Article
Emergency Medicine
Leslie W. Suen, Thibaut Davy-Mendez, Kathy T. LeSaint, Elise D. Riley, Phillip O. Coffin
Summary: This study characterized the rates, presentation, and management of emergency department visits related to cocaine and psychostimulant use, compared to opioid use. The findings showed that visits related to psychostimulants have increased significantly, and they often require interventions for acute cardiopulmonary and psychiatric complications.
BMC EMERGENCY MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Nafisseh S. Warner, Andrew C. Hanson, Phillip J. Schulte, Elizabeth B. Habermann, David O. Warner, Michelle M. Mielke
Summary: The study found that the use of prescription opioids in older adults is associated with small but statistically significant declines in long-term cognitive function. This may represent the effects of opioids themselves or other related factors.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2022)
Review
Dermatology
Zoe M. Lipman, Gil Yosipovitch
Summary: Chronic pruritus could be a dermatologic manifestation of an underlying substance use disorder, with research revealing similarities in neurologic mechanisms between addiction and chronic itch involving dopamine activation and opioid receptor imbalances. It is important to consider underlying substance use disorders in patients to effectively treat them.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Substance Abuse
Mbabazi Kariisa, Puja Seth, Lawrence Scholl, Nana Wilson, Nicole L. Davis
Summary: The study found that overdose death rates involving cocaine and psychostimulants have been increasing, particularly among non-Hispanic Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native populations. The role of opioids in driving these deaths varied by race and ethnicity.
DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
(2021)
Article
Substance Abuse
Ju Nyeong Park, Emaan Rashidi, Kathryn Foti, Michael Zoorob, Susan Sherman, G. Caleb Alexander
Summary: The study found that the presence of fentanyl in the illicit drug supply increased significantly in stimulants between 2011 and 2016, particularly with substantial increases occurring between 2015 and 2016; the presence of these products was concentrated primarily in the U.S. Northeast. There were significant variations in the proportions of fentanyl-cocaine and fentanyl-methamphetamine samples among different states.
DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
(2021)
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Salma M. Abdalla, Sandro Galea
Summary: This study reveals the steep rise of drug overdose mortality among racial and ethnic minorities in the United States and emphasizes the need to change the narrative, invest in targeted policies, and use innovative methods to address the growing burden of drug overdose.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Phillip O. Coffin, Vanessa M. McMahan, Ciaran Murphy
Summary: The rapid increase in fentanyl overdose deaths has raised concerns about unintentional fentanyl exposure. Analysis of data suggests that a significant proportion of fentanyl overdose decedents in San Francisco may not have intended to consume an opioid at the time of their death.
JOURNAL OF URBAN HEALTH-BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Robert W. Seaman, Gregory T. Collins
Summary: The study found that opioid dependence and withdrawal have different effects on the reinforcing effects of fentanyl, while having no significant impact on the reinforcing effects of cocaine and methamphetamine. This suggests that motivations to use opioids are dependent on the individual's current state, whereas stimulants retain their reinforcing effects regardless of the individual's opioid-dependent or withdrawn state.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Katie Fitzgerald Jones, Dmitry Khodyakov, Benjamin H. Han, Robert M. Arnold, Emily Dao, Jeni Morrison, Jennifer Kapo, Diane E. Meier, Judith A. Paice, Jane M. Liebschutz, Christine S. Ritchie, Jessica S. Merlin, Hailey W. Bulls
Summary: The study aims to identify expert consensus on opioid management strategies for individuals with advanced cancer and cancer-related pain with nonmedical stimulant use. The findings provide urgently needed guidance for clinicians managing cancer-related pain in the context of nonmedical stimulant use.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Thomas E. Freese, Beth A. Rutkowski, James A. Peck, Darren Urada, H. Westley Clark, Anton Nigusse Bland, Joseph Friedman, Richard A. Rawson
Summary: This article discusses the increasing role of methamphetamine and cocaine use in California's drug poisoning crisis and its impact on specific populations in California. It highlights the lack of FDA-approved medications for stimulant use disorder and introduces the Recovery Incentives Program as a large scale implementation of contingency management (CM). The article also describes the methods and innovations of the program, and the goals of the evaluation conducted by the California Department of Health Care Services.
PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael T. McCoy, Subramaniam Jayanthi, Jean Lud Cadet
Summary: The potential of using potassium channel activators in SUD treatment has been discussed, as they have been shown to reduce alcohol intake and augment the behavioral effects of opioid drugs. Studies focusing on the role of potassium channels as targets for therapeutic interventions against SUDs are warranted.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Nisha Nataraj, Kun Zhang, Andrea E. Strahan, Gery P. Guy
Summary: This study compared the congruence between opioid prescribing and dispensing with other related medications, finding that patients with stimulant prescriptions had the highest congruence, followed by opioids and benzodiazepines. The study also showed differences in congruence by age group and sex, suggesting the importance of considering these factors in future research on prescribing behaviors.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
David Kline, Amanda M. Bunting, Staci A. Hepler, Ariadne Rivera-Aguirre, Noa Krawczyk, Magdalena Cerda
Summary: This study examines overdose deaths involving stimulants with and without opioids in the US from 1999 to 2020. The findings show that death rates involving cocaine and opioids sharply increased around 2015, particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. There were also steady increases in deaths involving psychostimulants without opioids just before 2010, particularly in states in the West and South. Deaths involving psychostimulants with opioids increased around 2015, with the largest increases concentrated in Appalachian states.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Substance Abuse
Lara N. Coughlin, Lan Zhang, Amy S. B. Bohnert, Donovan T. Maust, Jason Goldstick, Lewei ( Allison) Lin
Summary: The rate of deaths among US Veterans from stimulant-related overdose was three times higher in 2018 than 2012, with increases in all toxicology profiles. Differences in characteristics of patients across overdose toxicology profiles, such as age and living in rural areas for methamphetamine-involved overdoses, and lower odds of stimulant use disorder diagnosis for stimulant + opioid overdose deaths, suggest distinct treatment needs based on stimulant type.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
James R. Docherty, Hadeel A. Alsufyani
Summary: The majority of illicit stimulants act on monoaminergic systems, causing both stimulant effects and adverse reactions. These substances can interact with monoamine transporters and receptors, as well as mimicking monoamine actions. Stimulants, particularly MDMA, can increase the risk of sudden cardiac death and fatalities from hyperthermia, especially in hot conditions like raves. This review focuses on the pharmacology of cardiovascular and temperature adverse effects of stimulants.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)