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 recently gave a lecture to medical students about opioid dependence and medication assisted treatment using buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone. I was happy to see their interest in the topic, in contrast to the utter lack of interest in learning about buprenorphine shown by practicing physicians. In case someone from Read more…
Many patients on Suboxone or buprenorphine eventually require pain treatment, just like people who aren’t on buprenorphine products. I’ve written about post-op pain control several times, but I continue to get emails from patients who haven’t seen my comments and who view an upcoming surgery with the same fear experienced Read more…
I don’t have pull with the addiction-related organizations out there. I’m never been a joiner, and I tend to notice the problems caused by medical societies over the good things that they supposedly accomplish. For example PROP, or ‘Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing’, have a specific mission. Once a 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…
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…
The FDA recently released a Drug Safety Announcement about the use of codeine in young children after tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy surgery for obstructive sleep apnea. I was somewhat surprised to see a safety announcement on a medication that has been in use for decades, but the release underscores our improved knowledge of drug Read more…
I often receive emails from patients on buprenorphine (or Suboxone) who are preparing for surgery or other painful medical procedures. Ideally in such cases, the surgeon would have a discussion with the person prescribing buprenorphine, in order to coordinate the plan for treating postoperative pain. In practice such discussions don’t Read more…
Ah yes…. another post about my book… Over the past few years, I’ve taken posts from this blog, posts from other sources that I’ve written, some sections of a ‘memoir’ that I have not gotten around to writing… and combined them in a book about addiction. The book does not 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…
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…