Opioid use disorder: current trends and potential treatments
Yu Kyung Lee, Mark S. Gold, Kenneth Blum, Panayotis K Thanos, Colin Hanna, Brian S Fuehrlein
Frontiers in Public Health January 25, 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1274719 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Addiction |
| Keywords | Hallucinogens Homeostasis Neuroimmunomodulation Opioid-related disorders Pro-dopamine-regulation Public health Therapeutics |
| Citations | 45 |
| Key findings | Existing medications and harm reduction strategies have not reduced opioid overdose deaths, and novel treatments such as psychedelics, neuroimmune, nutraceutical, and electromagnetic therapies may offer more durable and effective options. |
Abstract
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a major public health threat, contributing to morbidity and mortality from addiction, overdose, and related medical conditions. Despite our increasing knowledge about the pathophysiology and existing medical treatments of OUD, it has remained a relapsing and remitting disorder for decades, with rising deaths from overdoses, rather than declining. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the increase in overall substance use and interrupted access to treatment. If increased naloxone access, more buprenorphine prescribers, greater access to treatment, enhanced reimbursement, less stigma and various harm reduction strategies were effective for OUD, overdose deaths would not be at an all-time high. Different prevention and treatment approaches are needed to reverse the concerning trend in OUD. This article will review the recent trends and limitations on existing medications for OUD and briefly review novel approaches to treatment that have the potential to be more durable and effective than existing medications. The focus will be on promising interventional treatments, psychedelics, neuroimmune, neutraceutical, and electromagnetic therapies. At different phases of investigation and FDA approval, these novel approaches have the potential to not just reduce overdoses and deaths, but attenuate OUD, as well as address existing comorbid disorders.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account | 2016 | Review | |
| Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents Animal models and cellular studies | 2018 | Review | |
| A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction. | 2013 | Review | |
| The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Adjunctive ketamine vs. buprenorphine in co-occurring major depressive disorder and opioid use disorder: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial assessing anxiety symptom severity and craving intensity. Trials April 17, 2025
- Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Compounds for Substance Use Disorders. Pharmaceuticals November 5, 2024
Cites 26
- Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: A proof-of-concept study Journal of Psychopharmacology January 13, 2015
- Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Cell Reports June 1, 2018
- MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine June 1, 2021
- Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction Journal of Psychopharmacology September 11, 2014
- Efficacy and Safety of Flexibly Dosed Esketamine Nasal Spray Combined With a Newly Initiated Oral Antidepressant in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Double-Blind Active-Controlled Study American Journal of Psychiatry May 21, 2019
and 21 more in the library