Assessing pain among people with OUD is challenging, because ongoing opioid use brings changes in pain responses and most pain assessment tools have not been validated for this population. In this narrative review, we discuss the fundamentals of pain assessment for populations with OUD. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This study evaluates the time course of pain and craving and objective experience of pain as a function of the last methadone dose. Preliminary findings highlight the potential for increased risks after even a short delay in receiving a methadone dose. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This study compares by occurrence-era and age-group how opioid-related deaths (ORDs) and their counterpart evolved in Scotland versus England and Wales during 2006-2020. Open access article - no login required.
This systematic review investigates behaviour change techniques in interventions promoting physical activity for young people aged 12–25 years at heightened risk of problematic substance use, and the effect of these techniques on physical activity participation and substance use outcomes.
A strong cooperative bond between the patient and provider (“therapeutic alliance”) is robustly associated with better alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment outcomes. Although digital treatments for AUD have significant potential, the function of the alliance during digital programs is unclear. We compared the validity of patient-reported measures of the alliance with a digital treatment (“digital alliance”) for AUD and the alliance with their clinician (“clinician alliance”). To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) improves treatment retention and reduces illicit opioid use. A-CHESS is an evidence-based smartphone intervention shown to improve addiction-related behaviors. The authors tested the efficacy of MOUD alone versus MOUD plus A-CHESS to determine whether the combination further improved outcomes. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The clear implication for practice from this research is that when it comes to retaining individuals in treatment, methadone has the edge over buprenorphine. However, time alone is not enough. It is just as important to consider client rather than clinician preference as to which they would like.
Effective pharmacologic treatments for comorbid alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are lacking. Kappa (κ) opioid receptor antagonists may address this unmet need. Buprenorphine is a κ-opioid antagonist and a partial agonist of mu (μ) opioid receptors, and naltrexone blocks all μ-mediated effects, thus, yielding a pharmacological net effect of a κ-opioid receptor antagonist. This combination was tested in this proof-of-concept study since no specific κ-opioid receptor antagonist was available. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Concerns regarding symptom severity and the risk of relapse among people seeking recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) have been raised since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Owing to preventive measures implemented during the pandemic (social distancing or lockdown), self-help group (SHG) meetings were restricted. However, the impact of deprivation of onsite recovery meetings on drinking behavior and risk among SHG members with AUD remains unclear. We aimed to identify the proportion of SHG members who reported drinking and their reasons for drinking during the early stages of the pandemic and to examine the effect of non-attendance at onsite recovery meetings on drinking behavior during the early pandemic period, stratified by gender. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.