Selected References for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder with Methadone

This is a list of selected references that I have compiled to help those interested in learning more about the evidence base for the treatment of opioid use disorder with methadone.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/24514445/Selected%20References.pdf

Celebrate Medication-assisted Recovery

It has been a busy fall and hard to believe 2015 is almost upon us!

There has recently also been a lot of discussion in the media and elsewhere about the treatment of opioid use disorder with medications, or so-called medication-assisted treatment.

I have come to believe that the better term is medication-assisted recovery as recovery is what happens with so many when medications are part of their treatment and recovery regimen.

So this holiday season, I say happy holidays and best wishes for a bright and wonderful 2015 to all of those people around the world living their lives in recovery with medications -- go MAR!

Comment on CNN and addiction treatment

This is from an article by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, on the transition from prescription opioid misuse and addiction to heroin addiction. 

"We must work to make sure treatment for drug addiction is a pillar of drug policy in the United States. We already know that it can work at levels similar to the effects of treatment of other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma."

Interestingly, as a colleague of mine pointed out, by the time Dr. Gupta "got around to writing a 2-sentence paragraph on need for treatment at the end of the article, he already mentioned how some countries are prescribing heroin..... Also unfortunate is that he did not mention how there are three effective, approved medications for treatment, and how stigma reduces their availability."

Decades of collective data and experience demonstrate that medications including methadone, buprenorphine, and the newer naltrexone, can significantly help people achieve and sustain recovery from opioid use disorder and allow them to lead productive lives. But the stigma, misunderstanding, and associated politics that surrounds these medications, especially methadone and buprenorphine, keeps us collectively as a society from making the most out of them. 

We don't need prescription heroin -- we need informed and courageous politicians, healthcare providers, family members, and people in recovery to stand up and support what we already know works.  

For the full story by Dr. Gupta, go to:  http://goo.gl/Lfd8sb

conference announcement

The Maryland Society of Addiction Medicine will be having their annual meeting on Saturday, Sept 13, 2014
from 8:00am to 2:00pm.

The topic is Healthcare Integration in Maryland: How Will It Impact Your Practice?
Keynote speakers include Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Secretary of Health and Dr. Gayle Jordan-Randolph, Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health.

In addition, the conference will feature an update on Maryland's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, an overview of key scientific journals in addiction medicine in the past year, and a distinguished panel discussing their on-the-ground experiences with integrating care from different perspectives, including an Opioid Treatment Program, an Emergency Department, a rural and urban primary care practice, a mental health setting, and an inpatient acute care hospital system.

The conference is free, and you do not have to be a MDSAM member to attend.

Online registration and more information can be found at:
http://goo.gl/4IWTE5