11 papers this month, including an announcement that naloxone is now over-the-counter in Australia. 1) Factors associated with knowledge of a Good Samaritan Law among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically. Evans TI, Hadland SE, Clark MA, Green TC, Marshall BD. Harm Reduct J. 2016 Jul 26;13(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s12954-016-0113-2. Comments: Less than half knewRead More
PubMed Update June 2016
Summer holiday. A mere 10 articles this month! 1) Community pharmacist knowledge, attitudes and confidence regarding naloxone for overdosereversal. Nielsen S, Menon N, Larney S, Farrell M, Degenhardt L. Addiction. 2016 Jul 1. doi: 10.1111/add.13517. [Epub ahead of print] Comment: Most pharmacists in Australia would provide naloxone, but a minority feel comfortable selecting patients and educating about naloxoneRead More
PubMed Update May 2016
19 this month. Enjoy! 1) Methadone-Related Overdose Deaths in a Liberal Opioid Maintenance Treatment Programme. Tjagvad C, Skurtveit S, Linnet K, Andersen LV, Christoffersen DJ, Clausen T. Eur Addict Res. 2016 Jun 1;22(5):249-258. [Epub ahead of print] Comments: Patients on very high doses of methadone or also using benzodiazepines were at higher risk of death.Read More
PubMed Update April 2016
23 for this month! Lots of interesting stuff, from large-scale epidemiology to randomized controlled trials. 1) Pharmacokinetic Properties and Human Use Characteristics of an FDA Approved IntranasalNaloxone Product for the Treatment of Opioid Overdose. Krieter P, Chiang N, Gyaw S, Skolnick P, Crystal R, Keegan F, Aker J, Beck M, Harris J. J Clin Pharmacol. 2016 MayRead More
PubMed Update March 2016
23 this month. 1) Are take-home naloxone programmes effective? Systematic review utilizing application of the Bradford Hill criteria. McDonald R, Strang J. Addiction. 2016 Mar 30. doi: 10.1111/add.13326. [Epub ahead of print] Review. Comments: Take-home naloxone meets all Bradford Hill criteria for causality in reducing opioid overdose mortality. Incidence of fatality among overdoses in the setting ofRead More
PubMed Update February 2016
Ten articles for February 2016. 1) As opioid overdose deaths reach record highs, call for systematic changes grows louder. [No authors listed] ED Manag. 2016 Feb;28(2):13-9. Comments: Review of the new CDC opioid prescribing guidelines. 2) Australia reschedules naloxone for opioid overdose. Lenton SR, Dietze PM, Jauncey M. Med J Aust. 2016 Mar 7;204(4):146-7. No abstract available. Comments: Naloxone canRead More
PubMed Update November 2015 – January 2016
We have 35 articles for your viewing this time, with apologies for the delay in getting this out. Thanks to Traci Green for offering to help out and for reviewing this post. 1) Management of patients with issues related to opioid safety, efficacy and/or misuse: a case series from an integrated, interdisciplinary clinic. Becker WC, MerlinRead More
PubMed Update October 2015
28 in a month. 1) Clinical Presentation and the Outcome of Therapy in a Cohort of Patients with Methadone Toxicity in Iran. Eizadi-Mood N, Yaraghi A, Sharifian Z, Feizi A, Hedaiaty M, Sabzghabaee AM. Mater Sociomed. 2015 Aug;27(4):276-9. doi: 10.5455/msm.2015.27.276-279. Comments: Some interesting data on methadone toxicity in Iran. Length of stay was 33 hoursRead More
PubMed Update September 2015
Twelve this month. Enjoy! 1) Correlates of Opioid Use in Adults With Self-Reported Drug Use Recruited From Public Safety-Net Primary Care Clinics. Ries R, Krupski A, West II, Maynard C, Bumgardner K, Donovan D, Dunn C, Roy-Byrne P. J Addict Med. 2015 Oct;9(5):417-26. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000151. Comment: Can’t access the full article, but the abstract suggests a fascinatingRead More
PubMed Update August 2015
Sixteen in August. Back on schedule (thanks to jetlag). 1) Reducing Fatal Opioid Overdose: Prevention, Treatment and Harm Reduction Strategies. Hawk KF, Vaca FE, D’Onofrio G. Yale J Biol Med. 2015 Sep 3;88(3):235-245. eCollection 2015 Sep. Review. Comment: Can’t access full article. Appears to be a review of harm reduction strategies for opioid overdose prevention.Read More