Fentanyl plays a role in more and more opioid overdose deaths. Most fentanyl used ‘on the streets’ starts in China, with precursors shipped to California or Mexico before distribution throughout the US. Fentanyl acts very potently at the same receptors as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone. Reports of overdose deaths caused Read more…
I came across this public-accesss story, and wanted to share the perspective: Pauline Bartolone, Kaiser Health NewsEven as opioids flood American communities and fuel widespread addiction, hospitals are facing a dangerous shortage of the powerful painkillers needed by patients in acute pain, according to doctors, pharmacists and a coalition of Read more…
I have received MANY messages over the years from patients on buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) who required surgery, but whose doctors refused to provide post-op analgesia. Those of you not on Suboxone– can you imagine having surgery, and being told that ‘it is too much hassle to give you any medicine for Read more…
First Posted 8/28/2013 I realize that I am halfway through a post called ‘Suboxone Abuse Part I’. This is poor form, but I am now going to get halfway through a second topic before finishing the first one. Sorry. I recently came across a problem relating to the new healthcare Read more…
I will get to ‘Part II’, but today I talked with a patient about something that happens too often, that deserves to be pointed out. The person was in the ER with an injury that resulted in tib/fib francture. The ER doc provided no analgesia, in the ER or at Read more…
Originally posted 12/19/2012 I’ve written about this topic a number of times, but I continue to receive emails from people on buprenorphine who describe inadequate pain control following surgery. I have prepared a document for my own patients to provide to surgeons, dentists, and ER staff to be used in the case of injury or Read more…
I wrote this a couple years ago, and still get questions about the topic today. Studies show that a small fraction of the amount of buprenorphine in a tablet or film strip actually gets absorbed through mucous membranes; the rest is swallowed. The 15%-30% amount of absorption is referred to Read more…
I recently resumed writing for the expert forum on addiction at MedHelp.Org. One result of writing for MedHelp is that I receive a number of e-mails from people with questions about specific issues related to buprenorphine. The most common questions are from people on buprenorphine undergoing surgery, asking about the Read more…
While I’m on the subject of rip-offs, I’ll mention an extreme form of ‘detox capitalism’; a process called rapid opioid withdrawal, rapid detox, or ‘the Waismann Method.’ The name of the process supposedly comes from a certain ‘Dr. Waismann’ who helped Israeli soldiers get off opioids after they were treated Read more…
Thanks, all of you who wrote comments to my last post. I remind everyone once again to consider taking your comments here and after writing them, also taking them to SuboxForum.com. I am going to put up a new category to discuss topics that were initiated here; it would be Read more…
Im in a methadone maintenance program and am currently at 130 and I have pre-employment drug screen coming up in about a month. I wanted to see how low I could get off the methadone and switch to suboxone. if it is not detectable in a drug screen. Also, I Read more…
This gentleman answered my post about the limits of will power. I feel for him– I moved his post up here because it describes what happens when one partner falls in love with narcotics. As I read the post, about his wife slowly checking out with opiates and then with Read more…