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News, opinions and meeting coverage in psychiatry.

What Makes an Opioid Stronger or Weaker Than Morphine?

CDC classification of stronger, weaker, and morphine-equivalent opioids is confusing.

Hard Drinking in Middle Age Linked to Stroke

F. Perry Wilson, MD, critiques an interesting new study in 150 seconds.

Tx Adherence High Among Mentally Ill Vets on Methadone

Methadone treatment may have ancillary benefits.

Portenoy Opioid Talk Sparks Controversy

Opioid advocate Russell Portenoy's invitation to an upcoming NIH workshop is under fire.

APA Meeting Highlights Mental Health Biology

NEW YORK CITY -- The biological basis for normal and abnormal mental function is emerging as a dominant theme in psychiatry research, and the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting that starts here Saturday won't be an exception.

Killing Pain: Xanax Tops Charts

Alprazolam, more popularly known by its brand name -- Xanax--is America's favorite tranquilizer and one that is often used in combination with an opioid.

Killing Pain: Benzo 'Boost' Can Be Deadly

Adding a benzodiazepine to an opioid painkiller can increase the effect of the opioid, or in the language of addiction, benzos can boost the high -- but the combo can be deadly, according to this Killing Pain report from 番茄社区 and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Morning Break: Addictive Oreos and Sperm-Slaying Bacon

Health news and commentary from around the Web, gathered by the 番茄社区 staff.

FDA Allows Opana Generics

The original formulation of extended-release oxymorphone (Opana ER) that lacked abuse-resistant mechanisms was not pulled from the market for safety reasons, and therefore generics based on that recipe are permissible, the FDA said.

Psychosis Common in Meth Addicts

Methamphetamine use makes hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms substantially more likely among addicts, particularly for those abusing other substances, a longitudinal study affirmed.

Pot Smokers Who Quit Find It Harder to Function

The more severe a person's marijuana withdrawal symptoms when they quit using the drug, the bigger the effect on their functional ability and the more likely they were to start using again, results of an Australian study showed.

Suboxone Maker Pulls Pills in Favor of Film

The buprenorphine-naloxone combination product (Suboxone) in sublingual tablet form will soon be pulled from the U.S. market because its child-resistant packaging isn't effective enough.

DSM-5: What's In, What's Out

PHILADELPHIA -- Reports here provided what may be the last public update on DSM-5, the next edition of American psychiatry's diagnostic guide, before it is formally released in May 2013.

Most DSM-5 Revisions Pass Field Trials

PHILADELPHIA -- Field trials of proposed new diagnostic criteria for many mental disorders showed that, for the most part, they were at least adequately reliable.

Whitney Houston Autopsy Reveals Heart Disease

The death of Whitney Houston in some ways represents a medical "perfect storm" -- heart disease and a plethora of drugs that can accelerate or aggravate that condition, cardiovascular specialists told 番茄社区.

Short-Acting Opioids May Have Less Impact on Testosterone

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- Men who take long-acting opioids for chronic pain may have a higher risk of hypogonadism than those on short-acting formulations of the drugs, researchers said here.

In Cocaine Users Think About Levamisole

HOUSTON -- Half of a group of cocaine users tested positive for levamisole, a potentially hazardous veterinary drug that cocaine dealers often use to prepare street product, investigators reported here.

Aripiprazole (Abilify) Potentially Useful for Treating Alcohol Dependence

FARMINGTON, Conn. -- The atypical antipsychotic aripiprazole (Abilify) modified the behavioral and physiological effects of alcohol in a small preliminary study.

Lung Cancer Risk of One Marijuana Joint a Day Equals Daily Pack of Cigarettes

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Smoking a single marijuana joint may be as carcinogenic to the lung as 20 tobacco cigarettes, researchers here calculated.

One Cannabis Joint Equals Smoking Up to Five Cigarettes

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Smoking a single marijuana joint by a heavy user can cause bronchial damage similar to smoking 2.5 to five cigarettes, researchers reported.

Overdoing Niacin Can't Thwart Drug Abuse Tests and Is Risky

PHILADELPHIA -- Those who try to foil urine drug tests with massive doses of niacin -- it doesn't work -- may wind up in a hospital emergency department.

Methamphetamine May Trigger Ischemic Stroke

IRVINE, Calif. -- Methamphetamine users may develop carotid artery dissections, leading to a severe stroke, an effect also seen in cocaine users, according to researchers here.

Amphetamines Hit Men Harder

BALTIMORE - Amphetamines produce a bigger bang in men than women, according to researchers here.

Antidepressant Eases Methamphetamine Addiction Symptoms

LOS ANGELES - The high and cravings of methamphetamine addicts can be reduced by the same antidepressant that helps in smoking cessation (bupropion), researchers here reported.