Yale researchers have uncovered startling data about the number of children and adolescents (younger than age 20) dying from opioid poisoning. The general belief—until the Yale team delved into it—was that children and adolescents rarely die from ingesting illicit and prescription opioids. But the researchers found that most studies had looked at deaths related to … [Read more...] about The Shocking Facts About Opioid Deaths in the Very Young
29-8
The “Three-Day Rule” Needs To Be Extended to Allow Longer Treatment With Methadone or Buprenorphine
In 2017, Gail Groves Scott, MPH, manager of the Substance Use Disorders Institute at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, wrote a passionate piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the importance of expanding existing Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) rules to expand and relax hospital regulations. Ms. Scott sought to remove the “three-day rule,” which limits … [Read more...] about The “Three-Day Rule” Needs To Be Extended to Allow Longer Treatment With Methadone or Buprenorphine
How OTPs Can Help Pain Patients With OUDS: SAMHSA
Can opioid treatment programs (OTPs) help pain patients who no longer need opioids for pain? Absolutely, says Elinore F. McCance-Katz, MD, PhD, assistant secretary for mental health and substance use at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “For overuse and misuse of pain medications over time, which may have been initiated for a pain condition—I definitely think … [Read more...] about How OTPs Can Help Pain Patients With OUDS: SAMHSA
42 CFR Part 2 Still a Target for 2019
Perhaps the best example of what can happen to loss of confidentiality is the story of the Boston Medical Center nurse, who, doing exactly what the Surgeon General of the United States recommended, got a prescription for naloxone in case she needed to rescue anyone from an opioid overdose. She was denied life insurance, because the insurance company thought she herself was at … [Read more...] about 42 CFR Part 2 Still a Target for 2019
In-House, On-Site Pharmacy Provides Convenience and Minimizes Stigma, Enhancing Retention
In opioid treatment programs (OTPs) in the United States, all pharmacy is “in-house,” meaning that patients are dispensed medication by nurses in the facility. There is no need to go to an outside community pharmacy—and for methadone, it’s not even legal for pharmacies to dispense for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). In Canada, however, methadone patients can—and do—go … [Read more...] about In-House, On-Site Pharmacy Provides Convenience and Minimizes Stigma, Enhancing Retention
