There is plenty of nonsense on the internet, but nonsense is most-annoying when it comes from ‘experts’. I’m referring to nonsense from American Addiction Centers about Suboxone. If you go to their heavily-advertised site there is no mention of the scandals involving ‘sober treatment programs’ that filled the Florida news Read more…
I’ll share an interesting story about the data used for the prescription drug database in Wisconsin and other states. I’ve been holding back on writing about this issue in hopes that the reason for the story would be corrected, and I would have no story to tell. But that hasn’t Read more…
I’ve been frustrated by the people behind the Wisconsin PDMP, or Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, for their mistakes related to buprenorphine. Whoever came up with the numbers made a rookie error when calculating the equivalent morphine dose of patients taking buprenorphine products. The error is easy to notice by anyone Read more…
The safety of buprenorphine when not combined with a benzodiazepine has been twisted to suggest buprenorphine is uniquely dangerous when combined with benzodiazepines, which is not true. I’ve heard more and more from insurers, regulators, and well-meaning agencies about the dangers of combining buprenorphine and benzodiazepines. Some insurers protest paying Read more…
It has been awhile since I posted a give and take with a misguided reader. I’ve taken that interval as good news that education is winning over misinformation. But then I read this: a sad and crazy argument against Suboxone. I didn’t fix her typos, as I think they provide Read more…
First Posted 2/1/2014The topic of newborn abstinence syndrome from buprenorphine provokes strong emotions. Expectant mothers anticipate harsh attitudes from doctors and nurses. They worry that their use of buprenorphine will cause their babies to suffer from withdrawal. They hear about the experiences of women reported to CPS after delivery, or Read more…
Over the past few months, I’ve read a few posts at the forum that are worth sharing. I’ve been torn whether to share them with the general buprenorphine community, or only with doctors who prescribe the medication. I’ve decided that since the ideas came from a layperson community, I’m not Read more…
First Posted 7/28/2013 Ibogaine, a drug long-rumored to treat opioid withdrawal, has become a hot topic for those taking buprenorphine. Ibogaine is a complex molecule that comes from a group of plants that are known, in West Central Africa, as Iboga. In native African culture the drug is used to induce Read more…
First Published 7/23/2013 I hear from the anti-buprenorphine people now and then, less than I used to. I also hear from fans of this blog’s early days, when I routinely lost my temper in response to those people. Their general line was that things on heroin weren’t all that bad, but Read more…
Originally Posted 7/18/2013 Like most of you, I’m not thrilled with modern healthcare. I miss how things were twenty years ago, when I had a sense of ‘having a doctor’ who actually knew me, who had my best interests in mind. I remember my father, a defense attorney in a Read more…
Originally Posted 3/14/2013 A local District Attorney wrote to me last week to express his concern about the increased diversion of buprenorphine. I often sense an undercurrent of tension when I cross paths with attorneys, aware of the different attitudes that we hold that arise from our different roles in society. Read more…
Originally posted 3/6/2013 A late post tonight, since my new exercise program has pushed my blogging back by an hour or so each night. My suspicions about exercise were correct, by the way; it is much easier to suggest exercise to other people than it is to actually exercise. I’ve Read more…