"In the most recent years studied, 2012 to 2015, cocaine overdose deaths were almost as common in black men as prescription opioid deaths in white men and slightly more common in black women than deaths from heroin overdose in white women," Shiels said. Source: CNN Stunning and terrible that this has been so neglected.

There have been a few noteworthy medication assisted treatment (MAT) studies published recently. Two studies evaluated the comparative effectiveness of extended-release naltrexone (Vivitrol) versus buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone). Anticipation of these studies has been heightened by questions about Vivitrol's effectiveness and marketing. Study 1 The first of these was published in JAMA in October and summarized their … Continue reading Three noteworthy medication assisted treatment (MAT) studies

Bloomberg follows up on the recent stories about Google shutting  down addiction treatment related AdWords ads (emphasis mine): Google has been actively pursuing profits from the business, despite complaints that it’s a magnet for criminals. There’s an entire sales division in Cambridge, Mass., Google Health Systems, that focuses on medical markets, including addiction treatment. It’s … Continue reading Google update – How much $$$ are we talking about?

Hazelden just sent a newsletter that included a teaser about the rationale for their adoption of Suboxone over methadone. It links to this article that describes their reasoning this way: We found that buprenorphine was a better medication for our patient population and our goals of transitional use of MAT versus long-term medication maintenance. While methadone … Continue reading Hazelden shares rationale for Suboxone over methadone

Jana Burson provides a synopsis of a recent study on the role of the user's knowledge in OD. (Her blog provides her perspective as a doctor who prescribes buprenorphine. It is worth your time.) The findings will not be a surprise to anyone who talks with injection users about their knowledge and experience. The authors … Continue reading Overdose – How protective are knowledge and medication?

I just learned that Bill White's memoir Recovery Rising: A Retrospective of Addiction Treatment and Recovery Advocacy is available as an e-book on Amazon. The paper copy should be available soon. Bill described it this way: I have worked in the arenas of addiction treatment, recovery research, and recovery advocacy for nearly half a century … Continue reading Recovery Rising by Bill White

It's the kind of thing that 99.9% of people would never know, but addiction treatment related keywords have long been the most expensive keywords in Google AdWords. By far. There are treatment programs with, say, 80 beds that have 100 websites. Some identify the provider, most do not. A few years back I published a … Continue reading Another hustle. Google steps in. (Thank you, Google.)

I recently listened to this episode from the podcast Rumble Strip. Erica Heilman interviews a high school senior whose mom and grandmother are addicted. She's a really impressive young woman. I hope she's doing well in college. (This was recorded a year or two ago.) This interview does a great job illuminating the effects of … Continue reading “I’m afraid of never finding people that understand”

I've been thinking about methadone patients in Florida over the last few days. I can't imagine. Vox has a nice first person piece on what it's like. “It's awful. I haven't dosed in 5 days.” The message popped up on my Facebook feed on August 29, a day after Hurricane Harvey first hit Texas. A … Continue reading Methadone in a disaster

The Cincinnati Enquirer has a new piece on one week in the heroin epidemic in Cincinnati. It's worth your time. Here's the closing: It's almost midnight on the last day of another week, and the heroin epidemic has done its damage. 18: Deaths known or suspected to be the result of overdoses. 180: Overdoses reported … Continue reading The new normal