Question 2: How is opioid withdrawal assessed?
Answer: Opioid withdrawal results from opioid abstinence in patients who are physically dependent on opioids. Assessment of opioid withdrawal can be useful in making the diagnosis of physical dependence and in making decisions regarding initiation and/or titration of medications. A number of scales have been developed for the assessment of opioid withdrawal.
These include the Objective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (OOWS), the Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) (Handelsman, Cochrane, Aronson, et al., 1987), the Short Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) (Gossop, 1990), and the Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale (COWS) (Wesson and Ling, 2003).
The OOWS and SOWS (Handelsman et al., 1987) are available at: www.aodgp.gov.au/resourcekit/b4/handout6_opioids.pdf (39KB).
The COWS is available at: www.pcssmentor.org/pcss/resources_clinicaltools.php (39KB).
References
Gossop M. The development of a Short Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS). Addictive Behaviors 1990;15(5):487-90.
Handelsman L, Cochrane KJ, Aronson M, Ness R, Rubinstein KJ, Kanof, PD. Two new rating scales for opiate withdrawal. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 1987;13:293-308.
Wesson DR, Ling W. The Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS). Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 2003;35(2):253-59.
Important Dates
NIDA International Forum
June 14–17, 2013
Online Registration Deadline:
May 6, 2013
FELLOWSHIPS
IAS/NIDA Fellowships
Application Deadline:
February 10, 2013
NIDA International Program Fellowships
Application Deadline:
April 1, 2013
Global Health Program for Fellows and Scholars
Application Deadlines: Vary
GRANTS
Brain Disorders in the Developing World: Research Across the Lifespan
(Non-AIDS)
R01 PAR-11-030and R21 PAR-11-031
Application deadline:
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MEETINGS
American Association for the Advancement of Science
February 14–18, 2013
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
International Drug Abuse Research Society (IDARS)
April 15–19, 2013
Mexico City, Mexico
2013 International Conference on Global Health: Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse and HIV
April 17–19, 2013
Taipei, Taiwan
Yih-Ing Hser, Ph.D.