Browsing by Author "Brooner, Robert K"
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Item Open Access An item response theory modeling of alcohol and marijuana dependences: a National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network study.(Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 2009-05) Wu, Li-Tzy; Pan, Jeng-Jong; Blazer, Dan G; Tai, Betty; Stitzer, Maxine L; Brooner, Robert K; Woody, George E; Patkar, Ashwin A; Blaine, Jack DOBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to examine psychometric properties of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), diagnostics criteria for alcohol and marijuana dependences among 462 alcohol users and 311 marijuana users enrolled in two multisite trials of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. METHOD:Diagnostic questions were assessed by the DSM-IV checklist. Data were analyzed by the item response theory and the multiple indicators-multiple causes method procedures. RESULTS:Criterion symptoms of alcohol and marijuana dependences exhibited a high level of internal consistency. All individual symptoms showed good discrimination in distinguishing alcohol or marijuana users between high and low severity levels of the continuum. In both groups, "withdrawal" appeared to measure the most severe symptom of the dependence continuum. There was little evidence of measurement nonequivalence in assessing symptoms of dependence by gender, age, race/ethnicity, and educational level. CONCLUSIONS:These findings highlight the clinical utility of the DSM-IV checklist in assessing alcohol- and marijuana dependence syndromes among treatment-seeking substance users.Item Open Access Heterogeneity of stimulant dependence: a national drug abuse treatment clinical trials network study.(The American journal on addictions, 2009-05) Wu, Li-Tzy; Blazer, Dan G; Patkar, Ashwin A; Stitzer, Maxine L; Wakim, Paul G; Brooner, Robert KWe investigated the presence of DSM-IV subtyping for dependence on cocaine and amphetamines (with versus without physical dependence) among outpatient stimulant users enrolled in a multisite study of the Clinical Trials Network (CTN). Three mutually exclusive groups were identified: primary cocaine users (n = 287), primary amphetamine users (n = 99), and dual users (cocaine and amphetamines; n = 29). Distinct subtypes were examined with latent class and logistic regression procedures. Cocaine users were distinct from amphetamine users in age and race/ethnicity. There were four distinct classes of primary cocaine users: non-dependence (15%), compulsive use (14%), tolerance and compulsive use (15%), and physiological dependence (tolerance, withdrawal, and compulsive use; 56%). Three distinct classes of primary amphetamine users were identified: non-dependence (11%), intermediate physiological dependence (31%), and physiological dependence (58%). Regardless of stimulants used, most female users were in the most severe or the physiological dependence group. These results lend support for subtyping dependence in the emerging DSM-V.Item Open Access Opioid treatment program and community pharmacy collaboration for methadone maintenance treatment: results from a feasibility clinical trial.(Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2021-07-19) Wu, Li-Tzy; John, William S; Morse, Eric D; Adkins, Steve; Pippin, Jennifer; Brooner, Robert K; Schwartz, Robert PBackground and aims
Pharmacy administration and dispensing of methadone for methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) can expand treatment access for opioid use disorder (OUD). This study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of a novel model permitting an opioid treatment program (OTP) physician to prescribe methadone for OUD treatment through collaboration with a partnered pharmacy.Design
Non-randomized, single-arm, open-label feasibility trial.Setting
One OTP and one community pharmacy in the United States.Participants
One OTP physician, two pharmacists and 20 MMT patients receiving between six and 13 take-home methadone doses at 5-160 mg/day.Intervention
Patients' methadone administration and dispensing of take-home doses was transferred from the OTP to the pharmacy for 3 months.Measurements
Primary outcome was medication adherence. Secondary outcomes were recruitment, treatment retention, substance use, counseling attendance at the OTP, pharmacist prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) use, safety and satisfaction.Findings
Of 29 patients eligible at pre-screen, 20 patients (69%) enrolled into the study. Recruitment occurred from 6 August 2020 to 10 October 2020. Treatment retention rate at month 3 was 80% (16 of 20). Two participants returned early to the OTP because of a work/schedule change, one due to pregnancy and one following a non-study-related hospitalization. Medication adherence among 16 patients who were retained was 100%. Intervention fidelity was 100%. All participants attended random call-back visits. None showed evidence of tampering/diversion of methadone. Pharmacists checked the PDMP at all visits. All participants attended psychosocial counseling as planned. There were no positive urine screens for illicit opioid use and no study-related adverse events. All participants endorsed 'pharmacy is the right location for receiving methadone for MMT', 88% endorsed 'convenient or very convenient to receive methadone at the pharmacy' and 88% were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of treatment offered.Conclusions
