Tapering Suboxone

How to Stop Buprenorphine or Suboxone, Pt 2

In the last post we discussed some of the misconceptions about tapering off opioids.  Today we will discuss a couple basic principles, and then describe the approach I recommend for my patients tapering off buprenorphine. Presenting how to stop buprenorphine Read more…

pain pill overdose deaths

Can I Get High From Suboxone?

Can a person get high from Suboxone or buprenorphine, the active part of that medication? I suspect most pharmacists, police officers, and legislators would answer ‘yes!’, but the answer is more complicated. The people who serve patients who take Suboxone Read more…

Get Help. Get Buprenorphine, Not Methadone.

In the first part of this series I described my experiences working in methadone-assisted treatment, including aspects of that industry that, in my opinion, warrant serious consideration. In the second part I described steps that potential patients can take that Read more…

Don’t Spend A Lifetime In Treatment

I described how seeking methadone-assisted treatment for OUD can lead to a lifetime dependency.  Informed patients can take steps to reduce that risk of life-defeating attachment.   Clinics could do the same, although doing so may harm the business model of Read more…

Methadone Treatment Can Become a Lifetime Curse

I know. Nothing brings out the boo-birds like a negative story about methadone. For the record I agree that methadone treatment, properly provided, is a vital and life-sustaining weapon against opioid overdose deaths. But too often, methadone treatment can become Read more…

Pain treatment becomes more rational

Pain Treatment Becomes More Rational

I’ve spent 15 years treating addiction, mostly to opioids. I’ve worked in residential treatments, methadone programs. I have testified in cases related to overdose deaths. I know the harm that is possible from excess opioid precribing or use. But I Read more…