Barbara Goodheart, ELS

Here’s something most people in the field know: buprenorphine treatment lowers the risk of overdose and death in people with opioid use disorder (OUD).  Here’s something most people in the field know: buprenorphine treatment lowers the risk of overdose and death in people with opioid use disorder (OUD).  And here’s what many don’t know: most patients don’t remain in … [Read more...] about Buprenorphine Effectively Treats OUD, But Most Patients Quit Treatment Too Early—Risking Relapse, Overdose, and Other Potentially Fatal Events

The problem of methadone underuse isn’t new—but the authors of a recently published paper offer ways to fix the situation; ways that are both new and innovative. If broad regulatory changes aren’t going to happen, they say, the solution may be to empower private insurers to make methadone more accessible to patients by, for example, allowing it to be prescribed without the … [Read more...] about Study Favors Better Insurance Reimbursement for Methadone Maintenance

There’s no question that opioid use disorder (OUD) is extremely common in incarcerated people. And yet, this group rarely receives medication treatment for OUD (MOUD).  There’s no question that opioid use disorder (OUD) is extremely common in incarcerated people. And yet, this group rarely receives medication treatment for OUD (MOUD).  Moreover: Each year, about … [Read more...] about Incarcerated People Are Entitled to Medications for Their OUD; So Why Aren’t They Getting Them?

The statistics tell the story: Rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) and its consequences continue to rise. Yet we have effective treatments: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. And data show that effective treatment reduces not only opioid use, but overdose deaths, and other consequences of opioid misuse. Moreover, we have opioid treatment programs (OTPs) that provide … [Read more...] about Report: Why OUD Statistics Continue to Worsen, and What OTPs Can Do to Help 

Almost exactly a half-year ago we highlighted an excellent review article on opioid use disorder (OUD) by Drs. Carlos Blanco and Nora Volkow of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (https://staging3.atforum.com/?s=blanco+and+volkow+review). Now we’re featuring another review article from another legend in the field: Mary Jeanne Kreek, MD, who heads the Laboratory of the … [Read more...] about Review Article: Methadone Legend Dr. Kreek on Opioid Addiction Treatment