2022

Some people called it “something for everyone.” Others just said “at last.” The spending bill approved by Congress December 23 eliminates the x-waiver for prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, something that the field at large had been calling for for years. Who did not want this: OTPs, because it makes it much easier for misprescribing to take place in the … [Read more...] about Massive spending bill includes huge changes for SUD field: No more x-waiver, increases for treatment

On December 13, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), proposed to expand access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). This is very good news for patients, providers, and other stakeholders. Here is the informational statement … [Read more...] about SAMHSA proposal to update methadone regulations: Welcome news for OTPs and patients

There’s a refreshing new voice in the addiction field—a voice that doesn’t always sing the establishment song, and is not afraid to question widely held beliefs. The new voice is Kirsten E. Smith, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Her latest publication, “Disease and Decision,” appearing in the Journal … [Read more...] about Lived Experience: A Refreshing New Voice

At last month’s annual meeting of AMERSA, a standing-room-only workshop gave a close-up look at what can happen when an opioid treatment program (OTP) tapers a patient too quickly from methadone. The result, in the case discussed, was psychosis. “The only tapers I thought would happen were voluntary, very slow,” she said. The focus would be on keeping the patient … [Read more...] about AMERSA report OTP medical director discusses possibility of psychosis as a result of rapid methadone taper

Today an extraordinary project conducted by the National Association for State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) and the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) revealed how many programs and patients are in Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs). All 1,826 OTPs were surveyed; the response rate was 85%. From that response, the census retrieved … [Read more...] about First-of-a-kind OTP census shows vast majority of patients treated with methadone