Abuse of Prescription Medicines in Southwestern France

Baumevieille, Marie; Haramburu, Françoise; Bégaud, Bernard

doi:10.1177/106002809703100706

Cited by 31 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The data are also consistent with a number of epidemiological and case report studies worldwide demonstrating buprenorphine abuse (O'Connor et al, 1988;Sakol et al, 1989;Singh et al, 1992;Baumevieille et al, 1997). It is important to note, however, that the present study was conducted in nondependent individuals.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Intravenous Buprenorphine Self-Administration by Detoxified Heroin Abusers

Comer¹,

Collins²,

Fischman³

2002

J Pharmacol Exp Ther

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Several sources indicate that intravenously administered buprenorphine may have significant abuse liability in humans. The present study evaluated the reinforcing effects of intravenously administered buprenorphine (0, 2, and 8 mg) in detoxified heroin-dependent participants during a 7.5-week inpatient study. Participants (n ϭ 6) were detoxified from heroin over a 1.5-week period immediately after admission. Testing subsequently occurred in three 2-week blocks. During the first week of each 2-week block, the reinforcing effects of buprenorphine were evaluated. Participants first received a dose of buprenorphine and $20 and then were given either the opportunity to selfadminister the dose or $20 during choice sessions. During the second week of each 2-week block, the direct effects of heroin were measured to evaluate potential long-lasting antagonist effects of buprenorphine. Progressive ratio break-point values were significantly higher after 2 and 8 mg of buprenorphine compared with placebo. Correspondingly, several positive subjective ratings increased after administration of active buprenorphine relative to placebo. Although there were few differences in peak effects produced by 2 versus 8 mg of buprenorphine, the higher buprenorphine dose generally produced longer-lasting effects. Heroin also produced dose-related increases in several subjective effects. Peak ratings produced by heroin were generally higher than peak ratings produced by buprenorphine. There was little evidence of residual antagonism produced by buprenorphine. These results demonstrate that buprenorphine served as a reinforcer under these conditions, and that it may have abuse liability in nonopioid-dependent individuals who abuse heroin.Buprenorphine, a -opioid receptor antagonist and partial -opioid receptor agonist, is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating pain. It is also under investigation as a maintenance medication for the treatment of opioid dependence, for which it has demonstrated effectiveness (for review, see Bickel and Amass, 1995). Studies have shown that maintenance on approximately 8 mg of sublingual liquid buprenorphine is as effective as 50 to 60 mg of oral methadone in reducing illicit opioid use (Johnson et al., 1992;Strain et al., 1994; however, see Ling et al., 1996). One purported advantage of buprenorphine compared with methadone is that the abuse liability of buprenorphine is thought to be lower. However, several preclinical studies have demonstrated that buprenorphine is self-administered above placebo levels in both drug-experienced and -naive nonhuman primates (for review, see Negus and Woods, 1995), and some studies demonstrated that the magnitude of buprenorphine self-administration was similar to that of full -agonists. For example, the maximal rates of responding maintained by buprenorphine and the full -agonists alfentanil and heroin were equivalent in rhesus monkeys selfadministering these drugs intravenously (Winger et al., 1992; but see Winger and Woods, 2001). Another...

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Intravenous Buprenorphine Self-Administration by Detoxified Heroin Abusers

Comer¹,

Collins²,

Fischman³

2002

J Pharmacol Exp Ther

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Another study in France found that 27% of IDUs were exclusively buprenorphine injectors, while another 37% reported polydrug use [112]. Some of these IDUs purchased their buprenorphine from individuals with a prescription [113], while others obtained it by altering or forging prescriptions [51,114,115]. Similar results were provided by Obadia et al [116].…”

Section: European Studiessupporting

confidence: 76%

“…The abuse potential of buprenorphine, which has been demonstrated in experimental and clinical settings [48][49][50], is generally considered to be less than that of full opioid agonists [51,52]. Buprenorphine can cause euphoria [53,54], although to a lesser degree than full opioid agonists [31,[53][54][55], and has reinforcing effects, again to a lesser degree than full opioid agonists [56][57][58][59][60][61][62].…”

Section: Routes Of Administrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Buprenorphine Use and Risk of Abuse and Diversion

Soyka¹

2014

Adv Pharmacoepidem Drug Safety

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Buprenorphine in Opioid Maintenance Treatment: A Brief UpdateBuprenorphine is an established first-line medication for the treatment of opioid dependence (see APA guidelines [24] AbstractOpioid maintenance therapy with methadone or buprenorphine is a well-established first-line treatment for opioid dependence. However, risk of diversion and drug-related mortality are critical issues during maintenance therapy. These issues are discussed controversially in both the scientific and public arenas and are a matter of concern also among medical authorities. In addition to a formulation containing buprenorphine alone, a combination formulation with buprenorphine and naloxone in a 4:1 ratio is available. The combination formulation was developed with the aim to prevent intravenous use or diversion. This critical review summarizes data on the risk of abuse and diversion of buprenorphine.

show abstract

“…The principle of data collection of falsified prescriptions in the community pharmacy setting has been previously tested in Sweden [8,9] and France [10,11,12]. The results of these experiences suggest that these surveys can be used to advantage in drug abuse monitoring systems as additional ways of identifying signs of abuse [9,13,14,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

A European Community Pharmacy-Based Survey to Investigate Patterns of Prescription Fraud through Identification of Falsified Prescriptions

Lapeyre‐Mestre

Gony²,

Carvajal³

et al. 2014

Eur Addict Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim: To identify prescription drugs involved in falsified prescriptions in community pharmacies in 6 European countries. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among 2,105 community pharmacies in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden was carried out to collect all suspect prescription forms. For each reported drug, the number of reported falsified prescriptions per thousand inhabitants was estimated. A falsification ratio was calculated by dividing the number of reports by the number of defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day for this drug, computed from national sale or reimbursement data. Results: On 862 prescription forms, benzodiazepines (zolpidem, bromazepam, alprazolam), buprenorphine (as an opioid maintenance drug) and tramadol were the most frequently reported. Depending on their level of use in each country, methylphenidate, morphine and flunitrazepam presented the highest falsification ratios, particularly in Spain, Belgium and France. Conclusions: Stimulants, opioids and some benzodiazepines were the most frequently reported drugs in this survey on falsified prescriptions, but differences between countries were observed.

show abstract

Abuse of Prescription Medicines in Southwestern France

Abstract: These results show the efficiency of a method for detecting falsified prescriptions forms using community pharmacists. The abuse of medicines already known for their addictive potential can be estimated and alerts can also be detected.

Cited by 31 publications

References 14 publications

Intravenous Buprenorphine Self-Administration by Detoxified Heroin Abusers

Intravenous Buprenorphine Self-Administration by Detoxified Heroin Abusers

Buprenorphine Use and Risk of Abuse and Diversion

A European Community Pharmacy-Based Survey to Investigate Patterns of Prescription Fraud through Identification of Falsified Prescriptions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About