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Impact of synthetic cannabinoids on the duration of opioid‐related withdrawal and craving among patients of addiction clinics in K azakhstan: A prospective case–control study
Author(s) -
Prilutskaya Mariya,
Bersani Francesco Saverio,
Corazza Ornella,
Molchanov Sergey
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.2618
Subject(s) - craving , opioid , medicine , detoxification (alternative medicine) , addiction , opiate , anesthesia , visual analogue scale , prospective cohort study , psychiatry , receptor , alternative medicine , pathology
Objective The aim of the study was to prospectively assess whether regular use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) affects the duration of opioid‐related withdrawal and craving symptoms in patients undergoing drug detoxification treatments. Methods Patients ( n = 193) with opioid use disorder, among which 47 patients are regularly using SCs, underwent integrated drug detoxification therapies. The Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale and a specific visual analogue scale were used to assess opioid withdrawal and craving symptoms over time. Results Subjects using SCs had significantly longer duration of withdrawal and craving symptoms ( p < .001). Higher intake of SCs in the last 30 days ( p = .045), shorter time since the last intake of SCs ( p = .033), longer duration of SCs use ( p < .001), and higher dosage of SCs ( p < .001) were associated with longer duration of symptoms. Discussion This is the first study to assess the impact of SCs on the course of opioid withdrawal and craving symptoms. The results (a) suggest that patients with opioid use disorder in combination with regular use of SCs exhibit a significantly longer duration of opioid withdrawal and craving symptoms, (b) add to the accumulating evidence showing clinical and molecular cross talks between cannabinoids and opioids, and (c) underline novel harmful effects of SCs.