Lidia Z. Meshesha

Buprenorphine Treatment for Hospitalized, Opioid-Dependent Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE Buprenorphine opioid agonist treatment (OAT) has established efficacy for treating opioid dependency among persons seeking addiction treatment. However, effectiveness for out-of-treatment, hospitalized patients is not known. OBJECTIVE To determine whether buprenorphine administration during medical hospitalization and linkage to office-based buprenorphine OAT after discharge increase entry into office-based OAT, increase sustained engagement in OAT, and decrease illicit opioid use at 6 months after hospitalization. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS From August 1, 2009, through October 31, 2012, a total of 663 hospitalized, opioid-dependent patients in a general medical hospital were identified. Of these, 369 did not meet eligibility criteria. A total of 145 eligible patients consented to participation in the randomized clinical trial. Of these, 139 completed the baseline interview and were assigned to the detoxification (n = 67) or linkage (n = 72) group. INTERVENTIONS Five-day buprenorphine detoxification protocol or buprenorphine induction, intrahospital dose stabilization, and postdischarge transition to maintenance buprenorphine OAT affiliated with the hospitals primary care clinic (linkage). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Entry and sustained engagement with buprenorphine OAT at 1, 3, and 6 months (medical record verified) and prior 30-day use of illicit opioids (self-report). RESULTS During follow-up, linkage participants were more likely to enter buprenorphine OAT than those in the detoxification group (52 [72.2%] vs 8 [11.9%], P < .001). At 6 months, 12 linkage participants (16.7%) and 2 detoxification participants (3.0%) were receiving buprenorphine OAT (P = .007). Compared with those in the detoxification group, participants randomized to the linkage group reported less illicit opioid use in the 30 days before the 6-month interview (incidence rate ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.46-0.73; P < .01) in an intent-to-treat analysis. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Compared with an inpatient detoxification protocol, initiation of and linkage to buprenorphine treatment is an effective means for engaging medically hospitalized patients who are not seeking addiction treatment and reduces illicit opioid use 6 months after hospitalization. However, maintaining engagement in treatment remains a challenge. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00987961.

Alcohol craving and demand mediate the relation between posttraumatic stress symptoms and alcohol-related consequences.

Posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms are associated with alcohol-related consequences, but there is a need to understand mediators that may help explain the reasons for this relationship. Individuals with PTS may experience elevated craving and alcohol reward value (demand), which may contribute to risk for alcohol-related consequences. We examined relationships between PTS status, craving, alcohol demand, and alcohol-related consequences in PTS-positive (n = 64) and PTS-negative (n = 200) college students (M age = 21.7; 77% women; 54% Caucasian; 34% African American) who endorsed past-month alcohol use. We tested craving and alcohol demand as mediators of the relation between PTS status and alcohol-related consequences. Craving (B = .04, SE = .02, 95% CI [.01, .10]), demand intensity (B = .02, SE = .02, 95% CI [.001, .07]), and demand elasticity (B = .05, SE = .03, 95% CI [.006, .12]) significantly mediated the association between PTS symptoms and alcohol-related consequences. Craving remained a significant mediator in a multiple mediators model (B = .08, SE = .04, 95% CI [.03, .19]). Craving and alcohol demand may partially explain the relation between PTS status and alcohol-related consequences. Craving may be especially salient for individuals with PTS symptoms, as it may lead to more severe alcohol-related consequences even in the absence of elevated alcohol consumption.

Polysubstance use is associated with deficits in substance-free reinforcement in college students.

OBJECTIVE Diminished availability of substance-free reinforcement is a behavioral economic risk factor for dependence. The goal of this study was to determine the incremental effects of increasing levels of substance use (heavy drinking [HD], heavy drinking and marijuana use [HD + MJ], and polysubstance use) on levels of reinforcement related to substance-free activities and related constructs among college students. METHOD Participants were 205 college students (53% female; 65% White, 26% African American; Mage = 19.5 years) who reported at least one heavy drinking episode (five/four or more drinks on one occasion for a man/woman) in the past month. Participants reported on past-month illicit drug use and substance-free activity reinforcement, time allocation, and depression. RESULTS A series of analyses of covariance indicated that heavy drinking, marijuana use, and other illicit drug (polysubstance) use was associated with lower total and peer-related substance-free reinforcement; less time spent exercising, studying or completing homework, and participating in extracurricular activities; and greater depression compared with HD alone. Polysubstance use was also associated with lower peer-related substance-free reinforcement compared with HD + MJ. Furthermore, those who engaged in HD + MJ use allocated less time to exercise and studying/homework compared with HD-alone participants. CONCLUSIONS Illicit drug use is associated with incremental deficits in substance-free reinforcement above and beyond heavy drinking. In particular, students who use illicit drugs other than marijuana may be at high risk and require intervention approaches that explicitly increase engagement in developmentally important substance-free activities such as academics.

