Associations Among Sleep Disturbance, Pain Catastrophizing, and Pain Intensity for Methadone-maintained Patients With Opioid Use Disorder and Chronic Pain.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the cross-sectional associations among pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, and sleep disturbance among patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) and reporting co-occurring chronic pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were 89 individuals with OUD and chronic pain drawn from a larger cross-sectional study of 164 MMT patients who completed a battery of self-report measures. The authors conducted 6 mediation models to test all possible pathways (ie, each variable tested as an independent variable, mediator, or dependent variable). RESULTS: The only significant mediation effect was an indirect effect of sleep disturbance on pain intensity through pain catastrophizing. That is, greater sleep disturbance was associated with greater pain catastrophizing, which in turn was associated with greater pain intensity. DISCUSSION: Altogether, findings suggest that the sleep disturbance to pain catastrophizing to pain intensity pathway may be a key mechanistic pathway exacerbating pain issues among MMT patients with OUD and chronic pain. These results suggest that interventions targeting sleep disturbance may be warranted among MMT patients with OUD and chronic pain. Future work in this area with longitudinal data is warranted.

Training addiction counselors to deliver a brief psychoeducational intervention for chronic pain among patients in opioid agonist treatment: A pilot investigation.

BACKGROUND: Despite high rates of chronic pain among their patients, opioid agonist treatment (OAT) counselors report an absence of training to manage chronic pain. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team developed a tailored training for counselors to screen and address chronic pain via a brief psychosocial intervention, and implemented it with 52 addiction counselors. Data on knowledge (9 true-false items) as well as attitudes, interest, and perceived ability (scored on 5-point Likert-type scales) were collected from counselors before (pre-test), after (post-test) training, and after 6 months (follow-up). RESULTS: Pre-test knowledge scores varied considerably. Compared to pre-test, mean counselor knowledge scores increased significantly post-training and at follow-up (p's.<05). The training was associated with increases in positive attitudes toward the role of counselors in managing chronic pain, interest in assessing chronic pain, and counselor ability to assess as well as suggest appropriate interventions for pain (all p's <.05). Perceived ability to assess chronic pain and suggest appropriate treatment interventions were higher at follow-up than at pre-test (p's <.05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings related to the initial evaluation of this training were promising, and future research is warranted to further examine the efficacy of training drug counselors on psychosocial interventions to manage chronic pain among OAT patients.

Pharmacotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorders: Physicians' Perceptions and Practices.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommendations that medications be considered for patients with alcohol dependence, the mainstay of treatment has been counseling. We designed a survey to assess the treatment practices of psychiatrists and family medicine (FM) physicians in an effort to identify barriers to the use of pharmacotherapy and develop strategies to increase physician knowledge and utilization of these medications. METHODS: An anonymous online survey was sent to FM physicians and psychiatrists nationwide. The survey collected demographic information and assessed prescription of medications in treating AUDs, including FDA-approved medications and other medications used off-label for this purpose. We also examined factors that would lead to an increase in AUDs pharmacotherapy. RESULTS: A total of 491 surveys were completed, with 475 responses included in the final analyses. 45.5% of participants were psychiatrists vs. 54.5% FM physicians. The 74.7% respondents had used medications to treat AUDs, with psychiatrists more likely to have prescribed acamprosate, naltrexone, and several off-label medications. FM physicians were more likely to report efficacy concerns. A majority of all physicians sampled would increase pharmacotherapy of AUDs with increased training. DISCUSSION: In our sample, most physicians have used medications to treat AUDs. There were concerns about efficacy with all non-FDA-approved medications, but limited treatment success even with FDA-approved medications. Greater education about pharmacotherapy, including predictors for treatment response amongst patients, should help alleviate some of the uncertainties reported with medications' efficacy and lead to a more individualized treatment approach.

Sexual dysfunction associated with major depressive disorder and antidepressant treatment.

INTRODUCTION: There is a well-established relationship between sexual functioning and quality of life. Depression can cause sexual dysfunction (SD) and its treatment can often lead to restoration of sexual functioning. Use of antidepressants has also been associated with SD, with implications for treatment compliance and creation of further distress for the patient. AREAS COVERED: This review evaluates available information regarding SD related to both depression and antidepressant treatment, including literature up to June 2014. It includes eligible published studies that investigated antidepressant-associated SD (AASD). EXPERT OPINION: Depression and SD have a bidirectional association. When screening for depression, baseline sexual functioning should be assessed with validated rating scales. If sexual side effects develop with antidepressant treatment, management options include waiting for spontaneous remission, decreasing the medication dose, switching to an alternative drug or adding an augmentation agent or antidote. Research suggests that bupropion and newer antidepressants exhibit a more favorable SD profile compared with other antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. Bupropion, mirtazapine and buspirone have been studied as augmentation agents/antidotes or substitution agents in management of AASD. Future studies validating genetic factors could enable personal genotyping to guide individualized treatment and also facilitate the development of enhanced therapeutic guidelines to avoid or manage AASD.