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Current Psychiatry Reports Jun 2022To review the literature on the trends in substance use among youth during the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
To review the literature on the trends in substance use among youth during the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic.
RECENT FINDINGS
The pandemic has given rise to concerns about the mental health and social well-being of youth, including its potential to increase or exacerbate substance use behaviors. This systematic review identified and included 49 studies of use across alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, e-cigarettes/vaping, and other drugs, and unspecified substances. The majority of studies across all categories of youth substance use reported reductions in prevalence, except in the case of other drugs and unspecified drug and substance use, which included three studies that reported an increase in use and three studies that reported decrease in use. Overall, the results of this review suggest that the prevalence of youth substance use has largely declined during the pandemic. Youth substance use in the post-pandemic years will require monitoring and continued surveillance.
Topics: Adolescent; COVID-19; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Humans; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 35476186
DOI: 10.1007/s11920-022-01338-z -
Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism &... Nov 2020While considerable progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, to date there has not been a cure, and millions of people around the world are currently living... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
While considerable progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, to date there has not been a cure, and millions of people around the world are currently living with HIV/AIDS. People living with HIV/AIDS have substance abuse disorders at higher rates than non-infected individuals, which puts them at an increased risk of drug-drug interactions.
AREAS COVERED
Potential drug-drug interactions are reviewed for a variety of potential drugs of abuse, both licit and illicit. These drugs include alcohol, cigarettes or other nicotine delivery systems, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, and marijuana. Potential interactions include decreased adherence, modulation of drug transporters, or modulation of metabolic enzymes. We also review the relative incidence of the use of these drugs of abuse in People living with HIV/AIDS.
EXPERT OPINION
Despite considerable improvements in outcomes, disparities in outcomes between PLWHA who use drugs of abuse, vs those who do not still exist. It is of critical necessity to improve outcomes in these patients and to work with them to stop abusing drugs of abuse.
Topics: Animals; Anti-HIV Agents; Drug Interactions; HIV Infections; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Medication Adherence; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 32842791
DOI: 10.1080/17425255.2020.1814737 -
La Clinica Terapeutica 2022Drug use in Europe is now more than ever a multifaceted issue involving a broad and ever-changing range of substances. Alarmingly, recent European Monitoring Centre for...
Drug use in Europe is now more than ever a multifaceted issue involving a broad and ever-changing range of substances. Alarmingly, recent European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) reports show that roughly 83 million adults aged between 15 and 64 years in the European Union have used illicit substances at least once in their lifetime. Polydrug use is rife, and consumption patterns range from experimental/occasional, habitual use all the way to addiction. Traditional epidemiological methods delineating drug abuse specifics (i.e. number of users, age groups, specific characteristics and patterns of use) are questionnaire-based and therefore present the classic biases linked to the selected sample, thus risking an underesti-mation of the phenomenon. The Mario Negri IRCCS Pharmacological Research Institute has developed a new population screening method based on wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) which makes it possible to detect drug metabolites in waste water and to estimate which and how many substances are consumed by the entire population belonging to the wastewater treatment plant being monitored. Such a technique has gained great interest at the national and international level, and may be especially valuable as a detection/monitoring tool at a time when novel psychoactive substances have come to trigger a major public health crisis, on account of their elusiveness and potential as substitutes/adulterants of traditional substances of abuse.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Young Adult; Adult; Middle Aged; Wastewater; Illicit Drugs; Substance-Related Disorders; Europe
PubMed: 36373449
DOI: 10.7417/CT.2022.2476 -
The Journal of Headache and Pain Apr 2021Chronic headache is particularly prevalent in migraineurs and it can progress to a condition known as medication overuse headache (MOH). MOH is a secondary headache... (Review)
Review
Chronic headache is particularly prevalent in migraineurs and it can progress to a condition known as medication overuse headache (MOH). MOH is a secondary headache caused by overuse of analgesics or other medications such as triptans to abort acute migraine attacks. The worsening of headache symptoms associated with medication overuse (MO) generally ameliorates following interruption of regular medication use, although the primary headache symptoms remain unaffected. MO patients may also develop certain behaviors such as ritualized drug administration, psychological drug attachment, and withdrawal symptoms that have been suggested to correlate with drug addiction. Although several reviews have been performed on this topic, to the authors best knowledge none of them have examined this topic from the addiction point of view. Therefore, we aimed to identify features in MO and drug addiction that may correlate. We initiate the review by introducing the classes of analgesics and medications that can cause MOH and those with high risk to produce MO. We further compare differences between sensitization resulting from MO and from drug addiction, the neuronal pathways that may be involved, and the genetic susceptibility that may overlap between the two conditions. Finally, ICHD recommendations to treat MOH will be provided herein.
Topics: Analgesics; Headache Disorders, Secondary; Humans; Migraine Disorders; Prescription Drug Overuse; Substance-Related Disorders; Tryptamines
PubMed: 33910499
DOI: 10.1186/s10194-021-01224-8 -
Experimental and Clinical... Dec 2022Simultaneous co-ingestion of prescription medication (e.g., opioid, tranquilizer/sedative, stimulant) and alcohol is associated with overdose and elevated substance use,...
