Barbara Goodheart, ELS

In the setting of open-access opioid treatment programs (OTPs), the authors of this study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence sought to determine if patients with benzodiazepine exposure at study entry would have retention rates similar to those without benzodiazepine exposure. Comparing the retention rate for the two groups, the authors found that baseline benzodiazepine exposure … [Read more...] about Study: OTP Retention Unaffected by Benzodiazepines

A decade ago. fentanyl, the white powder that closely resembles heroin, hit the illicit drug scene, and it was a drug dealer’s dream—highly potent, yet cheap. But illicit fentanyl proved risky. Because fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, many who used it died. Others feared fentanyl at first, but quickly grew to appreciate its extra zing—then couldn’t get … [Read more...] about Commentary: Experts Call for OTP Help in the Fentanyl Crisis

Many patients seeking help for a health-related crisis are relieved to learn that their new caregiver has had a similar experience—especially when it’s treatment for a substance use disorder (SUD). As patients face stigma and other barriers, empathy from a caregiver with shared experiences can help keep them in treatment while they receive medication for opioid use disorder … [Read more...] about Study: Peer Caregivers Help Patients Counteract Stigma Barrier

When Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, attributed his investigative success to “the little grey cells”—components of the brain’s grey matter—he may well have been correct. He usually was. Today, neuroscientists delving into the comparatively neglected “other half of the brain” are defining the highly important roles of white matter. They’ve found … [Read more...] about Study: Long-term Abstinence Restores Impaired Brain Function and Structure in Patients With Heroin Use Disorder, but Questions Remain

Emergency department (ED) clinicians could start patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) on the road to life-saving recovery by beginning buprenorphine treatment during an ED visit. But many patients aren’t given a prescription when they leave the ED. Why is this? Research on treating OUD in the ED has tended to focus on clinician-reported barriers, such as regulatory … [Read more...] about Study: “Just Give Them a Choice!”—What Patients Think About Starting Buprenorphine or Methadone in the ED