Opioid use severity and treatment outcomes in cocaine-dependent participants with a history of opioid abuse/dependence

Aims: Over 300,000 individuals enter treatment for cannabis use disorders (CUDs) in the U.S. annually, and treatment outcomes are generally poor. Cannabis withdrawal has been associated with functional impairment and relapse, but few studies have examined gender differences in withdrawal. The aim of this study is to examine gender differences in cannabis withdrawal symptoms among treatment-seeking cannabis users. Methods: Treatment-seeking cannabis users (62 women/120 men) completed a demographics/substance use questionnaire and a Marijuana Withdrawal Checklist (MWC; Budney et al., 2003) to retrospectively characterize withdrawal experienced during their most recent quit attempt. Questionnaire data, MWC sum scores, and scores on individual MWC items were compared between women and men (significance determined by p<0.05). Results: Women and men did not significantly differ on current use of cannabis (2.5 vs. 3.2 grams/day) alcohol (3.9 vs. 3.5 drinks/week) or cigarettes (4.3 vs. 4.1 cigarettes/day). Women first used cannabis at a later age than men (16.0 vs. 14.2 years old), but women and men did not differ on years of regular cannabis use (17.0 vs. 15.9). MWC sum scores were significantly higher among women than men (13.6 vs. 11.0). Women had significantly higher scores than men on five individual items, which clustered in two areas, gastrointestinal symptoms (decreased appetite, nausea) and mood symptoms (violent outbursts, irritability, restlessness). Conclusions: Women seeking treatment for CUDs reported experiencing more severe gastrointestinal and mood symptoms of cannabis withdrawal than men during their most recent quit attempt. Prospective studies of gender differences in cannabis withdrawal arewarranted, and inform the development of genderspecific pharmacotherapies for CUDs. Financial support: This project was supported by U01 DA031784 and T32 DA07209 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.