This feasibility trial has found pharmacy administration and dispensing of physician-prescribed methadone for methadone maintenance treatment to be feasible and acceptable.Item Open Access Opioid treatment program prescribing of methadone with community pharmacy dispensing: Pilot study of feasibility and acceptability.(Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 2022-06) Brooner, Robert K; Stoller, Kenneth B; Patel, Punam; Wu, Li-Tzy; Yan, Haijuan; Kidorf, MichaelAccess to methadone for opioid use disorder (OUD) in the United States remains limited to regulated and certified Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs). Collaboration between OTPs and community pharmacies would increase access to and potentially satisfaction with methadone delivery. While it remains illegal for prescribers to write, and pharmacies to dispense, methadone when the indication is OUD, the present pilot study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes of using community pharmacies to dispense methadone prescribed by OTP physicians (in tablet formulation) to a subset of clinically stable OTP patients; all other treatment services were delivered within the OTP. Necessary Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) exceptions for OTP prescribers and the pharmacies, along with required Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) waiver for OTP participation were obtained. A final sample of 11 patients enrolled in the study and were followed for three months; one left treatment due to dissatisfaction with the tablet formulation. All remaining participants produced drug-negative urine specimens, attended all pharmacy visits and OTP counseling sessions, and completed the evaluation. Participant satisfaction was high. These findings clearly support the feasibility and acceptability of OTP physician prescribing and community pharmacy dispensing of methadone in a subset of abstinent OTP patients, and encourage full scale trials evaluating a broader array of OTPs, pharmacies and patients, in urban and, perhaps most importantly, rural settings.Item Open Access Research priorities for expanding access to methadone treatment for opioid use disorder in the United States: A National Institute on Drug Abuse Center for Clinical Trials Network Task Force report.(Substance abuse, 2021-01) Joudrey, Paul J; Bart, Gavin; Brooner, Robert K; Brown, Lawrence; Dickson-Gomez, Julie; Gordon, Adam; Kawasaki, Sarah S; Liebschutz, Jane M; Nunes, Edward; McCarty, Dennis; Schwartz, Robert P; Szapocnik, José; Trivedi, Madhukar; Tsui, Judith I; Williams, Arthur; Wu, Li-Tzy; Fiellin, David AIn the US, methadone treatment can only be provided to patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) through federal and state-regulated opioid treatment programs (OTPs). There is a shortage of OTPs, and racial and geographic inequities exist in access to methadone treatment. The National Institute on Drug Abuse Center for Clinical Trials Network convened the Methadone Access Research Task Force to develop a research agenda to expand and create more equitable access to methadone treatment for OUD. This research agenda included mechanisms that are available within and outside the current regulations. The task force identified 6 areas where research is needed: (1) access to methadone in general medical and other outpatient settings; (2) the impact of methadone treatment setting on patient outcomes; (3) impact of treatment structure on outcomes in patients receiving methadone; (4) comparative effectiveness of different medications to treat OUD; (5) optimal educational and support structure for provision of methadone by medical providers; and (6) benefits and harms of expanded methadone access. In addition to outlining these research priorities, the task force identified important cross-cutting issues, including the impact of patient characteristics, treatment, and treatment system characteristics such as methadone formulation and dose, concurrent behavioral treatment, frequency of dispensing, urine or oral fluid testing, and methods of measuring clinical outcomes. Together, the research priorities and cross-cutting issues represent a compelling research agenda to expand access to methadone in the US.Item Open Access The construct and measurement equivalence of cocaine and opioid dependences: a National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) study.(Drug and alcohol dependence, 2009-08) Wu, Li-Tzy; Pan, Jeng-Jong; Blazer, Dan G; Tai, Betty; Brooner, Robert K; Stitzer, Maxine L; Patkar, Ashwin A; Blaine, Jack DINTRODUCTION:Although DSM-IV criteria are widely used in making diagnoses of substance use disorders, gaps exist regarding diagnosis classification, use of dependence criteria, and effects of measurement bias on diagnosis assessment. We examined the construct and measurement equivalence of diagnostic criteria for cocaine and opioid dependences, including whether each criterion maps onto the dependence construct, how well each criterion performs, how much information each contributes to a diagnosis, and whether symptom-endorsing is equivalent between demographic groups. METHODS:Item response theory (IRT) and multiple indicators-multiple causes (MIMIC) modeling were performed on a sample of stimulant-using methadone maintenance patients enrolled in a multisite study of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) (N=383). Participants were recruited from six community-based methadone maintenance treatment programs associated with the CTN and major U.S. providers. Cocaine and opioid dependences were assessed by DSM-IV Checklist. RESULTS:IRT modeling showed that symptoms of cocaine and opioid dependences, respectively, were arrayed along a continuum of severity. All symptoms had moderate to high discrimination in distinguishing drug users between severity levels. "Withdrawal" identified the most severe symptom of the cocaine dependence continuum. MIMIC modeling revealed some support for measurement equivalence. CONCLUSIONS:Study results suggest that self-reported symptoms of cocaine and opioid dependences and their underlying constructs can be measured appropriately among treatment-seeking polysubstance users.