The effect of incidental ethanol exposures on the formation of blood phosphatidylethanol.

Blood phosphatidylethanol (PEth), a metabolite of ethanol, is emerging as a direct biomarker of choice for characterizing ethanol consumption in clinical, research, and forensic contexts. An accumulating body of evidence, and a recent international consensus conference, supports a cutoff of 20 μg/L of PEth (16:0/18:1) to distinguish abstinence from beverage ethanol consumption. There is a dearth of research, however, on whether exposures to nonbeverage ethanol sources are sufficient to produce PEth concentrations that exceed this cutoff.

Association between Opioid-Benzodiazepine Trajectories and Injurious Fall Risk among US Medicare Beneficiaries.

Concurrent opioid (OPI) and benzodiazepine (BZD) use may exacerbate injurious fall risk (e.g., falls and fractures) compared to no use or use alone.

Urine and hair drug test results associated with daily consumption of codeine-predominant poppy seed food products.

This study examined the urine and hair opiate profiles associated with the daily consumption of presumptive codeine-predominant poppy seed food products. Ten participants consumed one of five food products at breakfast for 10 consecutive days. Baseline urine and hair samples were collected on Day 1.

Poppy Seed Consumption May Be Associated with Codeine-Only Urine Drug Test Results.

Consumption of poppy seed-containing food products can result in opiate-positive urine drug test results and may pose challenges in distinguishing poppy seed consumption from opiate administration. In this context, guidance has suggested that codeine concentrations exceeding 300 ng/mL coupled with morphine-to-codeine ratios <2 are indicative of codeine consumption and, therefore, exclude poppy seed consumption as a legitimate explanation for the test result. In recent years, we performed independent medical examinations of three individuals who produced codeine-positive/morphine-negative (300 ng/mL) forensic urine drug test results but denied codeine administration, attributing their test results to the consumption of specific poppy seed-containing food products.

Dosing profiles of concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use associated with overdose risk among US Medicare beneficiaries: group-based multi-trajectory models.

Background And Aims: One-third of opioid (OPI) overdose deaths involve concurrent benzodiazepine (BZD) use. Little is known about concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use (OPI-BZD) most associated with overdose risk. We aimed to examine associations between OPI-BZD dose and duration trajectories, and subsequent OPI or BZD overdose in US Medicare.

Utilization Patterns of Skeletal Muscle Relaxants Among Commercially Insured Adults in the United States from 2006 to 2018.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and duration of skeletal muscle relaxant (SMR) treatment among commercially insured adults in the United States.

Methods: We used the MarketScan Research Database to identify a cohort of adults 18 to 64 years who had ≥2-year continuous enrollment between 2005 and 2018. We estimated the prevalence of SMR treatment using a repeated cross-sectional design and derived treatment duration using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Association Between Dual Trajectories of Opioid and Gabapentinoid Use and Healthcare Expenditures Among US Medicare Beneficiaries.

Objectives: Little is known about relationships between opioid- and gabapentinoid-use patterns and healthcare expenditures that may be affected by pain management and risk of adverse outcomes. This study examined the association between patients' opioid and gabapentinoid prescription filling/refilling trajectories and direct medical expenditures in US Medicare.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included a 5% national sample (2011-2016) of fee-for-service beneficiaries with fibromyalgia, low back pain, neuropathy, or osteoarthritis newly initiating opioids or gabapentinoids.

Blood Phosphatidylethanol Concentrations Following Regular Exposure to an Alcohol-Based Mouthwash.

Direct biomarkers of ethanol are used to monitor individuals who are required to abstain from ethanol consumption. In recent years, blood phosphatidylethanol (PEth) has gained acceptance in clinical and forensic contexts as an abstinence marker. Its elimination half-life of several days provides a window of detection of days to weeks.

Dual-trajectories of opioid and gabapentinoid use and risk of subsequent drug overdose among Medicare beneficiaries in the United States: a retrospective cohort study.

Background And Aims: Little is known about opioid and gabapentinoid (OPI-GABA) use duration and dose patterns' associations with adverse outcome risks. We examined associations between OPI-GABA dose and duration trajectories and subsequent drug overdose.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

The roles of phosphatidylethanol, ethyl glucuronide, and ethyl sulfate in identifying alcohol consumption among participants in professionals health programs.

Direct alcohol biomarkers, including urinary ethyl glucuronide (EtG), urinary ethyl sulfate (EtS), and blood phosphatidylethanol (PEth), are used to monitor alcohol abstinence in individuals who are mandated to abstain. In this consecutive case series study, we examined 1000 forensic reports of participants enrolled in a professionals health program who were contractually obligated to abstain from alcohol and who underwent recovery status evaluations. We identified 52 evaluations in which urinary EtG, EtS, and blood PEth were measured and which produced a positive result for at least one of these analytes.

