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Tag: withdrawal
04/24/2023

Cannabis Experts Weigh in On Benefits and Drawbacks of Marijuana Use

Article Excerpt: With medical cannabis coming to Kentucky in less than two years following bill passage earlier this month, the timing of the Substance Use Research Event (SURE) at the University of Kentucky felt appropriate. On Monday, scientists and medical experts from around the region converged on the Gatton Student Center for a full day of presentations and discussions about the benefits and drawbacks of marijuana use. Experts also used the time to dispel some possible myths about the drug… “We ran some studies and it turned out cannabis withdrawal looks like tobacco withdrawal, and a good percentage of these people who use a lot of cannabis end up with the same withdrawal symptoms,” said Dr. Alan Budney of Dartmouth College

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/ybsp7kp4

Article Source: NBC Lex18

01/23/2023

“I got a bunch of weed to help me through the withdrawals”: Naturalistic cannabis use reported in online opioid and opioid recovery community discussion forums

Meacham MC, Nobles AL, Tompkins DA, Thrul J (2022) “I got a bunch of weed to help me through the withdrawals”: Naturalistic cannabis use reported in online opioid and opioid recovery community discussion forums. PLoS ONE 17(2): e0263583. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263583

This study investigated cannabis-related posts in two online communities on the Reddit platform to compare naturalistic cannabis use by people actively using opioids versus people in recovery from opioid misuse. Researchers extracted all posts mentioning keywords related to cannabis from an opioid use subreddit and opioid recovery subreddit on Reddit from December 2015 to August 2019. Cannabis-related posts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis to identify the most frequently used phrases and then compared between the two subreddits. Cannabis-related posts were twice as prevalent in the recovery subreddit (N=908, 5% of posts) than the active opioid use subreddit (N=4224, 2.6% of posts). The most frequent phrases in the recovery subreddit referred to time without opioid use and using cannabis as treatment. The opioid use subreddit most frequently referred to concurrent use of cannabis and opioids. The primary reason for cannabis use among persons in recovery was to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms and among active opioid users to achieve the “high” in conjunction with opioids. This study of naturalistic cannabis use reported on an online community platform provides insight into the motivation behind cannabis use among people who actively or previously used opioids. Findings have implications for cannabis policy and its potential impact on opioid use in the context of unmet treatment needs for opioid use disorder. Future research is needed to understand the role of cannabis for treating opioid withdrawal symptoms.

01/17/2023

Clinical Trial to Test Wearable Device as Treatment for Chronic Pain, Opioid Withdrawal

Article Excerpt: A multi-year clinical trial at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) will examine the use of a wearable device thought to stimulate nerves near the ear to change signals in the brain as a treatment for chronic pain and opioid tapering. The trial, known as tANdem, is being funded by an $8.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and is designed to provide an understanding of the mechanistic, neurophysiological and antinociceptive effects of transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (tAN), which has been shown to reduce pain and the symptoms of withdrawal.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/4d266t22

Article Source: Investors Observer

11/14/2022

Dependence & Measurement w/ Dr. Alan Budney

Article Excerpt: Dr. Alan Budney joins Marcel and Erica on this episode of The CannaPod. Dr. Budney is a professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and serves as Director of the Treatment Development & Evaluation Core of Dartmouth’s Center for Technology and Behavioral Health.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2w77c57n

Article Source: CannaPod Podcast

10/16/2022

WSU Study Finds Smart Home Technology Could Help Those Recovering from Opioid Use Disorder

Article Excerpt: Disrupted sleep is a common complaint for people actively trying to quit highly addictive opioids. According to a release from WSU, methadone is effective at reducing cravings and withdrawal, but it is often prescribed once daily and adjusting for the proper dosage can take time. Before a patient and doctor can get the dosage right, treatments can wear off during the night, returning withdrawal symptoms and pain – which increases the risk of resuming drug use and accidental overdose. The study, published in the journal Pain Management Nursing, found home sensors matched other sleep monitoring methods 89% of the time.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/4x79bx6w

Article Source: Fox 28

04/30/2021

Houston Med-Tech Companies Partner on Wearable Device for Opioid Withdrawal

Article Excerpt: Houston-based Spark Biomedical has created a revolutionary wearable device that provides unprecedented levels of opioid withdrawal relief. The device known as the Sparrow Therapy System is worn over the ear for five to seven days and sends mild electrical signals to trigger cranial nerves that sit near the skin’s surface. Once activated, the nerves release endorphins that the body has stopped producing on its own during opioid use. The endorphins satisfy the opioid receptors and in turn reduce or prevent the intense symptoms that often come along with opioid withdrawal. According to Spark BioMed CEO Daniel Powell, the technology also helps patients better control their “flight or fight mechanisms,” allowing them to make clearer, more logical decisions as they come off of the drug.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/xw8k75s

Article Source: Innovation Map

04/27/2021

US Lifts Barriers to Prescribing Addiction Treatment Drug

Article Excerpt: The Biden administration is easing decades-old requirements that made it difficult for doctors to treat opioid addiction using medication. New guidelines announced Tuesday mean doctors and other health workers will no longer need extra hours of training to prescribe buprenorphine, a gold standard medicine that helps with cravings. And they no longer have to refer patients to counseling services.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/ya9c2zv7

Article Source: AP News

09/10/2019

Twitter Study Explores Nicotine Dependence in JUUL Users

Article Excerpt: As e-cigarette brand JUUL continues to climb in popularity among users of all ages, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers took a unique approach to analyzing its impact by using Twitter to investigate any mention of nicotine effects, symptoms of dependence and withdrawal in regards to JUUL use.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/yxtjkaj4

Article Source: Technology Networks.  Original story from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.