A study funded by the NIH found that adults with opioid use disorder (OUD) who take higher doses of buprenorphine, an opioid addiction treatment medication, have a lower risk of emergency department or inpatient visits related to behavioral...
People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) often face social stigma, discrimination, and other challenges not encountered by people who identify as heterosexual. They also face a greater risk of...
More than 85% of people who give up an addictive drug begin using it again within a year. Relapse can occur following exposure to cues that are found in the environment which trigger the memory of their drug-taking experience. These cues...
Opioid use disorder is a chronic, relapsing disease and a global health burden. Treatment for OUD tends to involve a combination of medication and behavioural intervention. It is recognised that buprenorphine can alleviate opioid withdrawal...
There is a growing problem of misuse of prescription opioids, opioid addiction, and overdose. This highlights the crucial need for finding an addiction-free alternative medication that can be used to treat severe pain.
Researchers are...
Recent studies carried out by researchers from Vanderbilt University and Johns Hopkins University have examined characteristics linked with the heightened risk NAS.
The researchers found that boys are more likely to receive a diagnosis of...
The controversial subject of cannabis legalisation has led to the increased urgency in understanding the full health and social implications of the drug use. Cannabis use is particularly prevalent amongst adolescence - a period of time...
Individuals suffering from substance use disorders develop strong associations between the drug’s stimulating effect and environmental cues that act as reminders of the experience, which can lead to relapse.
A recent study has proposed a...
This articles discusses the central importance of studying drugs’ effects on neurotransmission and describes some of the most common experimental methods used in this research.
Drugs can alter the way people think, feel, and behave by...
A study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found an association with young people being exposed to adverts for electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and taking up smoking later in life.
The study followed 10 989...
A recent study carried out by a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health examined the use of mobile health technology in the United States’ health care system.
Published in the Journal of...
Researchers at the University of Michigan’s Centre for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health have been exploring the link between drug dependence, ongoing drug use, relapse and exposure to stress or experience of stressful events...
In the US, less than 10% of adults with co-occurring mental health problems and substance use disorders get treatment for both. 50% do not receive treatment for either.
This highlights the vast discrepancy between the prevalence of co...
Children and adolescents need more sleep than adults. A good night's sleep for those in their teens is considered to be 8.5 – 9.5 hours. Just over ¼ of US high school students get 8+ hours of sleep a night, according to the 2015 Youth Risk...
New research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found that university students who regularly consume energy drinks are more likely to develop alcohol use disorders later in life. The same students are also at greater...
Previous research has shown that females report more intense highs from cocaine use than do males, and that the former are more likely to become addicted to the drug, given the presence of the female hormone estradiol. However, little is...
Latest research suggests that the impairment of the lateral habenula (LB) – the region of the brain known to register negative experiences – can contribute to the development of drug addiction.
The study, conducted on laboratory rats by...
ABSTRACT
Social attitudes and cultural norms around the issue of substance abuse are shifting rapidly around the world, leading to complex and unpredictable consequences. On the positive side, efforts to more intensely disseminate the...
This misuse of prescription opioids is a major public health challenge. Buprenorphine-naloxone (bup-nx) is typically used to treat opioid use disorders. However, the drug’s clinical trial primarily involved heroin users. It was therefore...
