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Anna O, Michael A, Apostolakis M, Mammadov E, Mitka A, Kalatta MA, Koumas M, Georgiou A, Chatzittofis A, Panayiotou G, Gergiou P, Zarate CA, Zanos P. Ketamine and hydroxynorketamine as novel pharmacotherapies for the treatment of Opioid-Use Disorders. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01591-9. [PMID: 39293647 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2024] [Revised: 08/30/2024] [Accepted: 09/11/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024]
Abstract
Opioid use disorder (OUD) has reached epidemic proportions, with many countries facing high opioid use and related fatalities. Although currently-prescribed medications for OUD (MOUD) are considered life-saving, they inadequately address negative affect and cognitive impairment, resulting in high relapse rates to non-medical opioid use, even years after drug cessation (protracted abstinence). Evidence supports the notion that ketamine, an anesthetic and rapid-acting antidepressant drug, holds promise as a candidate for OUD treatment, including the management of acute withdrawal somatic symptoms, negative affect during protracted opioid abstinence and prevention of re-taking non-medical opioids. In this review, we comprehensively discuss preclinical and clinical research evaluating ketamine and its metabolites as potential novel therapeutic strategies for treating OUDs. We further examine evidence supporting the relevance of the molecular targets of ketamine and its metabolites in relation to their potential effects and therapeutic outcomes in OUDs. Overall, existing evidence demonstrates that ketamine and its metabolites can effectively modulate pathophysiological processes affected in OUD, suggesting their promising therapeutic role in the treatment of OUD and the prevention of return to opioid use during abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onisiforou Anna
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus
| | - Andria Michael
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus
| | - Markos Apostolakis
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus; Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Elmar Mammadov
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Angeliki Mitka
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus
| | - Maria A Kalatta
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus
| | - Morfeas Koumas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus
| | - Andrea Georgiou
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus
| | - Andreas Chatzittofis
- Department of Clinical Sciences/Psychiatry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Georgia Panayiotou
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus; Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Polymnia Gergiou
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53211, USA
| | - Carlos A Zarate
- Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Panos Zanos
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus; Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA.
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Maremmani AGI, Pacini M, Maremmani I. What we have learned from the Methadone Maintenance Treatment of Dual Disorder Heroin Use Disorder patients. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E447. [PMID: 30717435 PMCID: PMC6388207 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16030447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Mental Disorders and Heroin Use Disorder (HUD) often co-occur and constitute correlated risk factors that the authors believe are best considered from a unitary perspective. In this article we review and discuss data collected by the V.P. Dole Research Group in Dual Disorder (V.P. Dole DD-RG) patients according to the following six discussion points: (1) Treatment of personality disorders during Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT); (2) Treatment of Mood Disorders during MMT; (3) Treatment of Anxiety Disorders during MMT; (4) Treatment of Psychotic Disorders during MMT; (5) Treatment of violence during MMT; (6) Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) during MMT. In treating Mood Disorder in HUD patients, we must bear in mind the interactions (potentiation and side effects) between psychopharmacology, used substances and agonist opioid medications; the use of psychiatric medications as an anti-craving drug, and the possible use of agonist and antagonist opioid medications in treating the other mental disorders. In treating chronic psychosis in HUD patients, we must consider the potentiation and side effects of antipsychotic drugs consequent on HUD treatment, worsening addiction hypophoria and inducing a more severe reward deficiency syndrome (RDS) in hypophoric patients. Violence and AUD during MMT can benefit from adequate dosages of methadone and co-medication with Sodium gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). The experience of our V.P. Dole DD-RG suggests the following: (a) DD is the new paradigm in neuroscience in deepening our understanding of mental health; (b) To successfully treat DD patients a double competence is needed; (c) In managing DD patients priority must be given to Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment (stabilizing patients); (d) Antidepressant use is ancillary to SUD treatment; antipsychotic use must be restricted to acute phases; mood stabilizers must be preferred; any use of Benzodiazepines (BDZs) must be avoided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo G I Maremmani
- Department of Psychiatry, North-Western Tuscany Region NHS Local Health Unit, Versilia Zone, 55049 Viareggio, Italy.
- Association for the Application of Neuroscientific Knowledge to Social Aims (AU-CNS), Pietrasanta, 55045 Lucca, Italy.
- G. De Lisio, Institute of Behavioral Sciences, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
| | - Matteo Pacini
- G. De Lisio, Institute of Behavioral Sciences, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
| | - Icro Maremmani
- Association for the Application of Neuroscientific Knowledge to Social Aims (AU-CNS), Pietrasanta, 55045 Lucca, Italy.
