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Treatment Outcomes: Does it Work?
We hear a lot about how many patients relapse following treatment. The implication is that treatment is a waste of time and resources. I work in a treatment center and have seen plenty of successes,...
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The Rumor Mill: “Killer Rehab”?
I’ve been reading lately about the death of celebs like Cory Monteith, who OD’ed after stints in rehab. Including the claim that rehab actually promotes death because of the emphasis on not using...
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Pain Conundrum
You may have seen the recent NY Times piece describing an extraordinary increase in mortality rates among middle-aged white men– well beyond the increases seen in other populations. Nobody expected...
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In the News
A few recent stories that made the headlines (OK, maybe not on the front page, but still): Heroin overdose fatalities continue to climb Unfortunately, this one won’t surprise anybody who works in...
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Overdose Fatality Trends
The other day the New York Times scared everyone unnecessarily with a headline claiming that overdose deaths in the US exceeded 500,000 in 2014. “What?” came screams from around the nation. Oops,...
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The OD Epidemic Continues…
The overdose epidemic continues, with evidence of increasing mortality among a group that in the past has generally enjoyed better health: white people. Here’s a recent NY Times article. Theoretically,...
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War For Drugs
Most American voters may have given up on the War On Drugs, but that doesn’t mean the other side is taking a nap. They’re apparently hard at work at what we might call “the War to Produce Stronger...
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No, It Wasn’t the Pain
Was it really pain, not opioids, that killed Prince? That’s an argument being advanced in the media– it’s an epidemic of pain, ‘criminally’ undertreated, that we have to address– not the medications...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pain Conundrum
You may have seen the recent NY Times piece describing an extraordinary increase in mortality rates among middle-aged white men– well beyond the increases seen in other populations. Nobody expected...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In the News
A few recent stories that made the headlines (OK, maybe not on the front page, but still): Heroin overdose fatalities continue to climb Unfortunately, this one won’t surprise anybody who works in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Overdose Fatality Trends
The other day the New York Times scared everyone unnecessarily with a headline claiming that overdose deaths in the US exceeded 500,000 in 2014. “What?” came screams from around the nation. Oops,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The OD Epidemic Continues…
The overdose epidemic continues, with evidence of increasing mortality among a group that in the past has generally enjoyed better health: white people. Here’s a recent NY Times article. Theoretically,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
War For Drugs
Most American voters may have given up on the War On Drugs, but that doesn’t mean the other side is taking a nap. They’re apparently hard at work at what we might call “the War to Produce Stronger...
View ArticleClik here to view.
No, It Wasn’t the Pain
Was it really pain, not opioids, that killed Prince? That’s an argument being advanced in the media– it’s an epidemic of pain, ‘criminally’ undertreated, that we have to address– not the medications...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Suboxone and Overdose
I’ve been asked about this several different times now, so it might be worth a comment. The question: Suppose someone who was on Suboxone maintenance decided to go ahead and inject heroin. Would the...
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In the News: Heroin Deaths Surpass Gun-Related Deaths
Another undesirable landmark: Heroin fatalities passed gun homicides in the CDC’s rankings. The Washington Post’s coverage is here. This most recent surge in deaths is mainly attributed to fentanyl,...
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NarCan’t?
Here’s another medication that seems to have ascended rapidly up the price ladder: naloxone, the med we depend on to reverse an opioid overdose. That’s not good, given the reality of 30,000-plus actual...
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Abused by Alcohol
Old drinking joke: “I don’t know why they say I abuse alcohol. Most of the time it’s the alcohol that’s abusing me.” Traditionally that sort of humor applied to males, but that may change now that...
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In the News: The Fentanyl Factor
We’ve heard quite a bit about the role of fentanyl and carfentanil in escalating OD risk among heroin users. But not as much about their unexpected intrusion into the cocaine supply. Cocaine is back...
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Notes From the Epidemic
First, about those troubling overdose fatalities, this from Kaiser Family Foundation— a breakdown by state, year, and age group. You can scroll back by date to see how things in your state have changed...
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