Addiction - Articles - Page 10

Smoking Cessation and Psychiatric Disorders

March 1, 2018

Over the last few decades, doctors have done a better job at convincing their patients to stop smoking. But much of this improvement has been relegated to patients without mental illness.

Warning Patients on the Dangers of Cannabis Use

March 1, 2018

Kevin M. Gray, MD

Kevin M. Gray, MD Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC Dr. Gray has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

A large focus of my career has been on doing National Institutes of Health–sponsored research into better understanding substance use disorders in young people. So, that would include adolescents and young adults.

Internet Gaming Disorder: A Primer

March 1, 2018

You’ve probably read about internet gaming disorder (IGD), and even heard about a man in Taiwan who died while continuously playing online games for 3 straight days. There’s still debate over how to classify and treat pathological gaming: Is it its own disorder, or just a symptom of another underlying mental illness?

Does Adolescent Vaping Lead to Cigarette Smoking?

March 1, 2018

Rehan Aziz, MD

Rehan Aziz, MD Dr. Aziz has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Considering them less lethal than traditional cigarettes, many adolescents are turning to electronic cigarettes as a “safer” alternative to tobacco products.

Does Moderate Alcohol Use Lead to Cognitive Decline?

March 1, 2018

Thomas Jordan, MD

Thomas Jordan, MD Dr. Jordan has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

It’s well established that long-term, heavy alcohol use can damage the brain and can cause problems such as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and alcohol-related dementia. But what about the vast majority of our patients, who drink moderately?

New Study Shows That Vivitrol Is Just as Effective as Suboxone…But Not Really

January 1, 2018

A recent study in The Lancet appears to conclude that Vivitrol (extended release naltrexone) and Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) are equally effective treatments for patients with opioid use disorders (Lee JD et al, The Lancet 2018;391(10118):309–318)—at least this is how the study has generally been reported.

Helping Patients With Stigma and Addiction

January 1, 2018

John F. Kelly, PhD

John F. Kelly, PhD Dr. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, Harvard Medical School. He is also founder and director of the Recovery Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Kelly has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Stigma is a condition that can be socially discrediting. When it comes to substance use disorders, internalized stigma can lead to feelings of shame. Often, people who suffer from addiction feel discriminated against. People also feel very bad about their behavior, and over time they get more disillusioned with themselves and their own ability to change.

Prescribing Gabapentin for Substance Use Disorders

January 1, 2018

Gabapentin (Neurontin) is a “novel anticonvulsant” and is FDA indicated for partial seizures and post-herpetic neuralgia. But the drug has long been heavily marketed to psychiatrists to treat a range of conditions from bipolar disorder to anxiety to alcohol withdrawal

Interventions for Treatment or Prevention of Alcohol Hangover: Systematic Review

January 1, 2018

Adam Strassberg, MD

Adam Strassberg, MD Dr. Strassberg has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

As clinicians, we’re more interested in preventing excessive drinking than curing hangovers. But it’s always nice to have some helpful advice for patients, which we found in a recently published literature review of clinical trials of hangover treatments.

Neurostimulation for Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms

January 1, 2018

Rehan Aziz, MD

Rehan Aziz, MD Dr. Aziz has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

A challenging barrier for patients with opioid use disorders is the discomfort that can occur during the “induction phase” of their treatment, which is the period between discontinuation of opioids and initiation of medication-assisted therapy (MAT).