STAT (2/1, Facher, Subscription Publication) reports, “The federal government is unveiling new regulations meant to modernize methadone treatment, the first major update to patient care standards at methadone clinics in more than 20 years.” The new regulations “are aimed at increasing access to methadone.” Starting in April, “patients and clinicians at methadone clinics will enjoy far greater flexibility.” Amid criticisms “that methadone doses are too low to stave off withdrawal, clinic” physicians “will have flexibility to prescribe methadone in larger doses to new patients.” Furthermore, clinics will “be permitted to prescribe patients ‘take-home’ medication, meaning they would be required to show up at the clinic less often.”

Related Links:

— “Methadone treatment gets first major update in over 20 years,”Lev Facher, STAT, January 1, 2024

Medscape (2/1, Bender, Subscription Publication) reports, “In patients with stimulant use disorder (SUD), even slight reductions in drug use can lessen depression and reduce cravings, a new analysis showed.” The researchers said the “findings suggest that reduced frequency of stimulant use is also associated with improved psychosocial functioning.” The findings were published in Addiction.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (1/31, Weldon) says, “Hospitalizations for eating disorders have increased steadily among adolescents in the United States, including a spike during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers reported in Hospital Pediatrics.” Specifically, “hospitalizations increased more than sevenfold from 294 in 2010 to 2,135 in 2021, which was the highest yearly total. Hospitalizations increased more than 70% from 2019 – the year before the pandemic – to 2021. They decreased slightly after that to 1,783 cases in 2022.”

Related Links:

— “Adolescent eating disorder hospitalizations increasing in US,”Rose Weldon, Healio, January 31, 2024

Psychiatric News (1/31) reports, “Spanish-speaking adults may be less likely to receive a timely diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment compared with their English-speaking peers, suggests a study.” After analyzing data from more than 12,000 patients, investigators found that “Spanish speakers were 45% less likely to receive a timely diagnosis when compared with English speakers after adjusting for covariates.” Meanwhile, “despite being three years younger at presentation on average, only 18.6% of Spanish-speaking patients received a mild cognitive impairment diagnosis, compared with 26.0% of English-speaking patients.” The findings were published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Spanish Speakers Less Likely to Receive Timely Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment, Spanish Speakers Less Likely to Receive Timely Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment, January 31, 2024

Bloomberg Law (1/31, Lopez , Subscription Publication) reports, “Restrictions on take-home drugs for treating opioid addiction will be permanently eased under a Biden administration regulation announced Wednesday.” The final rule, issued by HHS, “builds upon practices deployed during the Covid-19 pandemic. It would maintain regulatory flexibilities for programs treating opioid addiction and lower other barriers to accessing the opioid treatment drug methadone for take-home use.”

Related Links:

— “At-Home Opioid Treatment Restrictions Eased by Biden HHS (1),”Ian Lopez, Bloomberg Law, January 31, 2024