For about 600 reasons I generally avoid the Huffington Post. But one of their writers did an absolutely perfect job of describing the need for buprenorphine, and the failure of ‘traditional’ treatments. The article is entitled Dying to be Free The challenge, though, is getting the article into the hands Read more…
I set up a new site today that collects newsfeeds related to the epidemic of opioid dependence and posts links to the articles. Some of the news stories strike a sensational tone, as opposed to the somber nature of the content— and my intention was not to create a website Read more…
I hope that people recognize the tongue-in-cheek nature of the title. After working as a physician in various roles over a period of 20 years, I can state with absolute confidence that the answer to the question is ‘yes’. I’ve written numerous times about the writer/activist for the Salem-News.com web Read more…
Last night I came across a medical student web site that included a link to a post of mine from a couple years ago, that described my feelings about Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, and other benzodiazepines. The people commenting at that site appreciated my comments, and my comments were ‘seconded’ by Read more…
Every now and then I receive an e-mail or comment that is sufficiently long to warrant a post of it’s own. Below is the comment without interruption; a bit lower I repeat parts of the comment, interspersed with my own responses. I hope you find it interesting. The comment: I Read more…
I’m not sure about the make-up of readers of this blog. I know that there are about 20,000 page views each month, but I don’t know how many are by people addicted to opioids, people taking buprenorphine, family members of addicts, or physicians who prescribe buprenorphine. If you fall into Read more…
I haven’t gone anywhere in case you’re wondering… but I recently started writing a blog on Psych Central, called ‘an epidemic of addiction.’ Please add it to your reading list! This is my favorite time of year and the time I am most likely going to be outdoors, so watch Read more…
I will share some thoughts that I left at a discussion at a ‘linked in’ group about addiction. I was responding to someone who was equating addiction and physical dependence in a baby born to an opiate-addicted mother. My feeling is that such women are given way too much of Read more…
I frequently point out the lack of outrage over the epidemic of opiate dependence and the consequence of that epidemic. I live in ‘middle America,’ and sometimes it seems that everyone I know has some connection to opiate dependence– a relative who is an addict, a friend who died, a Read more…
I am in need of some help from the people listed in the title– so if you have connections, help me out. I am adding this sentence to the front of this post after rambling too long, as I’m afraid that the person I need won’t get to the important Read more…
Medpedia has been expanding on a number of fronts, with a ‘wiki’ approach to all things medical– including addiction. This blog— Suboxone Talk Zone– will be included in the News and Analysis section of the site; I also hope to submit content and contribute to our knowledge base about opiate Read more…
Every chronic pain patient and opiate addict looks forward to the day someone finds the Holy Grail for opiates: an agent that blocks or reduces tolerance and that eliminates withdrawal. The two phenomena are linked and so the same agent may help with both problems, or perhaps instead there will Read more…