Simultaneous co-ingestion of prescription medication (e.g., opioid, tranquilizer/sedative, stimulant) and alcohol is associated with overdose and elevated substance use, but no studies have examined prescription drug misuse (PDM) and alcohol co-ingestion in U.S. young adults (18-25 years), despite the high rates of PDM in this age group. We used the 2015-19 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (young adult = 69,916) to examine prevalence of past-month PDM-alcohol co-ingestion, PDM characteristics, and sociodemographic, physical health, mental health, and substance use correlates. Logistic regression examined correlates, comparing those without past-year PDM, those with past-year but not past-month PDM, those with past-month PDM without alcohol co-ingestion, and those with past-month PDM and alcohol co-ingestion. An estimated 585,000 young adults engaged in any past-month PDM-alcohol co-ingestion, or between 32.7% (opioids) and 44.6% (tranquilizer/sedatives) of those who were engaged in past-month PDM. Co-ingestion varied by educational status and was more common in males and white or multiracial young adults. All PDM-involved groups had elevated odds of suicidal ideation and other psychopathology, but substance use and substance use disorder (SUD) odds were significantly higher in young adults with co-ingestion, versus all other groups. To illustrate, 41.1% with opioid-alcohol co-ingestion had multiple past-year SUDs, versus 2.0% in those without past-year PDM. Young adults with co-ingestion are particularly likely to have problematic alcohol use and higher rates of SUD. Counseling about the risks of PDM-alcohol co-ingestion and screening for co-ingestion among those at risk are warranted to limit poor outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Male; Humans; Young Adult; United States; Prescription Drugs; Analgesics, Opioid; Prevalence; Hypnotics and Sedatives; Tranquilizing Agents; Substance-Related Disorders; Prescription Drug Misuse; Eating
PubMed: 34410796
DOI: 10.1037/pha0000519 -
International Journal of Molecular... Mar 2021Nicotine is the predominant addictive compound of tobacco and causes the acquisition of dependence through its interactions with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and... (Review)
Review
Nicotine is the predominant addictive compound of tobacco and causes the acquisition of dependence through its interactions with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and various neurotransmitter releases in the central nervous system. The Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) play a pivotal role in synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. CaMKII is involved in long-term potentiation induction, which underlies the consolidation of learning and memory; however, the roles of CaMKII in nicotine and other psychostimulant-induced addiction still require further investigation. This article reviews the molecular mechanisms and crucial roles of CaMKII and ERK in nicotine and other stimulant drug-induced addiction. We also discuss dopamine (DA) receptor signaling involved in nicotine-induced addiction in the brain reward circuitry. In the last section, we introduce the association of polyunsaturated fatty acids and cellular chaperones of fatty acid-binding protein 3 in the context of nicotine-induced addiction in the mouse nucleus accumbens and provide a novel target for the treatment of drug abuse affecting dopaminergic systems.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; Disease Susceptibility; Dopamine; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Fatty Acid Binding Protein 3; Fatty Acids; Humans; Nicotine; Signal Transduction; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 33804804
DOI: 10.3390/ijms22063189 -
JAMA Network Open May 2023Cannabis use is increasingly viewed by adolescents as not harmful. Youths with cannabis use disorder (CUD) are recognized by clinicians as being at risk for adverse...
IMPORTANCE
Cannabis use is increasingly viewed by adolescents as not harmful. Youths with cannabis use disorder (CUD) are recognized by clinicians as being at risk for adverse outcomes, yet little is known about the associations between subclinical cannabis use (ie, nondisordered cannabis use [NDCU]) and adverse psychosocial events.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence and demographics of NDCU and to compare associations of cannabis use with adverse psychosocial events among adolescents with no cannabis use, NDCU, and CUD.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This cross-sectional study used a nationally representative sample derived from the 2015 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Participants were adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, separated into 3 distinct groups: nonuse (no recent cannabis use), NDCU (recent cannabis use below diagnostic threshold), and CUD. Analysis was conducted from January to May 2022.
EXPOSURES
CUD, NDCU, or cannabis nonuse. NDCU was defined as endorsing recent cannabis use but not meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (DSM-5) CUD criteria. CUD was defined using DSM-5 criteria.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The main outcomes were prevalence of adolescents meeting criteria for NDCU and associations between adverse psychosocial events and NDCU, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics.
