I won’t weigh in on the upcoming election, for fear of being barraged with insulting tweets by one candidate or ‘offed’ by the other. But the current opioid dependence crisis provides a great chance to learn whether you stand on the side of ‘limited government’ or the alternative. The TREAT Act takes 5 minutes to … [Read more…]
Anyone who proposes an easy solution to the overdose epidemic is either a simpleton or a politician. But far too many people entrusted with the power and responsibility to set priorities decry the number of overdose deaths, then stigmatize and demonize every effort to save lives. “Suboxone can be diverted.” “Someone might drive impaired after methadone.” “Needle … [Read more…]
I received a question about Kratom, and searched for a earlier post about that plant/substance. That post came shortly after Obama’s inauguration, after someone wrote to compare his experience at that event to his experience taking opioids. Funny how every ‘high’ has its own ‘morning after!’ That Post: On a message board called ‘opiophile’, a … [Read more…]
In regard to my last post… There are many directions that we could take as we review that message. My overall impression, as I read the letter, was of a person struggling to accept the reality of his condition. Over and over, the person repeated the same behavior, starting Suboxone, stopping, and thinking this time … [Read more…]
I received the following email last week. I considered trimming it down, but the story is well-written and describes a history that is similar to that of many of my patients. As usual, I will write a follow-up post in a week or so. Dear Dr. J, I have read many of your posts over … [Read more…]
Another question from a reader: The current blog brings up the notion of long term use of Bupe or short term detox. You say you are a fan of long term use, and that is clearly a good thing when the patient is one headed back to a drug culture of life of crime or … [Read more…]
I presented this topic at the Atlanta meeting of ASAM a couple weeks ago. There are too many slides, but the historical stuff was just too fascinating to leave out. I wanted to demonstrate, by lining it up on the side, how time has compressed the most critical discoveries to a very short period of … [Read more…]
I was never a huge Whitney fan, but nobody can debate the beauty and power of her voice. Also beyond debate is that she deserved a better ending than the one she found, alone in a bathtub, while ‘friends’ were partying a few floors away. Xanax and other benzodiazepines, combined with alcohol, are suspected of … [Read more…]