Treatments and Treatment Predictors in Patients With Substance Use Disorders and Comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: First Results From the International Naturalistic Cohort Study of ADHD and SUD (INCAS).

Treatment of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in patients with a substance use disorder (SUD) and comorbid ADHD (SUD +ADHD) may have positive effects on the outcome of both conditions, but controversy exists regarding the preferred ADHD treatment in these patients. Little is known about the treatments that are provided for these patients in routine addiction care practice and the factors that are associated with treatment provision. To describe the treatments provided in everyday clinical practice and to explore factors associated with ADHD treatment provision in patients with SUD +ADHD.

Rare but relevant: Nitrous oxide and peripheral neurotoxicity, what do we know?

Nitrous oxide (NO), used medically as an anaesthetic, has gained popularity as a recreational drug, with rising prevalence particularly among young adults. While its reinforcing and addictive potential remains debated, NO is proven to be neurotoxic, especially with prolonged, heavy use, which is often unexpected for users. The neurotoxicological mechanism underlying NO-induced neurotoxicity involves inactivation of vitamin B (cobalamin), which disrupts methionine synthesis, essential for maintaining the myelin sheath.

Gender differences in the response to antipsychotics or mood stabilizers in patients with acute mania: An individual patient data meta-analysis of placebo-controlled studies.

Evidence suggests a worse clinical course in women compared to men with bipolar disorder. However, little research has explored gender differences in the efficacy of anti-manic medication. We sought to determine whether there are gender differences in efficacy of drug treatment in acute manic episodes of bipolar I disorder, and the influence of dichotomized age as a proxy for menopausal status and baseline severity on gender differences.

Challenges and support needs among persons with a migration background who use drugs in four European metropolitan cities.

Background: Persons who migrate for economic reasons, along with asylum seekers and refugees, face multiple personal experiences and societal inequalities that increase the risk of mental health problems and substance dependency, compounded by intersectional social and economic vulnerabilities. The precarious situation and limited access to care of persons with a migration background who use drugs (PMWUD) in Europe raises concern. Therefore, this qualitative study explores the challenges and support needs of a sample of PMWUD in vulnerable situations living in Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin and Paris.

Sodium oxybate: A comprehensive review of efficacy and safety in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome and alcohol dependence.

Alcohol dependence (AD) significantly impacts public health, affecting 3.4% of people aged 18-64 and contributing to around 12% of overall mortality. Individuals with AD have a markedly reduced life expectancy, dying up to 28 years earlier than the general population.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Dutch Version of the Substance Use Recovery Evaluator (SURE-NL).

Introduction: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are an important source of information that allow for a patient-centered assessment. Outcome measurement of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment traditionally focuses on drug use and deficits in functioning, overlooking other aspects of the personal and dynamic process of recovery. The substance use recovery evaluator (SURE) is a PROM developed with service user input to monitor the recovery journey and assess treatment outcomes in people with SUD.

Psychometric evaluation of the Dutch version of the patient-reported experience measure for addiction treatment (PREMAT-NL).

Introduction: Patient-centred care has become increasingly important in health care. Patient-reported experience measures (PREM) are used to measure patient experiences in health care, but the availability of psychometrically validated PREMs is limited. The Patient Reported Experience Measure in Addiction Treatment (PREMAT) is a PREM developed with extensive service user input to assess the experiences of people in residential addiction treatment services.

Treatment Seeking Nitrous Oxide Users in Addiction Care: A Comparison with Cocaine Users on Clinical and Treatment Characteristics.

Introduction: Over the past decade, frequent use of large quantities of nitrous oxide (N2O) has become more common in the Netherlands. Although N2O poses several negative health consequences for a subgroup of problematic N2O users, there is a lack of knowledge on what characterizes these intensive users. This study therefore aims to provide the demographic and substance use characteristics and experiences during treatment of treatment seeking problematic N2O users and to compare this with a matched group of treatment-seeking problematic cocaine users.

An International, Multidisciplinary Consensus Set of Patient-Centered Outcome Measures for Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders.

In 1990, the United States' Institute of Medicine promoted the principles of outcomes monitoring in the alcohol and other drugs treatment field to improve the evidence synthesis and quality of research. While various national outcome measures have been developed and employed, no global consensus on standard measurement has been agreed for addiction. It is thus timely to build an international consensus.

Cardiovascular Risks of Simultaneous Use of Alcohol and Cocaine-A Systematic Review.

