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Their findings, published online July 10 in the  Journal of Psychopharmacology , also revealed that pills purported to be a purer and safer version of the illegal stimulant drug MDMA known as Molly contained as many harmful additives as the version known as Ecstasy. And, unlike older analyses that found different results, the most common adulterants in this study were chemicals commonly known as "bath salts." The researchers say their study adds critical evidence that on-site pill-testing services may be a valuable public health and safety tool. "People would be safest not taking any street drugs at all, but if free, no-fault testing can reduce deaths and other catastrophic consequences, it may be a service worth having," says Matthew W. Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Our results suggest that some people will reject taking a pill to get high if it doesn't c...

This cartoon depicts how a single-point (mGluR2) gene mutation alters a rat's sensitivity to cocaine reward and the following drug-taking and drug-seeking habits. Credit score: Zheng-Xiong Xi and Lauren Brick Rats lacking a neuroreceptor that controls the discharge of the neurotransmitter glutamate are much less amenable to the rewarding results of cocaine, rising their likelihood of kicking the behavior as soon as addicted, researchers from the Nationwide Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) discover. Their work, showing July 11 in  Cell Studies , means that the receptor, which protects nerve cells from deadly inundation by extra glutamate, is concerned in modulating the reward-seeking habits related to drug habit. By silencing the gene answerable for expressing the receptor, referred to as mGluR2, the researchers studied its impact throughout the levels of the cocaine habit cycle. Rats with out the receptor had been extra prone to devour coc...

The risk of substance use problems during periods of medication use was 35 percent lower in men and 31 percent lower in women in the study. The results, based upon nearly 3 million people with ADHD in the United States, are reported in the  American Journal of Psychiatry . "This study contributes to growing evidence that ADHD medication is linked to lower risk for many types of harmful behavior, including substance abuse," said Patrick D. Quinn, a postdoctoral researcher in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, who led the study. "The results also highlight the importance of careful diagnosis and compliance with treatment." As one of the largest analyses on the risks and benefits of ADHD medication, the study drew on anonymous health care data from 146 million people with employer-based health insurance in the United States from 2005 to 2014. Specifically, the researchers mined the data to iden...

"The broad reach of the epidemic has blurred the formerly distinct social boundary between prescribed opioids and illegally manufactured ones, such as heroin," said committee chair Richard J. Bonnie, Harrison Foundation Professor of Medicine and Law and director of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. "This report provides an action plan directed particularly at the health professions and government agencies responsible for regulating them. This plan aims to help the millions of people who suffer from chronic pain while reducing unnecessary opioid prescribing. We also wanted to convey a clear message about the magnitude of the challenge. This epidemic took nearly two decades to develop, and it will take years to unravel." As of 2015, at least 2 million people in the United States have an opioid use disorder involving prescription opioids -- meaning they are addicted to prescription opioids -- and a...