Clinical Advances in the Neuropharmacological Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: 2nd Edition
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 January 2026 | Viewed by 17
Special Issue Editor
Interests: psychopharmacology; pharmacology; drug abuse; addiction; pharmacovigilance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The clinical management of substance use disorders is becoming increasingly complex due to significant changes in drug use patterns over recent years. While traditional substances such as cannabis, cocaine, and opioids remain widely misused, clinicians are now encountering a growing number of cases involving the misuse of prescription medications for non-medical, psychoactive purposes (“pharming”) and the emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPSs). These trends have introduced new diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in emergency, psychiatric, and addiction care settings.The clinical effects of these substances can range from transient behavioural disturbances to life-threatening toxicity, influenced by dose, the route of administration, and concurrent substance use. In many cases, the limited information about the pharmacological properties, toxicological profiles, and drug–drug interactions complicates intervention and makes timely diagnosis difficult. As a result, clinicians are increasingly required to stay informed about evolving drug trends, detection methods, and emerging therapeutic strategies.
This Special Issue focuses on clinically relevant advances in the neuropharmacology and toxicology of substance use disorders. It aims to support healthcare professionals in improving the identification, risk assessment, and the treatment of individuals affected by both traditional and emerging substances of abuse.The journal Pharmaceuticals invites the submissions of reviews, meta-analyses, clinical case series, and original research articles. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following areas:·
- Clinical neuropharmacology and toxicology of substances of abuse;
- Pharmacological and behavioural treatment strategies for substance use disorders;
- Emerging drug trends, including prescription misuse and NPS;
- Clinical screening, diagnostic tools, and early intervention approaches.
Accepted articles will be published as part of this Special Issue.
Dr. Stefania Chiappini
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- neuropharmacology
- drug abuse
- addiction
- substance abuse
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