the United States. "Tusi" is a phonetic translation of "2C," a series of psychedelic phenethylamines. The concoction is also sometimes referred to as "pink cocaine" as it typically comes in the form of pink powder. However, despite its name, the concoction rarely contains 2C...
Background: Research in psychedelic medicine has focused primarily on civilian populations. Further study is needed to understand whether these treatments are effective for Veteran populations.Objectives: Here, we examine the effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted therapy among trauma-exposed Special Operations Forces Veterans (SOFV) seeking treatment for cognitive and mental health problems in...
NyQuil is an over-the-counter medication containing the pain reliever, acetaminophen; the antihistamine, doxylamine; and dextromethorphan (DXM), the antitussive medication. The Nyquil liquid formulation also contains alcohol, listed among the inactive ingredients. DXM has dependence-producing properties and addiction liability, especially in young people (1). Large doses (>1500 mg/day) can...
Background: Experiences with psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), are sometimes followed by changes in patterns of tobacco, opioid, and alcohol consumption. But, the specific characteristics of psychedelic experiences that lead to changes in drug consumption are unknown.Objective: Determine whether quantitative descriptions of psychedelic experiences...
ABSTRACT Background: Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance worldwide, and legalization for recreational and medical purposes has substantially increased its availability and use in the United States.Objectives: Decades of research have suggested that recreational cannabis use confers risk for cognitive impairment across various domains, and structural and functional differences in...
This article refers to:5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety
A recent epidemiological study suggested that 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used for spiritual and recreational reasons is associated with subjective improvement in depression and anxiety. Further exploration of the potential psychotherapeutic effects of 5-MeO-DMT could inform future clinical trials. We examined self-reported improvement in depression and anxiety among people who...
Background: Theoretical frameworks postulate that mindfulness represents a relevant therapeutic process in substance use disorders (SUDs), especially in treating difficulties with emotion regulation (DER). Nonetheless, it remains unclear how mindfulness dimensions, particularly self-regulation of attention and acceptance attitudes, are implicated in the well-validated relationship between DER...
Ibogaine is an indole alkaloid that comes from the root of the West African shrub Tabernanthe iboga. Ibogaine has been used for centuries in spiritual celebrations, coming of age rituals, and heali...
Ibogaine is a monoterpene indole alkaloid used in medical and nonmedical settings for the treatment of opioid use disorder. Its mechanism of action is apparently novel. There are no published prospective studies of drug use outcomes with ibogaine. To study outcomes following opioid detoxification with ibogaine. In this observational study, 30 subjects with DSM-IV Opioid Dependence (25 males, 5...
The psychoactive indole alkaloid ibogaine has been associated with encouraging treatment outcomes for opioid dependence. The legal status of ibogaine in New Zealand provides a unique opportunity to evaluate durability of treatment outcomes. To examine longitudinal treatment effects over a 12-month period among individuals receiving legal ibogaine treatment for opioid dependence. This...
The US has seen an increase in the popularity of highly concentrated forms of cannabis (hereafter concentrates) and too little is known about the potential risks associated with their use. The present study aims to better understand the patterns and outcomes of concentrates use through the perspectives of young adult users. Participants (N = 234, 27.9% female) aged 18-35 years were recruited...
The associations between cannabis use and psychosis are well documented in numerous studies. There is a need to evaluate the impact of cannabis use on inpatient psychiatric utilization and outcomes. To evaluate the impact of cannabis use on psychiatric hospital outcomes. This study was conducted between April 20, 2015 and October 20, 2015. All patients (n = 120) admitted to Denver Health with...
Novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) continue to emerge in the United States and worldwide. Few epidemiological studies have examined the prevalence and correlates of use. We examined the extent of NPS use in a high-risk population-attendees of electronic dance music (EDM) parties at nightclubs and festivals. We surveyed 682 adults (age 18-25) entering EDM events at nightclubs and festivals in...
In the current issue of the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Johnson et al. (1) provide long-term outcome data from a smoking cessation pilot study of a treatment model using 2–3 doses o...
BACKGROUND: A recent open-label pilot study (N = 15) found that two to three moderate to high doses (20 and 30 mg/70 kg) of the serotonin 2A receptor agonist, psilocybin, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking cessation, resulted in substantially higher 6-month smoking abstinence rates than are typically observed with other medications or CBT alone. OBJECTIVES: To...
Background: Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are emerging at an unprecedented rate. Likewise, prevalence of use and poisonings has increased in recent years. Objective: To compare characteristics of NPS exposures and non-NPS-drug-related exposures and to examine whether there are differences between exposures involving synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) and other NPS. Methods:...
Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in adolescence. Heavy use is associated with deficits on a broad range of cognitive functions and heavy use during adolescence may impact development of gray and white matter. To examine differences in intrinsic brain activity and connectivity associated with cannabis dependence in adolescence using whole-brain voxelwise approaches. Adolescents...
Current treatments for addiction are frequently ineffective. Hallucinogenic therapy has been indicated as helpful for a range of substance use disorders, yet this approach remains understudied and publicly unavailable. It is nonetheless a promising treatment, which has significant, long-term beneficial effects with single doses and a profile characterized by general safety, low toxicity, and...
Salvia divinorum has known hallucinogenic effects and is legal in most parts of the United States. Given that this psychoactive substance has a potential of misuse and abuse, further data regarding the clinical and psychosocial factors associated with use are needed. To examine the clinical and psychosocial characteristics associated with use of salvia. The study uses data from the National...
The endocannabinoid system modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, but the effect of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor antagonism following chronic CB1 receptor stimulation in humans is unknown. To evaluate effects of the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant on the HPA axis in cannabis-dependent individuals. Fourteen daily cannabis smokers received increasingly frequent 20 mg...