Substance Use Disorder

In posters presented at the Heart Failure Society of America 2024 Annual Meeting, researchers assessed how substance use disorders impact cardiovascular outcomes.

Sara T. Thomason discuses the impact of stigma on pharmacists who are dealing with substance use disorder, the importance of mental health care, and how schools support pharmacy students dealing with addiction.

Investigators used electronic health record data to compare outcomes of semaglutide vs other antidiabetic medications.

Pharmacy professionals are at an increased risk of substance abuse due to many factors, but long-term recovery can be achieved with the help of specialized recovery networks.

Higher doses of buprenorphine may also be more effective against the increasing prevalence of fentanyl in the opioid crisis.

Independent pharmacists, health care providers, community leaders, and law enforcement must all work together to address the fentanyl epidemic.

Community pharmacies in counties with high racialized economic segregation had higher odds of restricting buprenorphine.

Nalmefene injection is an opioid receptor antagonist and comes in a single-dose, pre-filled auto-injector that delivers 1.5 mg of the medication per actuation.

The study’s mixed findings on telehealth for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment suggest a need for more individualized approaches to care.

A study found that cannabis use increased the risk of hospitalization and intensive care unit admission following a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Check out these top featured stories from Drug Topics in June 2024.

A posted presented at ASHP 2024 examined if improved access to methadone could decrease hospital length of stay and readmission rates.

As the opioid crisis and injection drug use continue, pharmacists can look to previous outbreaks to guide their responses to the HIV–injection drug use syndemic.

The new task force highlights a stronger government focus on curbing the risks of e-cigarettes for young people, especially after sustained calls for stricter action on the public health issue by lawmakers and the public.

Overdose deaths have decreased for the first time since 2018, but naloxone remains an important tool in fighting the opioid epidemic.

Research presented at ENDO 2024 found that environmental stress increased the likelihood of earlier alcohol, nicotine and cannabis use in females and traumatic events increased the likelihood in males.

According to a survey, 18.9% of respondents said that the person they knew who died of a drug overdose was a family member or close friend.

Check out these top featured stories from Drug Topics in May 2024.

Savannah Roberts Clary, PharmD, BCPS, CPGx, a clinical pharmacist with Aegis Sciences Corporation, discusses what tianeptine is and how pharmacists can help warn the public about its potential hazards.

Unregulated tianeptine, often referred to as “gas station heroin,” has led to serious adverse effects. But while health officials warn the public about its potential dangers, others are concerned stigmatization could ruin any future chance of the drugs medicinal use.

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The company’s version of the opioid overdose medication will be $10 cheaper than branded products and is set to be available in stores later this month.

Study results suggest a nationwide increase in the supply and availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl, with pills becoming more dominant across the ever-shifting US fentanyl market.

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With the mental health crisis worsening in the United States, recent research explores novel treatments and underlying causes.

For National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Drug Topics talked with Scott H. Silverman about how public health leaders can address the fentanyl crisis and the best ways to educate the public on the dangers of fentanyl use.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals said its generic naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray is now available in the US following FDA approval.

By addressing integration barriers associated with implementing tobacco cessation programs in the community pharmacy, community pharmacists can “significantly impact public health by increasing access to effective cessation support,” wrote investigators.

Patients in ED being treated for an opioid overdose were more likely to initiate medication for opioid use disorder after discharge when they received peer recovery support services.

The ongoing opioid crisis in the United States shows no signs of slowing down. As trusted community health care professionals, pharmacists must play a key role in fighting it.