A double-blind randomised crossover trial of low-dose flumazenil for benzodiazepine withdrawal: A proof of concept.

INTRODUCTION: Benzodiazepines (BZD) are a class of anxiolytics with varying uses, which primarily act on the GABAA receptor resulting in hyperpolarisation. BZDs are often a difficult drug class to cease once neuroadaptation has occurred; recommendations usually involve gradual dose reductions at variable rates. A growing body of evidence has suggested that low-dose flumazenil, a GABAA receptor antagonist, may be a useful agent to allow for rapid detoxification. AIM: To collect pilot data on the safety and efficacy of low-dose subcutaneous flumazenil to reduce BZD use, withdrawal symptoms, and craving in participants taking above and below the therapeutic maximum diazepam equivalent of 30 mg to inform on sample size for future trials. METHOD: In a randomised double-blinded crossover study design, participants received low-dose flumazenil first (4 mg/24 h for approximately eight days) or placebo first. Groups were divided into those taking < 30 mg diazepam equivalent and ≥ 30 mg diazepam equivalent at baseline. Main outcome measures were percentage reduction in daily diazepam use, withdrawal symptoms, and craving scores from baseline, difference in diazepam use across the placebo first group, and flumazenil related adverse events. RESULTS: Twenty-eight participants were recruited and randomised to flumazenil first (n = 14) and placebo first (n = 14). In participants taking ≥ 30 mg diazepam equivalent at baseline (n = 15), flumazenil significantly reduced diazepam use by 30.5% (p = 0.024) compared to placebo. CONCLUSION: Low-dose flumazenil may aid in BZD detoxification in participants taking daily diazepam equivalent doses greater than or equal to the therapeutic maximum (≥30 mg) by reducing the need for diazepam.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related blastomycosis in an unusual geographic location.

Blastomycosis is a fungal infection acquired via inhalation of Blastomyces dermatitidis. The majority of cases occur in central, southeastern, and mid-Atlantic areas of the United States. We report the case of a 42-year-old veteran infected with the human immunodeficiency virus who presented in E1 Paso, Texas, with a dry cough, fever, and recent weight loss. We review the clinical and epidemiologic features of blastomycosis. Diagnostic criteria and pharmacologic management are discussed. Active duty personnel are at high risk of exposure to B. dermatitidis. Military providers should maintain an index of suspicion for blastomycosis in endemic and nonendemic regions.

The Blood-Injection Symptom Scale (BISS): assessing a structure of phobic symptoms elicited by blood and injections.

Assessments for blood-injury-injection phobia measure feared stimuli and overt behaviours, but they have not systematically addressed the symptoms of fear and faintness. The Blood-Injection Symptom Scale (BISS) was developed to overcome this omission. An exploratory factor analysis grouped symptoms triggered by blood and injections into three internally consistent factors (faintness, anxiety and tension). A confirmatory factor analysis replicated the factor structure in a new sample. To test the construct validity of the BISS, an attempt was made to reproduce Ost's (1992, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 101, 68-74) finding that fear was stronger among people with concerns about injections, while faintness was stronger among people with concerns about blood. A community sample of 80 individuals with concerns (i.e. fear or fainting) about blood or injections completed the BISS. Controlling faintness, individuals with concerns about injections reported more fear than people with concerns about blood. In contrast, controlling for fear, the latter reported more symptoms of faintness. These data suggest that the BISS generates stable and internally consistent subscales useful in the measurement of symptoms elicited by blood and injections.