The Authors’ Own Words:  

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Overlapping buprenorphine, opioid, and benzodiazepine prescriptions among Veterans dually enrolled in VA and Medicare Part D

Walid F. Gellad, MD, MPH; Xinhua Zhao, PhD; Carolyn T. Thorpe, PhD, MPH; Joshua M. Thorpe, PhD, MPH; Florentina E. Sileanu, MS; John P. Cashy, PhD; Maria Mor, PhD; Jennifer A. Hale, BA; Thomas Radomski, MD, MS; Leslie R. M. Hausmann, PhD; Michael J. Fine, MD, MSc; & Chester B. Good, MD, MPH

Substance Abuse Vol. 38, Iss. 1, 2017

“Our analysis is the first large scale examination of overlapping buprenorphine and opioid/benzodiazepines prescriptions across VA and Medicare. This work represents a very substantial effort to merge VA and Medicare data in a standardized fashion to understand overlapping prescriptions. As buprenorphine use increases both within and outside VA, this issue of overlapping prescriptions in non-communicating health systems will need to be addressed. As we state in the manuscript, the prescription drug monitoring programs may be a part of the solution, but will not mitigate risk entirely.”

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The Authors’ Own Words:  

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Intravenous Use of Intranasal Naloxone: A Case of Overdose Reversal

Smita Das, MD, PhD, MPH; Nina Shah, PharmD; & Murtuza Ghadiali, MD

Substance Abuse Vol. 38, Iss. 1, 2017

“With the rise of opioid overdose deaths, lay-person administration of naloxone, an opiate antagonist to reverse overdose, is expanding as a mode of harm reduction. This case highlights the efficacy of naloxone, the need to counsel patients about overdose risks when entering treatment and the importance of education in naloxone distribution. We hope that the novelty of this case (alternate but luckily efficacious mode of administration) will attract attention to this lifesaving drug so providers as well advocates/policy makers are more informed of naloxone distribution.”

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The Authors’ Own Words:  

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

There’s Something About Molly: The Under-Researched yet Popular Powder Form of Ecstasy in the United States

Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH

Substance Abuse Vol. 38, Iss. 1, 2017

“There is very little research about Molly use in the US. Potential users need to be educated about potential risks associated with use and more research is needed to study the epidemiology of use.”

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The Authors’ Own Words:  

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

“Alcoholic” or “Person with Alcohol Use Disorder”? Applying person-first diagnostic terminology in the clinical domain

Sean M. Robinson , PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 38, Iss. 1, 2017

Implications of manuscript: • Makes a compelling argument for the examination of costs associated with the use of stigmatizing language for individuals with SUDs in applied settings. • Focuses the argument in favor of applying person-first diagnostic labels to individuals with substance use disorders to improved alignment with patient-centered care models and values, which may be particularly relevant to the mission statements of large, multistate providers. • Makes the case that the proper use of such terminology is more in line with ethical principles supporting mental health care, in particular the “do no harm” and “accurately document diagnoses” provisions. • Poses questions about the relationship between institutionalized use of terms like “alcoholic” and “addict” and their relationship to the construct of “institutionalized” (i.e., structural) stigma. • Provides suggestions by which we can reframe potential objections to making the shift to person-first diagnostic labelling within the clinical charting for individuals with SUDs, as well as a number of interesting behavioral and/or technological recommendations. • Link the recommended changes in language use within clinical settings to broader trends that are both future oriented (i.e., advancing patient centered care principles) and cognizant of our past (e.g., established research on treatment utilization gap for individuals with SUDs).

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How was 2018 already two years ago and January is already almost over?! Time is a funny thing and it always feels like there isn’t enough of it!

This last week or so we highlighted SAj Volume 39, Issue 3. We really enjoy getting to hear what the authors themselves think of their work. Read this issue now and then head back over here to see what the authors had to say. Make sure to follow us on twitter to stay up to date with SAj!

The most viewed manuscript in this issue was:

No end to the crisis without an end to the waiver

Joseph W. Frank, MD, MPH; Sarah E. Wakeman, MD;  & Adam J. Gordon, MD, MPH

With 1,162 views…and counting!