The federal Department of Justice has ordered repeatedly that people in treatment or recovery on medications to treat opioid use disorder are protected by the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). This spring, the federal government issued guidance specifying this, and noting that entities covered by the ADA include the workplace, healthcare organizations, and the criminal … [Read more...] about DOJ Issues Guidance Underscoring ADA Protections for People Taking Methadone or Buprenorphine
Expanding Access to Methadone Treatment
A recent article based on the two-day methadone workshop by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine distills several of the messages of that workshop: extending take-home flexibilities and allowing physician prescribing are two of the top ones (for more on that workshop, see https://atforum.com/2022/03/nasem-methadone-expand-access-primary-care/). The … [Read more...] about Expanding Access to Methadone Treatment
AATOD: No Pharmacy Dispensing of Methadone, Except for Stable Patients Currently in OTPs
In a policy document on “Methadone Reform” updated this spring by the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD), the organization has clearly noted that dosing in the clinic is associated with improved treatment retention, and that pharmacy distribution has been linked to diversion and to concomitant getting rid of methadone as a treatment … [Read more...] about AATOD: No Pharmacy Dispensing of Methadone, Except for Stable Patients Currently in OTPs
Why 8 Milligrams of Naloxone Should be Given in all Opioid ODS, STAT: Fentanyl
In the era of illicit fentanyl, multiple doses of naloxone are sometimes needed to reverse opioid overdoses, a recent literature review published in Substance Abuse has confirmed. Reports of the need for multiple doses of the 2-mg version have long been noticed by first responders, and the article confirms those reports. However, giving someone one dose of naloxone and … [Read more...] about Why 8 Milligrams of Naloxone Should be Given in all Opioid ODS, STAT: Fentanyl
APA Meeting to Feature New President Discussing Buprenorphine
The American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, gathering live for the first time since 2019, will be in New Orleans May 21-25. The first sold-out session was a day-long seminar on treating opioid use disorder (OUD) with buprenorphine, conducted by new APA president Petros Levounis, M.D., an addiction medicine physician, and colleagues. Levounis is professor and chair of … [Read more...] about APA Meeting to Feature New President Discussing Buprenorphine