- G. De Lisio, Institute of Behavioral Sciences, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
- V.P. Dole Dual Disorder Unit, 2nd Psychiatric Unit, Santa Chiara University Hospital, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
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Jones HE, Martin PR, Heil SH, Kaltenbach K, Selby P, Coyle MG, Stine SM, O'Grady KE, Arria AM, Fischer G. Treatment of opioid-dependent pregnant women: clinical and research issues. J Subst Abuse Treat 2008; 35:245-59. [PMID: 18248941 PMCID: PMC2633026 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2007.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2007] [Revised: 10/11/2007] [Accepted: 10/28/2007] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
This article addresses common questions that clinicians face when treating pregnant women with opioid dependence. Guidance, based on both research evidence and the collective clinical experience of the authors, which include investigators in the Maternal Opioid Treatment: Human Experimental Research (MOTHER) project, is provided to aid clinical decision making. The MOTHER project is a double-blind, double-dummy, flexible-dosing, parallel-group clinical trial examining the comparative safety and efficacy of methadone and buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid dependence in pregnant women and their neonates. The article begins with a discussion of appropriate assessment during pregnancy and then addresses clinical management stages including maintenance medication selection, induction, and stabilization; opioid agonist medication management before, during, and after delivery; pain management; breast-feeding; and transfer to aftercare. Lastly, other important clinical issues including managing co-occurring psychiatric disorders and medication interactions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendree E Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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Winklbaur B, Kopf N, Ebner N, Jung E, Thau K, Fischer G. Treating pregnant women dependent on opioids is not the same as treating pregnancy and opioid dependence: a knowledge synthesis for better treatment for women and neonates. Addiction 2008; 103:1429-40. [PMID: 18783498 DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02283.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Through a novel synthesis of the literature and our own clinical experience, we have derived a set of evidence-based recommendations for consideration as guidance in the management of opioid-dependent pregnant women and infants. METHODS PubMed literature searches were carried out to identify recent key publications in the areas of pregnancy and opioid dependence, neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) prevention and treatment, multiple substance abuse and psychiatric comorbidity. RESULTS Pregnant women dependent on opioids require careful treatment to minimize harm to the fetus and neonate and improve maternal health. Applying multi-disciplinary treatment as early as possible, allowing medication maintenance and regular monitoring, benefits mother and child both in the short and the long term. However, there is a need for randomized clinical trials with sufficient sample sizes. RECOMMENDATIONS Opioid maintenance therapy is the recommended treatment approach during pregnancy. Treatment decisions must encompass the full clinical picture, with respect to frequent complications arising from psychiatric comorbidities and the concomitant consumption of other drugs. In addition to standardized approaches to pregnancy, equivalent attention must be given to the treatment of NAS, which occurs frequently after opioid medication. CONCLUSION Methodological flaws and inconsistencies confound interpretation of today's literature. Based on this synthesis of available evidence and our clinical experience, we propose recommendations for further discussion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette Winklbaur
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University Vienna, Waehringergurtel 18-20, Vienna, Austria
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Weschules DJ, Bain KT, Richeimer S. Actual and potential drug interactions associated with methadone. PAIN MEDICINE 2008; 9:315-44. [PMID: 18386306 DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2006.00289.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify and characterize methadone-related drug interactions, as well as factors accounting for the variability in manifesting these interactions clinically. DESIGN Systematic review of the primary literature. METHODS Over 200 articles, reports of clinical trials, and case reports were reviewed. Studies and case reports were included if they revealed either quantitative or qualitative methods to identify, evaluate severity of, or compare methadone-related drug interactions. RESULTS OF DATA SYNTHESIS The evidence base associated with methadone drug interactions is underdeveloped in general, as the majority of references found were case reports or case series. Most of the studies and reports focused on inpatients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) that were between 20 and 60 years of age, taking 200 mg/day of methadone or less. Evidence supporting the involvement of lesser known cytochrome P450 enzymes such as 2B6 is emerging, which may partially explain the inconsistencies previously found in studies looking specifically at 3A4 in vitro and in vivo. Genetic variability may play a role in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of many medications, including methadone. CONCLUSIONS Drug interactions associated with methadone and their clinical significance are still poorly understood in general. Many tertiary drug information references and review articles report interactions associated with methadone in a general sense, much of which is theoretical and not verified by case reports, much less well-designed clinical trials. The majority of drug interaction reports that do exist were performed in the MMT population, which may differ significantly from chronic pain or cancer pain populations.
