Articles related to ADDICTION/SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Many drugs of abuse increase orexin production in both animal and human brains. Blocking the orexin system reverses addiction in animals. Orexin levels normally cycle in a circadian rhythm, with additional activation when under stress. Opioids, cocaine, alcohol, and other substances activate the cells that produce orexin, but don’t deactivate them. They stay on constantly, producing high levels of orexin that drive the desire for another hit. Anti-orexin insomnia medications might be of benefit in treating addiction.

This overview and discussion highlights the learnings gleaned during practice in a ketamine service unit. Discussion points include treatment considerations for the two entities, switching from IV to intranasal, and a collection of pearls.

Part 1—Pain Management Fundamentals Following completion of this activity (1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, 1.0 AANP credit, 1.0 ACPE credit, 1.0 ANCC credit), the participant should be able to: Explain the importance of comprehensive pain education Outline the fundamental concepts of pain management, such as pain definitions and pain mechanisms. Examine patients who are in pain, including identifying risk factors for substance abuse and addiction. Discuss the various pain-management approaches, including nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic (non-opioid and opioid analgesic) therapies.

Prior research has revealed a potential link between damage to specific parts of the brain and repetitive addictive behaviors. In this report, with findings published in Nature Medicine, the investigators found that lesions that disrupted smoking and alcohol addiction behaviors occurred in many different brain locations and were characterized by a specific pattern of brain connectivity.

The problem with many of the findings of cirrhosis is you have to specifically look for them or you will miss them. Here’s a tip for helping you not miss them.

Gabapentin has been increasingly used as part of a multimodal analgesia regimen to reduce opioid use in perioperative pain management. In this cohort study of 237,872 adults aged 65 years or older, perioperative gabapentin users had significantly increased risk of delirium, new antipsychotic use, and pneumonia compared with nonusers after major surgery.