Primer: Physical Examination in Addiction Practice

Topics: Addiction | Medical Comorbidities | Prevention | Substance Use | Substance use disorders

Patients with substance use disorders (SUD) often have unaddressed medical issues. As addiction providers, we may be a patient’s only line of contact with health care personnel. Thus, keeping an eye out for medical problems could help reduce associated complications and even save a life. This article will take you through the sections of a basic physi

Screening and Prophylaxis of Infectious Diseases in Addiction Practice

Topics: Addiction | Addiction Treatment | Hepatitis | HIV | Medical Comorbidities | Prevention | Substance Use | Substance use disorders

CATR: Can you tell us about your background? Dr. Springer: I’m an infectious disease doctor who is addiction medicine board certified as well. My background clinically is treating HIV and infectious diseases, as well as opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). My research is about how to best integrate infectious disease and OUD trea

PrEP: Introduction to the Basics

Topics: Addiction | Addiction Treatment | HIV | Medical Comorbidities | Medication | Pharmacology | Prevention | Substance Use | Substance use disorders

Great strides have been made in HIV treatment and prevention during the last 2 decades, resulting in falling numbers of new HIV infections during that time span. But since 2013, the rate of new infections has mostly plateaued at just under 40,000 new infections per year (www.hiv.gov). Those at highest risk of infection remain men who have sex with men,

Perioperative Management of Patients on Buprenorphine Maintenance

Topics: Addiction | Addiction Treatment | Buprenorphine | Medical Comorbidities | Medication | Opioid epidemic | Opioid Use Disorder | Opioids | Pain | Pharmacology | Suboxone | Substance Use | Substance use disorders

CATR: Can you tell us about your background? Dr. Acampora: I used to work as a cardiac anesthesiologist. Later, my interest turned to addiction medicine, and I trained in psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. I currently work in a pain clinic where I helped develop a strategy for managing buprenorphine in the perioperative period. CATR: Where does th

Exposure Therapy Efficacious for PTSD Co-Occurring With Alcohol Use Disorder

Topics: Addiction | Addiction Treatment | Alcohol | Alcohol Use | Alcohol use disorder | Alcoholism | Co-occurring disorders | Dual diagnosis | Prolonged exposure | Psychotherapy | PTSD | Research | Research Update | Substance Use | Substance use disorders

Review of: Norman SB et al, Efficacy 2019;76(8):791–799 Patients with co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) have worse outcomes compared to patients with either diagnosis alone. Integrated approaches, in which both diagnoses are simultaneously addressed, are viewed as best practice. Providers, however, are

Varenicline and Bupropion: Soaring Again With EAGLES?

Topics: Addiction | Addiction Treatment | Bupropion | Chantix | Co-occurring disorders | Dual diagnosis | FDA Warnings | Medication | Pharmacology | Research | Research Update | Side Effects | Smoking Cessation | Smoking Cessation Agents | Substance Use | Substance use disorders | Suicidality | Suicide | Tobacco | Varenicline | Wellbutrin

Review of: Anthenelli RM et al, Lancet 2016;387(10037):2507–2520 Varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban and others) are effective treatments for tobacco use disorder, but their use (and sales) took a big hit in 2009 when the FDA slapped both with black box warnings linking them to psychiatric complications, including suicidal ideation. Although

The COMBINE Study: A Core Paper in the Treatment of AUD

Topics: Acamprosate | Addiction | Addiction Treatment | Alcohol | Alcohol Use | Alcohol use disorder | Alcoholism | Medication | Naltrexone | Pharmacology | Psychotherapy | Research | Research Update | Substance Use | Substance use disorders | Therapy during medication appointment | Therapy with Med Management

Review of: Anton RF et al, JAMA 2006;295(17):2003–2017 Conducted from 2001 to 2004 and published in 2006, the COMBINE study was the largest pharmacotherapy study that assessed the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Although there were significant data on the use of naltrexone and acamprosate (both had been FDA approved), widespread use had no

The Continuing Challenge of Designer Drugs

Topics: Addiction | designer drugs | Novel drug | Substance Use

CATR: Please tell us about your background. Dr. Huestis: I’ve worn lots of hats over my career as a clinical chemist, toxicologist, and forensic toxicologist. I was at the National Institutes of Health for more than 23 years, where I had the pleasure of leading the Chemistry and Drug Metabolism Section, and for the last five years I’ve been running

Switching from Buprenorphine to Extended-Release Naltrexone: Does it Work?

Topics: Buprenorphine | Naltrexone | Opioids | Research Update | Substance Use

Review of: Solli KK et al, Addiction 2018;113(10):1840-1849 Extended-release naltrexone (Vivitrol) has had some good data, yet getting patients on it remains a challenge, because an opioid-free period is required before starting it. Understandably, practitioners get nervous when patients stabilized on buprenorphine ask to be transitioned to extended-