The FDA recently approved a nasal spray formulation of naloxone. Called Kloxxado, each spray delivers 8mg, twice as much as the most widely used formulation, Narcan. Whether or not this higher dose is necessary, is debatable.

Psychotherapy has had a mixed track record of efficacy for substance use disorders. This meta-analysis suggests that CBT is only modestly effective when combined with medications and likely no better than any other form of therapy. Although it’s unlikely be a magic bullet, CBT is very low risk, and reasonable to offer alongside other more established treatments.

When is an optimal time to start buprenorphine in order to keep patients in treatment? In this retrospective study, researchers compared treatment retention as a function of whether or not buprenorphine was prescribed on the day of initial evaluation. Same day prescription trended non-significantly towards improved retention.

Cocaine use disorder is notoriously difficult to treat. The authors of this study asked, might cannabidiol be helpful in treating the cravings that prompt cocaine use? While this might seem like an unusual question at first, there is some supportive preclinical data that makes the premise plausible. Unfortunately, the results were negative in this small study.

As cannabis use becomes more widespread, treaters will inevitably see increases in patients reporting symptoms of cannabis withdrawal. Researchers in this study investigated whether a nicotine patch might help mitigate some of these symptoms. Results were not particularly promising, and should only be considered for patients who also use tobacco.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

By successfully completing the test you will be awarded a certificate for 2 CME credits.

We’re pleased to introduce Noah Capurso, MD, MHS as the new editor-in-chief of The Carlat Addiction Treatment Report. Dr. Capurso is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and practices clinically at the West Haven Veterans Administration Hospital.

There are no approved pharmacotherapies for stimulant use disorders. Lots of medications have been studied and the results have been mixed. Here we provide you with the latest data, and some treatment recommendations.

Dr. de la Cruz gives advice for working with patients with addiction to prescription and illicit stimulants. She provides concrete strategies for diagnosis, harm reduction, evidence-based treatments, and contingency management in this challenging patient population.