Center on Substance Use & Health

11/13/2025

Negative science is just as important as positive findings. Yeah, but it never feels that way. Our behavioral intervention to reduce opioid overdose didn’t affect witnesses overdose response. Read more about it here.

10/23/2025

CSUH is pleased to release our annual report on trends in substance use mortality through 2024 for the City and County of San Francisco. Deaths attributed to acute toxicity from opioids, co***ne, or m**hamphetamine decreased by 25% from 2023 to 2024. Read the full report on our website for detailed analyses including demographic trends and trends by substance.

10/14/2025

Big news For substance use research! Governor Newson Signed and passed AB 1103, establishing a smooth and rapid approvals for studies and helping to bring more groundbreaking studies to the communities we serve. Click the link in our bio to learn more!

09/19/2025

This analysis of opioid and stimulant deaths suggests we are counting wrong. Deaths involving both opioids (or just fentanyl) and stimulants are really similar to those not involving stimulants. But stimulant deaths without opioids are different - and require different prevention strategies. We can’t respond right if we’re not counting correctly.

Background and aims Deaths attributed to a combination of opioids and stimulants have risen dramatically in recent years, largely attributed to fentanyl, yet little is understood about which drug cl...

09/12/2025

Our very own Dr. Phillip Coffin was featured on Curbsiders Addiction Medicine podcast! Tune into episode #497 to learn more!

Transcript available via YouTube In this high-yield episode of Curbsiders Addiction Medicine, we dive deep into a practical and compassionate approach to caring for patients using m**hamphetamines and/or living with m**hamphetamine use disorder. We explore the latest pharmacologic options, harm redu...

09/11/2025

Our very own Dr. Phillip Coffin was featured on The Curbsiders Addiction Medicine podcast! Tune in to Episode #497. Link in Bio!

08/13/2025

Fentanyl-related cardiac arrests had less bystander CPR, fewer shockable rhythms, and more severe brain injury on EEG, but good neurological outcomes were similar to other causes. This highlights unique challenges in fentanyl-linked cardiac arrest cases.

Cardiac arrest associated with fentanyl use was linked to decreased rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, increased incidence of nonshockable Rhythms, and greater neurological injury as indicated by electroencephalography (EEG) suppression measures. However, the proportion of good neurol...

08/13/2025

Naltrexone-bupropion significantly reduced depressive symptoms early in people with m**hamphetamine use disorder, boosting chances of remission and cutting m**h use. Early depression improvement explained nearly 25% of its effect on m**hamphetamine treatment success.

Objective: This study evaluated whether depressive symptom severity improved early with extended-release naltrexone and bupropion combination (naltrexone bupropion) compared to a placebo in individuals with moderate/severe m**hamphetamine use disorder and predicted subsequent use of met...

08/04/2025

This study found that opioid overdose survivors who perceive themselves at higher risk are over twice as likely to overdose again within four months. Assessing risk perception can help target and improve overdose prevention efforts.

Incorporating an assessment of risk perception into opioid overdose prevention efforts may help prioritize prevention efforts.

08/04/2025

Among opioid overdose survivors, less than half of overdoses involved EMS, about one-third led to emergency visits, and few resulted in hospitalization. Most overdoses had naloxone given by bystanders. Relying only on healthcare data underestimates non-fatal overdose rates.

08/04/2025

The ADAPT-2 trial found, higher craving and impulsivity predicted worse outcomes in m**hamphetamine treatment with naltrexone and bupropion. Targeting these factors may improve treatment response.

Further investigations are necessary to optimize NTX-BUP treatment, focusing on the impact of craving and impulsivity on outcomes.

08/04/2025

This study looked at whether people with chronic pain who stop receiving prescribed opioids continue to get recommended preventive healthcare. We found that those who kept getting opioids were more likely to receive important screenings and vaccines. Losing access to opioids was linked to lower engagement in preventive care, highlighting the need for opioid policies that also support ongoing healthcare access.

Background In response to increasing opioid overdose, US providers reduced opioid prescribing, resulting in several unintended consequences. Methods We assessed the impact of opioid receipt on quality health indicators (QHI) among 300 adults prescribed opioids ≥ 3 months in the past year for c...