A case report: Pavlovian conditioning as a risk factor of heroin 'overdose' death

被引：12
作者：
Gerevich J. [1 ,2 ]
Bácskai E. [1 ]
Farkas L. [2 ]
Danics Z. [3 ]
机构：
[1] Addiction Research Institute, Budapest
[2] ELTE University, Faculty of Orthopedagogics, Budapest
[3] National Institute of Psychiatry, Budapest
来源：
Harm Reduction Journal | / 2卷 / 1期
关键词：
Morphine; Heroin; Conditioned Place Preference; Pavlovian Conditioning; Heroin User;
D O I：
10.1186/1477-7517-2-11
中图分类号：
学科分类号：
摘要：
Background: The authors present a case illustrating a mechanism leading directly to death which is not rare but has received little attention. Case presentation: The case was evaluated by autopsy, investigation of morphine concentration in the blood, and clinical data. The heroin dose causing the 'overdose' death of a young man who had previously been treated a number of times for heroin addiction did not differ from his dose of the previous day taken in the accustomed circumstances. The accustomed dose taken in a strange environment caused fatal complications because the conditioned tolerance failed to operate. The concentration of morphine in the blood did not exceed the level measured during earlier treatment. Conclusion: These results are in line with the data in the literature indicating that morphine concentrations measured in cases of drug-related death do not differ substantially from those measured in cases where the outcome is not fatal. A knowledge of the conditioning mechanism can contribute to prevention of fatal cases of a similar type. The harm reduction approach places great stress on preventive intervention based on data related to drug-related death. © 2005 Gerevich et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
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页数：4
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