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Misuse, Recreational Use, and Addiction in Relation to Prescription Medicines
Published in Ornella Corazza, Andres Roman-Urrestarazu, Handbook of Novel Psychoactive Substances, 2018
Francesco S. Bersani, Claudio Imperatori
Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) (and its prodrug gamma-butyrolactone), clinically used for a range of conditions including narcolepsy, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, and fibromyalgia (Busardo, Kyriakou, Napoletano, Marinelli, & Zaami, 2015), is also one of the most commonly misused GABAergic drugs (Davidson & Schifano, 2016). GHB is an agonist at the newly characterized GHB receptor and a weak agonist at the GABAB receptor (Brennan & Van Hout, 2014). As reviewed by Corkery et al. in 2015, at low to moderate doses, the most detected psychological effects of GHB include euphoria, calmness, disinhibition, and increased libido, while very high doses of 50–70 mg/kg lead to convulsions, amnesia, hypotonia, and coma (Corkery et al., 2015). GHB is highly addictive in both general and clinical populations, and it has been associated with many side effects and fatalities (Corkery et al., 2015). Of relevance, GHB is primarily known to the general public as a ‘rape drug’, as the drug has been used in 0.2–4.4% of reported sexual assaults to numb the other person and facilitate the rape (Nemeth, Kun, & Demetrovics, 2010).
Addictions and dependencies: their association with offending
Published in John C. Gunn, Pamela J. Taylor, Forensic Psychiatry, 2014
Pamela J Taylor, Mary McMurran, Adrian Feeney, Ilana Crome, Roger Bloor, John Gunn, Pamela J Taylor, John Gunn, John Hamilton, Andrew Johns, Michael D Kopelman, Anthony Maden, John Strang, Pamela J Taylor
The use of drugs to facilitate sexual assault (drug-facilitated sexual assault: DFSA) has no adequate definition, according to Hall and Moore (2008) in their review of the field. They propose a distinction between proactive (planned) DFSA and opportunistic DFSA. The more popular terminology of ‘date rape drugs’ refers in the main to the use of rohypnol, together with other drugs such as gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), which can easily be concealed in alcoholic drinks. Reviews of cases of ‘date rape’ using drugs such as rohypnol have indicated that, in many cases, the level of alcohol ingested was also considerable and that the involvement of rohypnol itself may not be as central as previously believed (Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, 2007a).
Synthesis, Enzyme Localization, and Regulation of Neurosteroids
Published in Sheryl S. Smith, Neurosteroid Effects in the Central Nervous System, 2003
receptors, Nature, 389, 385, 1997. Tobin, M.B., Schmidt, P.J., and Rubinow, D.R., Reported alcohol use in women with premenstrual syndrome, Am. J. Psychiatry, 151, 1503, 1994.Follesa, P., Mancuso, L., Biggio, F., Mostallino, M.C., Manca, A., Mascia, M., Busonero, F., Talani, G., Sanna, E., and Biggio, G., Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and diazepam antagonize a rapid increase in GABA(A) receptors alpha(4) subunit mRNA abundance induced by ethanol withdrawal in cerebellar granule cells, Mol. Pharmacol., 63, 896, 2003.Nusser, Z., Sieghart, W., and Somogyi, P., Segregation of different GABA(A) receptors to synaptic and extrasynaptic membranes of cerebellar granule cells, J. Neurosci.,
Premenstrual syndrome as a risk factor for relapse in GHB dependent patients: a case series
Published in Journal of Substance Use, 2020
Rouhollah Qurishi, Marieke Arts-De Jong, Victor J. A. Buwalda, Linda Hartman, Cornelis A. J. De Jong
Gamma- Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) dependency constitutes a comparatively small but growing public health issue in a number of Western countries, including the Netherlands (EMCDDA, 2016). In 2013, data from the Netherlands showed that 45% of GHB-dependent patients had previously undergone treatment for other addictions (Wisselink, Kuijpers, & Mol, 2014). The average GHB consumer is young, with the majority beginning use between the ages of 15–22 years (Gonzalez & Nutt, 2005). GHB tolerance develops rapidly during regular daily use resulting in physical dependence, which can produce severe withdrawal symptoms and can be life-threatening at higher doses (Zvosec, Smith, Porrata, Strobl, & Dyer, 2011). Generally, treatment of GHB dependency is difficult with a high probability of relapse after detoxification (Kamal, Schellekens, de Jong, & Dijkstra, 2015).
Age at first HIV test for MSM at a community health clinic in Los Angeles
Published in AIDS Care, 2020
Emily M. Maitino, Shira C. Shafir, Matt R. Beymer, Chelsea L. Shover, Nicole J. Cunningham, Risa P. Flynn, Robert K. Bolan
The data used in this study were collected at the Los Angeles LGBT Center (“the Center”) from August 2014 to May 2018 and analyzed retrospectively. When patients visited the clinic for HIV screenings during this period, demographic characteristics including age and race/ethnicity were collected on registration forms. The patients were then administered an in-person sexual health risk assessment by a trained HIV/STI counselor that consisted of 42 questions. The questions covered sexual risk behaviors and substance use. Sexual risk behaviors considered for our analysis included instances of vaginal and anal sex without condoms in the past three months, overall number of partners in the last three months with or without use of condoms, and condom use during last sexual experience. Types of condomless anal sex were classified as anal penetrative intercourse (APIC) or anal receptive intercourse (ARIC). Substance use variables included the use of ecstasy, methamphetamine, inhalant nitrites (“poppers”), erectile dysfunction (ED) medication without prescription, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), prescription drugs without prescription in the past 12 months, and alcohol in the past 30 days. An acute HIV infection is defined as one where the viral load PCR test is positive and HIV antibody test is negative; it does not refer to time since infection transmission. A non-acute HIV infection is defined as one that produces a positive HIV antibody test and a positive PCR test result.
Investigational drugs for the treatment of binge eating disorder (BED): an update
Published in Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs, 2019
Jose C. Appolinario, Antonio E. Nardi, Susan L. McElroy
The other agent investigated was sodium oxybate, a central nervous system depressant used for the treatment of cataplexy and extreme daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy. It is the sodium salt of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), which is an endogenous compound and a metabolite of the neurotransmitter GABA [117]. GHB modulates several neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of feeding behavior, including GABA, dopamine, serotonin, opioids, and glutamate. Because of its central nervous system depressant effect and its association with misuse, use of sodium oxybate is strictly controlled. An open-label trial [118] suggested the potential positive effect of sodium oxybate in BED (NCT00514995). It reduced binge eating frequency, global severity of illness, obsessive-compulsive binge eating symptoms, food cravings, BMI, and body weight, but was associated with high a discontinuation rate.