In my last post I teased that I would write about fake science. I’ll try to make it interesting. The internet allows everyone to do research about symptoms and treatments for any condition. If not for need for prescriptions, people could act as their own doctors. But a huge dose Read more…
I’ve been busier than I like, and haven’t had as much time for posting. But I spend a lot of time answering emails from my patients, and some of my responses may be useful for others. Below I’ll share my answer to a patient who has been unable to get Read more…
I just noticed a couple of my recent posts…. these people have it wrong, and that person has it wrong. One of these days I really need to print something positive and uplifting. But not today. Today I wonder, is counseling what it is cracked up to be? Excuse the Read more…
First Posted 1/16/2014Below, internet colleague Paul Dessauer shares his extensive knowledge of opioids in comments about my naltrexone post. His comments were particularly interesting in that they provide evidence that at least someone is aware of the big picture about addiction to heroin and pain pills. A word about the opioid dependence 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…
For those who missed it, I recently provided some opinions about buprenorphine treatment for The Bridge, a journal produced by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network. The discussion was published in The Bridge Volume 4, Issue 3, and is copied below. Question 1. The introduction to buprenorphine treatment in the Read more…
Originally posted 12/31/2012 Today I read about the stereotactic brain surgery used to treat opioid dependence in China over the past ten years.  The procedure is relatively straightforward; the patient’s skull is clamped in place while small holes are drilled, guided by computerized, 3-dimensional maps of the brain. Probes are inserted deeply Read more…
Originally posted 10/21/2012 I have received a several emails over the past few years from people who experienced deteriorating dental health while taking buprenorphine or Suboxone. I also have patients in my practice who have had extensive dental work, and wonder if Suboxone is to blame for their cavities or Read more…
As I give my last post more thought…. I wonder if there is ANY clinical difference between $uboxone at $7 per dose, vs. generic buprenorphine at $2.33 per dose? Researchers out there– can anyone send me a reference? A review of the science shows that Suboxone is clinically identical to Read more…
I have shared my thoughts about ‘Suboxone Film,’ a product that serves only one purpose: to block generic competition from entering the Suboxone market. Below I’ve copied a Bloomberg article that discusses the current nature of the buprenorphine/naloxone business, and the efforts by RB to prevent market penetration by generics– Read more…
This is not all that new, but it was just pointed out to me recently and I figure many of you will find it interesting. As most readers know, the receptors that mediate the actions of cocaine are completely different than the receptors that are activated during use of opioids. Read more…
I just wrote a note to a friend who works in the molecular sciences– she has been studying opioid receptors since the early 1980’s, when things were just getting started on a molecular level. I’m keeping her name to myself, but I’ll share a few thoughts about what is needed to Read more…