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Brown R, Kraus C, Fleming M, Reddy S. Methadone: applied pharmacology and use as adjunctive treatment in chronic pain. Postgrad Med J 2005; 80:654-9. [PMID: 15537850 PMCID: PMC1743125 DOI: 10.1136/pgmj.2004.022988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
This article reviews the unique pharmacological properties of methadone and outlines its appropriate clinical application, with focus upon its use in the treatment of chronic pain. Although methadone is most widely known for its use in the treatment of opioid dependence, methadone also provides effective analgesia. Patients who experience inadequate pain relief or intolerable side effects with other opioids or who suffer from neuropathic pain may benefit from a transition to methadone as their analgesic agent. Adverse effects, particularly respiratory depression and death, make a fundamental knowledge of methadone's pharmacological properties essential to the provider considering methadone as analgesic therapy for a patient with chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Brown
- University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine, 777 S Mills Street, Madison, WI 53715, USA.
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Abstract
Buprenorphine is a new and attractive medication option for many opioid-addicted adults and their physicians. Before initiating buprenorphine treatment, providers must be aware of such critical factors as how the medication works, its efficacy and safety profile, how it is used in opioid withdrawal as well as maintenance treatment, and how patients can best be selected, educated about buprenorphine, and monitored throughout treatment. This article reviews these important issues as well as requirements for physician and staff training and needs for additional research on this unique medication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendree E Jones
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA.
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Eap CB, Buclin T, Baumann P. Interindividual variability of the clinical pharmacokinetics of methadone: implications for the treatment of opioid dependence. Clin Pharmacokinet 2003; 41:1153-93. [PMID: 12405865 DOI: 10.2165/00003088-200241140-00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 396] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Methadone is widely used for the treatment of opioid dependence. Although in most countries the drug is administered as a racemic mixture of (R)- and (S)- methadone, (R)-methadone accounts for most, if not all, of the opioid effects. Methadone can be detected in the blood 15-45 minutes after oral administration, with peak plasma concentration at 2.5-4 hours. Methadone has a mean bioavailability of around 75% (range 36-100%). Methadone is highly bound to plasma proteins, in particular to alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein. Its mean free fraction is around 13%, with a 4-fold interindividual variation. Its volume of distribution is about 4 L/kg (range 2-13 L/kg). The elimination of methadone is mediated by biotransformation, followed by renal and faecal excretion. Total body clearance is about 0.095 L/min, with wide interindividual variation (range 0.02-2 L/min). Plasma concentrations of methadone decrease in a biexponential manner, with a mean value of around 22 hours (range 5-130 hours) for elimination half-life. For the active (R)-enantiomer, mean values of around 40 hours have been determined. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 and to a lesser extent 2D6 are probably the main isoforms involved in methadone metabolism. Rifampicin (rifampin), phenobarbital, phenytoin, carbamazepine, nevirapine, and efavirenz decrease methadone blood concentrations, probably by induction of CYP3A4 activity, which can result in severe withdrawal symptoms. Inhibitors of CYP3A4, such as fluconazole, and of CYP2D6, such as paroxetine, increase methadone blood concentrations. There is an up to 17-fold interindividual variation of methadone blood concentration for a given dosage, and interindividual variability of CYP enzymes accounts for a large part of this variation. Since methadone probably also displays large interindividual variability in its pharmacodynamics, methadone treatment must be individually adapted to each patient. Because of the high morbidity and mortality associated with opioid dependence, it is of major importance that methadone is used at an effective dosage in maintenance treatment: at least 60 mg/day, but typically 80-100 mg/day. Recent studies also show that a subset of patients might benefit from methadone dosages larger than 100 mg/day, many of them because of high clearance. In clinical management, medical evaluation of objective signs and subjective symptoms is sufficient for dosage titration in most patients. However, therapeutic drug monitoring can be useful in particular situations. In the case of non-response trough plasma concentrations of 400 microg/L for (R,S)-methadone or 250 microg/L for (R)-methadone might be used as target values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin B Eap
- Unit of Biochemistry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, University Department of Adult Psychiatry, Cery Hospital, Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Current Awareness. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2000. [DOI: 10.1002/1099-1557(200007/08)9:4<341::aid-pds490>3.0.co;2-#] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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