Days of heroin use predict poor self-reported health in hospitalized heroin users ☆

This study examined associations between substance use behaviors and self-reported health among hospitalized heroin users. Of the 112 participants, 53 (47%) reported good or better health. In multivariable logistic regression models, each day of heroin use in the last month was associated with an 8% lower odds of reporting health as good or better (OR=.92; 95% CI 0.87, 0.97, p<.05). Cocaine, cannabis, cigarettes, alcohol use, unintentional overdose, nor injection drug use was associated with health status.

A behavioral economic analysis of marijuana and other drug use among heavy drinking young adults.

Behavioral economic models predict that deficits in substance-free reward and future time orientation are associated with greater drug involvement, but this hypothesis has not been systematically investigated among young adult heavy drinkers. This study evaluated the association between drug use levels (heavy drinking [HD] only, HD + marijuana use, and HD + polysubstance use) and substance-free activity engagement, future orientation, and reward deprivation (comprised of reward experience and environmental suppressors of reward) among heavy drinkers. Participants were 358 college students who reported two or more past-month heavy drinking episodes (5/4 or more drinks in one occasion for a man/woman). The sample was 60% women, 79% Caucasian, and the average age was 18.76 (SD = 1.07) years. Participants completed measures of alcohol and drug use, weekly time allocation to various activities, future time orientation, and reward deprivation. Overall, any drug use was associated with less time spent engaged in academics and exercise, and lower future time orientation compared to HD only. Any drug use was associated with reward deprivation and HD + polysubstance use was associated with lower reward experience and environmental suppressors. Drug use among heavy drinkers is associated with lower academic engagement and exercise, future orientation, and reward deprivation. These results provide support for behavioral economic models of drug abuse and suggest that prevention approaches should attempt to increase future orientation and availability of drug-free reward.

Depressive symptoms as predictors of alcohol problem domains and reinforcement among heavy drinking college students.

Heavy drinking among college students in the United States is common and results in a wide range of problems. Symptoms of depression are also common among college students and may exacerbate problems associated with heavy drinking, but to date most studies have been cross sectional and relied on an aggregate measure of alcohol problems. Further, depressive symptoms may also predict other elements of risk among heavy drinkers, including greater experience of substance-related reinforcement, and diminished experience of substance-free reinforcement. The current study examines depressive symptoms as a prospective predictor of changes in alcohol problem domains and reward variables in a sample of heavy drinking college students. Heavy drinking college students (N = 138) completed a survey assessing depressive symptoms, alcohol problems, and reinforcement at baseline and after a 12-month follow-up period. Multiple regressions examined the utility of depressive symptoms (DASS-21) in predicting alcohol problems, substance-related reinforcement, and substance-free reinforcement at the 12-month follow-up after controlling for baseline drinking level and the baseline level of the relevant outcome variable. Baseline depressive symptoms predicted 12-month alcohol problems related to impaired control (i.e., drinking more than planned), self-perception, and self-care. Depressive symptoms also predicted lower 12-month substance-free, but not substance-related, reinforcement. Finally, change in depressive symptoms was associated with total alcohol problems, impaired control, self-perception, self-care, academic/occupational, and physiological dependence problems at 12-month follow-up. Heavy drinkers with depressive symptoms may benefit from interventions targeting alcohol problems that also increase access to and engagement in rewarding alternative activities.

Alcohol family history moderates the association between evening substance-free reinforcement and alcohol problems.

Behavioral economic theories of substance abuse posit that deficits in substance-free reward increase risk for substance misuse, but little research has examined potential moderators of this relationship, including dispositional risk factors. Here, we tested the hypothesis that young adult heavy drinkers with family histories of alcohol misuse would show a stronger association specifically between low evening substance-free reinforcement and alcohol problems compared to those without a family history of alcohol misuse. Participants were 317 college students reporting heavy episodic drinking (Mage = 18.8, SD = 1.1, 61% female, 79% White) who completed a questionnaire about engagement and enjoyment in rewarding activities not involving substance use after 7 p.m., along with measures of personal and parental alcohol use/problems. Evening substance-free reinforcement was negatively associated with typical drinking level for women, but not for men. Family history status did not show a significant association with typical alcohol consumption or evening substance-free reinforcement (operationalized as activity participation × enjoyment), but did show a significant association with alcohol problems. Evening substance-free reinforcement was significantly negatively related to alcohol problems for both men and women. However, the presence of a family history of alcohol misuse moderated this relationship, such that only individuals with familial risk for alcohol misuse who reported lower evening substance-free reinforcement evidenced greater alcohol-related problems. These findings suggest that lower evening substance-free reinforcement is associated with alcohol misuse among young adults, and that this association is exacerbated among individuals with familial risk for developing alcohol problems.