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Knowing the score: a doctor addict tells his story

The vein stands up, proud and inviting. The syringe sits on the bedside table, the new orange needle gleaming expectantly.One of the small benefits of being a doctor and an addict is that clean needles are easily available, and the risk of HIV and hepatitis B or C infection is low. I had used a green needle to draw up the drug, a needle that can reach right to the bottom of the ampoule, so that not one drop will be missed. Beside the syringe lies the empty packet of Cyclimorph; the red and blue packaging is so distinctive to me that if it was lying on the road a mile away I would spot it.

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New study needed for ‘reliable’ drug use data

The National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) is commissioning research on the methods and data sources used to estimate drug use, Irish Medical Times has learned.

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UNODC urges drug dependence treatment, not punishment

Drug dependence is a health disorder, and drug users need humane and effective treatment - not punishment. This was the key message of a UNODC discussion paper launched at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna last week.  “Let us stop stigmatizing the users. Give them high-quality medical treatment, counselling and follow-up, not detention,” said Gilberto Gerra, Chief of the Drug Prevention and Health Branch.
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Naltrexone for the Treatment of Amphetamine Dependence: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Currently there is no approved pharmacotherapy for amphetamine dependence. Recent human laboratory studies have demonstrated that naltrexone modulates some of the reinforcing effects of amphetamine. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of naltrexone in comparison with placebo in reducing relapse to amphetamine use in amphetamine-dependent patients.

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Methadone works. Stop the interfering

The medical profession has reached a consensus. The front page of last week’s BMJ reads “Drug users and HIV: Treat don’t punish”. Within its pages is a an analysis piece entitled “Why Russia must legalise methadone” and a report on the Vienna declaration, which calls for the incorporation of scientific evidence into drug policy.

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7 out of 10 Danes supports establishing of safer injecting sites.

Both red and blue voters clearly favored injection rooms for drug addicts, and now pushing the opposition back in to get the system up. Is it for the Danes, the drug could lawfully take drugs in a clean environment where healthcare professionals ready to assist.

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Anya Sarang on HIV, Drug Policy and Harm Reduction

Methadone Versus Buprenorphine With Contingency Management or Performance Feedback for Cocaine and Opioid Dependence

Physicians may prescribe buprenorphine for opioid agonist maintenance treatment outside of narcotic treatment programs, but treatment guidelines for patients with co-occurring cocaine and opioid dependence are not available.

This study compares effects of buprenorphine and methadone and evaluates the efficacy of combining contingency management with maintenance treatment for patients with co-occurring cocaine and opioid dependence.

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Naloxone Saves the Lives of Addicts

In a haunted world of heroin and hurt and heartless hustles, located between a dusty brickyard and rusty railroad tracks along the border of Chicago and blue-collar Cicero, Steve Kamenicky is the go-to guy.

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Gay men and lesbians are putting their health at risk by abusing drugs

Gay men and lesbians are far more likely to put their health at risk from drug misuse than heterosexuals, according to a Home Office-funded report that suggests there is an urgent need to rethink how addiction agencies and doctors support minority groups.

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