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Biomedical subjects

Robert L DuPont

Publications and source records attributed to Robert L DuPont.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Prescription stimulant abuse.

Our goal with this issue of Pediatric Annals is to increase understanding among clinicians about both the problems with and the solutions to nonmedical use of prescription stimulants. We encourage, not discourage, the treatment of ADHD with both medications and nonmedication therapies. By significantly reducing the nonmedical use of the stimulant medicines for ADHD, we expect that this important area of medical practice will be protected for the benefit of ADHD patients. The lessons learned here can have broad positive applications to other medical treatments with controlled substances.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed2006

Abuse-resistant drug delivery.

In attempting to reduce the nonmedical use of controlled substances, a reasonable step is to educate the physicians prescribing controlled substances, including the prescription stimulants used to treat ADHD, as well as patients and family members, about the risks of nonmedical use and the dangers of giving or selling these medicines to persons for whom they were not prescribed. Patients who find benefits in the use of such medicines have a significant interest in protecting their continued access to them. Such access is potentially threatened by concerns about widespread nonmedical use. Physicians can help protect the appropriate medical use of prescription stimulants by considering the abuse potential of various medicines used to treat patients with ADHD, especially when these patients also have a history of nonmedical substance use. In addition, we suggest that today there is an opportunity to add a new and perhaps more hopeful paradigm: the wider use of drug delivery systems that make products less attractive to drug abusers. This new drug abuse prevention paradigm holds great promise for efforts to reduce the nonmedical use of prescription controlled substances, including the prescription stimulants used to treat ADHD. To achieve the full potential of this new paradigm to reduce prescription drug abuse, it will be necessary to develop standards to assess the relative abuse resistance of various drug formulations and delivery systems, as well as meaningful incentives to foster the development of these abuse-resistant delivery systems for controlled substances.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2005

Can drug design inhibit abuse?

A recent federal report indicates that prescription drug abuse is now the second leading category of illicit drug use, following marijuana use. Control strategies typically focus on reducing the diversion of prescription drugs from legitimate sources. The proliferation of unregulated Internet sources, however, has rendered control strategies less effective. This study examines a new approach that focuses on reducing abusability through the use of abuse-resistant drug designs. Drugs with and without such designs are compared and abuse levels assessed using multiple sources. In every instance, drugs employing abuse-resistant designs were found to have significantly lower levels of abuse than comparator drugs without such designs.

Clinical Pharmacy Information Systems↗
PubMed2005

Benzodiazepines and anxiety disorders: a review for the practicing physician.

UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE: The objective of this article is to briefly review for practicing clinicians differences among the benzodiazepines (BZDs) that are commonly used to treat anxiety, the efficacy of BZDs in various anxiety disorders, and potential safety issues associated with BZDs, including adverse events, tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal. METHODOLOGY: Information for this review was obtained using literature searches through PubMed (1966-2004), Google, and the Food and Drug Administration Catalog of Approved Drugs. Data sources were searched for information regarding anxiety disorders and the safety and efficacy of BZDs. Wherever possible and appropriate, information from randomized controlled trials was given priority. FINDINGS: Benzodiazepines have demonstrated efficacy in treating patients with anxiety disorders, with varying degrees of efficacy. Use of BZDs is advantageous because they have a quick onset of action and are generally well tolerated. Extended-release formulations of BZDs may be particularly advantageous in some patients with anxiety as they allow for maximization of a drug's therapeutic window with consistent serum drug concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: BZDs remain a mainstay in the treatment of anxiety, as both monotherapy and adjunctive therapy. Factors to consider prior to prescribing a BZD include the patient's diagnosis, as well as drug characteristics, including the potential for interactions with other drugs, the risk of dependence and withdrawal, and the required frequency of dosing.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