Persistent Urinary Ethyl Sulfate in the Absence of Urinary Ethyl Glucuronide in a Patient with Alcohol Use Disorder Who Claimed Abstinence.

A 48-year-old nurse with an alcohol use disorder history was being monitored in a professional health program. She consistently produced low-to-moderate urinary ethyl sulfate (EtS) concentrations in the absence of detectable urinary ethyl glucuronide (EtG), blood phosphatidylethanol and breath alcohol. She denied intentional ethanol consumption.

Risk of Opioid Overdose Associated With Concomitant Use of Opioids and Skeletal Muscle Relaxants: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

The recent opioid prescribing guideline cautions about the concomitant prescribing of opioids and skeletal muscle relaxants (SMRs) given the additive central nervous system depressant effect. However, the clinical relevance remains unclear. In this retrospective cohort study, we compared the risk of opioid overdose associated with concomitant use of opioids and SMRs vs.

Overlapping prescriptions of opioids, benzodiazepines, and carisoprodol: "Holy Trinity" prescribing in the state of Florida.

Background: High-risk combinations of controlled medications, such as those involving opioid analgesics, are under increased scrutiny because of their contribution to the opioid epidemic in the United States. Responsible prescribing guidelines indicate that the triple drug combination--opioids, benzodiazepines and skeletal muscle relaxants, especially carisoprodol--should not be concurrently prescribed.

Methods: This pharmacoepidemiologic study was designed to primarily examine the characteristics of patients receiving this triple combination compared to the group receiving only opioids and benzodiazepines.

Impact of Schedule IV controlled substance classification on carisoprodol utilization in the United States: An interrupted time series analysis.

Background: In January 2012, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) classified carisoprodol as a Schedule IV controlled substance at the US federal level. We aimed to examine the effect of this policy on the use of carisoprodol in a commercially-insured population.

Methods: This interrupted time series study included individuals with musculoskeletal disorders in the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database between December 2009 and February 2014.

Trends in Florida's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program registration and utilization: Implications for increasing voluntary use.

Objective: Effective use of state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) to track controlled substance prescribing and dispensing may help mitigate the current opioid crisis. Our objective was to examine trends in registration for and use of Florida's PDMP by physicians and pharmacists, from 2013 to 2016. We discuss implications for PDMP uptake and policy.

Opioid Use Disorders, Medication-Assisted Treatment, and the Role of the Laboratory.

Urine drug testing is an essential component in the evaluation and management of individuals with opioid use disorders, including those on buprenorphine or methadone maintenance therapies. Notwithstanding its centrality in adherence monitoring, studies have shown that clinicians have important knowledge deficiencies regarding the ordering and interpretation of drug tests. In this review, we discuss the scope and frequency of testing, the advantages and disadvantages of immunoassay- (presumptive) and liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry- (definitive) based techniques, indications for definitive testing, medical necessity, and other considerations.

The Elusive Standard of Care.

In medical negligence cases, the forensic expert must explain to a trier of fact what a defendant physician should have done, or not done, in a specific set of circumstances and whether the physician's conduct constitutes a breach of duty. The parameters of the duty are delineated by the standard of care. Many facets of the standard of care have been well explored in the literature, but gaps remain in a complete understanding of this concept.

Predictive Value of Positive Drug Screening Results in an Urban Outpatient Population.

Urine drug testing (UDT) has become an essential component in the management of patients prescribed opioid analgesics for the treatment of chronic non-malignant pain. Several laboratory methods are available to monitor adherence with the pharmacological regimen and abstinence from illicit or unauthorized medications. Immunochemical screening methods are rapid and economical, but they have limitations, including lack of specificity, and confirmatory methods are often necessary to verify presumptive positive results.

Acute Pain Medicine in the United States: A Status Report.

Background: Consensus indicates that a comprehensive,multimodal, holistic approach is foundational to the practice of acute pain medicine (APM),but lack of uniform, evidence-based clinical pathways leads to undesirable variability throughout U. S. healthcare systems.

The Disposition of Oxycodone and Metabolite in Human Hair.

The disposition of oxycodone (OC) and metabolites in hair remains poorly characterized. We present a case involving a pharmacist in an impaired professionals' monitoring program in whom hair testing yielded OC on two occasions. On both occasions, his hair was negative for the oxymorphone (OM) metabolite at the cutoff concentration of 100 pg/mg.

Choosing the right laboratory: a review of clinical and forensic toxicology services for urine drug testing in pain management.

Urine drug testing (UDT) services are provided by a variety of clinical, forensic, and reference/specialty laboratories. These UDT services differ based on the principal activity of the laboratory. Clinical laboratories provide testing primarily focused on medical care (eg, emergency care, inpatients, and outpatient clinics), whereas forensic laboratories perform toxicology tests related to postmortem and criminal investigations, and drug-free workplace programs.