: The simultaneous use of cocaine and alcohol is highly prevalent and is associated with high numbers of emergency department admissions, primarily due to cardiovascular complications. Aims: To answer the question of whether the co-use of cocaine and alcohol increases the cardiovascular risk compared to the use of cocaine alone. : A systematic review of human studies comparing the cardiovascular risk of co-used cocaine and alcohol with the use of cocaine alone.

Substitution therapy for patients with alcohol dependence: Mechanisms of action and efficacy.

New approaches for the treatment of alcohol dependence (AD) may improve patient outcomes. Substitution maintenance therapy is one of the most effective treatment options for opioid and nicotine use disorders. So far, there has been little attention to substitution therapy for the treatment of AD.

Explaining the high mortality among opioid-cocaine co-users compared to opioid-only users. A systematic review.

Rationale: The opioid crisis in North America has recently seen a fourth wave, which is dominated by drug-related deaths due to the combined use of illicitly manufactured fentanyl [IMF] and stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine.

Objectives: A systematic review addressing the question why drug users combine opioids and stimulants and why the combination results in such a high overdose mortality: from specific and dangerous pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic interactions or from accidental poisoning?

Results: Motives for the combined use include a more intensive high or rush when used at the same time, and some users have the unfounded and dangerous belief that co-use of stimulants will counteract opioid-induced respiratory depression. Overdose deaths due to combined (intravenous) use of opioids and stimulants are not likely to be caused by specific pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic interactions between the two drugs and it is unlikely that the main cause of overdose deaths is due to accidental poisoning.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy for people with gambling disorder?

Gambling disorder is a severe mental health and behavioural problem with harmful consequences, including financial, relationship and mental health problems. The present paper initiates discussion on the use of psychedelics combined with psychotherapeutic support as a potential treatment option for people living with a gambling disorder. Recent studies have shown promising results using psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) to treat anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and various substance use disorders.

Patient perspectives and experiences with psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression: a qualitative study.

Psilocybin is the most researched classic psychedelic for Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD). While optimizing set and setting are considered essential for efficacy and safety, patient perspectives on these aspects have rarely been investigated. To address this knowledge gap, the current paper explored the experiences of 11 TRD patients (8 women, 3 men) participating in a double-blind randomized clinical trial with a single session of oral (1, 10 or 25 mg) psilocybin treatment.

Patient Reported Outcome and Experience Measures (PROMs and PREMs) in substance use disorder treatment services: A scoping review.

Background: Substance use disorders (SUD) pose significant challenges for healthcare systems, and there is a need to monitor the provision of effective, individualized care to persons accessing treatment. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) are increasingly used in healthcare services to measure treatment outcomes and quality of care as perceived by patients, and to guide service improvement.

Objectives: This review aims to identify and characterize international developments regarding the use and systematic implementation of PROMs and PREMs in SUD treatment services.

Combined use of cocaine and alcohol: A violent cocktail? A systematic review.

It is generally believed that the use of alcohol and cocaine alone and especially in combination elicits aggression and violent behaviour. Though there is overwhelming proof that heavy alcohol use is associated with violence, this is not the case for cocaine. Still, in the popular press and by spokesmen of the police, cocaine use is seen as a cause of violent incidents.

Legal Approaches to New Psychoactive Substances: First Empirical Findings.

Background: Generic drug legislation, i.e., simultaneously banning groups of drugs, has been introduced worldwide to counteract the trade and use of emerging "new psychoactive substances" (NPSs) more effectively.

Phenomenology and therapeutic potential of patient experiences during oral esketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression: an interpretative phenomenological study.

Background: Ketamine and its enantiomers are widely researched and increasingly used to treat mental disorders, especially treatment-resistant depression. The phenomenology of ketamine-induced experiences and their relation to its psychotherapeutic potential have not yet been systematically investigated.

Aims: To describe the phenomenology of patient experiences during oral esketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and to explore the potential therapeutic relevance of these experiences.

Predictors and motives of polydrug use in opioid users. A narrative review.

Purpose Of Review: To review the recent literature on predictors and personal motives of polydrug use in opioid users with a focus on combined use of opioids with stimulants, benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids.

Recent Findings: In North America, methamphetamine is now the most prevalent co-drug in opioid users and is responsible for high mortality rates. In Europe, opioids are rather combined with either cocaine, benzodiazepines or gabapentionoids, but recent data are lacking.