RESULTS
The 68 263 respondents (mean [SD] age, 14.5 [1.7] years; 34 773 [50.9%] males) included in the analysis represented an estimated yearly mean of 25 million US adolescents during 2015 to 2019. Among respondents, 1675 adolescents (2.5%) had CUD, 6971 adolescents (10.2%) had NDCU, and 59 617 adolescents (87.3%) reported nonuse. Compared with nonusers, individuals with NDCU had approximately 2 to 4 times greater odds of all adverse psychosocial events examined, including major depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.86; 95% CI, 1.67-2.08), suicidal ideation (aOR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.88-2.29), slower thoughts (aOR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.58-1.96), difficulty concentrating (aOR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.65-2.00), truancy (aOR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.67-2.16), low grade point average (aOR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.62-2.00), arrest (aOR, 4.15; 95% CI, 3.17-5.43), fighting (aOR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.80-2.31), and aggression (aOR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.79-2.62). Prevalence of adverse psychosocial events was greatest for adolescents with CUD (range, 12.6% to 41.9%), followed by NDCU (range, 5.2% to 30.4%), then nonuse (range, 0.8% to 17.3%).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this cross-sectional study of US adolescents, past-year NDCU was approximately 4 times as prevalent as past-year CUD. A stepwise gradient association was observed for odds of adverse psychosocial events between adolescent NDCU and CUD. In the context of US normalization of cannabis use, prospective research into NDCU is necessary.
Topics: Male; Humans; Adolescent; Female; Marijuana Abuse; Cannabis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Prospective Studies; Substance-Related Disorders; Depressive Disorder, Major
PubMed: 37133862
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.11294 -
Neurologic Clinics Nov 2020Substance use disorders-and their associated neurologic complications-are frequently encountered by neurologists as well as emergency room physicians, internists,... (Review)
Review
Substance use disorders-and their associated neurologic complications-are frequently encountered by neurologists as well as emergency room physicians, internists, psychiatrists, and medical intensivists. Prominent neurologic sequelae of drug abuse, such as seizure and stroke, are common and often result in patients receiving medical attention. However, less overt neurologic manifestations, such as dysautonomia and perceptual disturbances, may be initially misattributed to primary medical or psychiatric illness, respectively. This article focuses on the epidemiology, pharmacology, and complications associated with commonly used recreational drugs, including opioids, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogens.
Topics: Humans; Illicit Drugs; Neurotoxicity Syndromes; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 33040873
DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2020.08.005 -
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior Jan 2020Addiction to drug and alcohol is regarded as a major health problem worldwide for which available treatments show limited effectiveness. The biggest challenge remains to... (Review)
Review
Addiction to drug and alcohol is regarded as a major health problem worldwide for which available treatments show limited effectiveness. The biggest challenge remains to enhance the capacities of interventions to reduce craving, prevent relapse and promote long-term recovery. New strategies to meet these challenges are being explored. Findings from preclinical work suggest that environmental enrichment (EE) holds therapeutic potential for the treatment of substance use disorders, as demonstrated in a number of animal models of drug abuse. The EE intervention introduced after drug exposure leads to attenuation of compulsive drug taking, attenuation of the rewarding (and reinforcing) effects of drugs, reductions in control of behavior by drug cues, and, very importantly, relapse prevention. Clinical work also suggests that multidimensional EE interventions (involving physical activity, social interaction, vocational training, recreational and community involvement) might produce similar therapeutic effects, if implemented continuously and rigorously. In this review we survey preclinical and clinical studies assessing the efficacy of EE as a behavioral intervention for substance use disorders and address related challenges. We also review work providing empirical evidence for EE-induced neuroplasticity within the mesocorticolimbic system that is believed to contribute to the seemingly therapeutic effects of EE on drug and alcohol-related behaviors.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Conditioning, Psychological; Environment; Exercise; Humans; Recurrence; Substance-Related Disorders; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 31778722
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2019.172829 -
Neuropharmacology Sep 2021Highly palatable foods and substance of abuse have intersecting neurobiological, metabolic and behavioral effects relevant for understanding vulnerability to conditions... (Review)
Review
Highly palatable foods and substance of abuse have intersecting neurobiological, metabolic and behavioral effects relevant for understanding vulnerability to conditions related to food (e.g., obesity, binge eating disorder) and drug (e.g., substance use disorder) misuse. Here, we review data from animal models, clinical populations and epidemiological evidence in behavioral, genetic, pathophysiologic and therapeutic domains. Results suggest that consumption of highly palatable food and drugs of abuse both impact and conversely are regulated by metabolic hormones and metabolic status. Palatable foods high in fat and/or sugar can elicit adaptation in brain reward and withdrawal circuitry akin to substances of abuse. Intake of or withdrawal from palatable food can impact behavioral sensitivity to drugs of abuse and vice versa. A robust literature suggests common substrates and roles for negative reinforcement, negative affect, negative urgency, and impulse control deficits, with both highly palatable foods and substances of abuse. Candidate genetic risk loci shared by obesity and alcohol use disorders have been identified in molecules classically associated with both metabolic and motivational functions. Finally, certain drugs may have overlapping therapeutic potential to treat obesity, diabetes, binge-related eating disorders and substance use disorders. Taken together, data are consistent with the hypotheses that compulsive food and substance use share overlapping, interacting substrates at neurobiological and metabolic levels and that motivated behavior associated with feeding or substance use might constitute vulnerability factors for one another. This article is part of the special issue on 'Vulnerabilities to Substance Abuse'.
Topics: Animals; Binge-Eating Disorder; Brain; Food Addiction; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humans; Obesity; Reinforcement, Psychology; Reward; Risk Factors; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 33862029
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108556