|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Friday, February 15, 2013
AAPNY Conference: Meeting the Challenge through Education of the Addiction Professional
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
| |||||||||
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Florida Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse and Newborns Releases Report
A task force of doctors, public health experts and social
workers in Florida has released a report designed to combat the growing
problem of babies born to mothers who are addicted to prescription
drugs.
The report
found more than 1,560 babies born in Florida in 2011 were diagnosed
with symptoms of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). These babies often
spend three weeks in neonatal intensive care, with a cost as high as
$53,400 per baby. In contrast, the typical hospital cost for a healthy
newborn is $9,500, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
NAS babies suffer from withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, abdominal
pain, incessant crying, rapid breathing, and sometimes seizures, the
report notes.
The task force made recommendations in the areas of prevention,
intervention and best practices, and treatment. It recommended that
hospitals be required to report babies born with symptoms of NAS, as
they do with babies born with infectious diseases such as measles and
tuberculosis. The group wants to help treatment facilities reach more
women, and recommended considering new laws to offer pregnant women
immunity for seeking substance abuse treatment.
Task force member Dr. Ken Solomon, a neonatologist, told the
newspaper more research is needed to identify the best way to treat
newborns in withdrawal. He noted that some hospitals administer
methadone, while others use morphine.
Neonatologist Dr. Mary Newport said she is concerned about the
long-term effects of NAS. At her hospital, 30 percent of neonatal
intensive care unit admissions last year involved drug exposure. “We’ve
had this rash of all of these children who had this very intense drug
exposure, and then withdrawal and treatment for that. They are about to
hit the school system,” Dr. Newport said.
Veterans with PTSD Often Prescribed Drugs Not Supported by Guidelines
Veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) are
often prescribed medications not supported by existing government
guidelines, according to a new study. Most of these prescriptions are
written by mental health care providers, according to UPI.
Researchers analyzed electronic pharmacy data from the Veterans
Health Administration (VHA) for 356,958 veterans with PTSD, who received
medications from VHA prescribers. The researchers from the Iowa City
Veterans Affairs Health Care System found among veterans with PTSD who
had continuous VHA medication use, 65.7 percent were prescribed elective
serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSRI/SNRIs).
Second-generation anti-psychotics were prescribed for 25.6 percent of
the veterans, while benzodiazepines were prescribed for 37 percent.
The findings appear in the journal Psychiatric Services.
Four Loko Maker to Put “Alcohol Facts Panel” on Can
The maker of the sweet alcoholic drink Four Loko will put
an “alcohol facts panel” on the back of cans containing more than two
servings of alcohol, to settle the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC)
charges of deceptive marketing.
The panel will be similar to the nutritional facts label found on foods, the Associated Press reports. It will disclose the alcohol by volume, and the number of servings in the can.
According to a FTC news release,
the drink’s maker, Phusion Projects, must redesign cans with more than
two-and-a-half servings of alcohol so they can be resealed. This new
design will encourage drinkers not to consume the entire can in one
sitting.
The agency noted it does not have the jurisdiction to ban Four Loko,
or to force the company to limit its size or alcohol content.
The FTC had said Four Loko ads implied the 23.5-ounce can was equal to one or two regular 12-ounce beers, but is really more like four or five beers, the article notes. The cans contain up to 12 percent alcohol.
The FTC had said Four Loko ads implied the 23.5-ounce can was equal to one or two regular 12-ounce beers, but is really more like four or five beers, the article notes. The cans contain up to 12 percent alcohol.
The commission had wanted to require Phusion to put new labels on
drinks with more than two-and-a-half servings of alcohol, but changed
the requirement to cans with more than two servings of alcohol, based on
public comments about the dangers of supersized drinks.
The FTC also wanted to require a label on the front of the can that
compared the amount of alcohol in Four Loko to a regular beer. It
dropped that recommendation after some critics said it could lead to
binge drinking, by suggesting the drink was a fast, inexpensive way to
get drunk.
Four Loko originally contained caffeine and alcohol. Following warnings by the Food and Drug Administration, Phusion Projects removed caffeine from the drink.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Accidental Poisonings from Prescription Drugs on the Rise in Pets
A growing number of pets are being accidentally poisoned, and prescription medicines are largely to blame, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
reports it received more than 180,000 calls about poisonous substances
last year, up 7 percent from 2011. Since many pet owners rush poisoned
pets to their veterinarian instead of calling a hotline, the number of
accidental poisonings may be higher, the article notes.
Prescription medications for humans have accounted for the majority
of calls about accidental poisonings for the past five years, increasing
2 percent last year to more than 25,200 calls. Pet owners made almost
18,500 calls about over-the-counter medications and supplements, up 2.8
percent from the previous year.
While insecticides and rodenticides are the most deadly household
items for pets, common human medicines can also be fatal, depending on
the pet’s weight, how much the pet consumes, and the strength of the
medicine. “One acetaminophen will kill a cat,” Kevin T. Fitzgerald, a
veterinarian with VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, told
the newspaper.
Last year, calls about prescription painkillers increased 63 percent,
while calls about antidepressants rose 47.5 percent. “More and more
people are on these drugs, and dogs find them on the nightstand,” Dr.
Fitzgerald said.
The fatality rate among pets from accidental poisoning appears to be
low, at 0.2 percent of cases, according to Tina Wismer, Director of the
ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center. She notes the center does not know
the outcome of each call, so the rate might be higher. Dogs are more
likely than cats to be accidentally poisoned. Labrador Retrievers
accounted for almost 14,000 calls to the center.
To limit pets’ access to dangerous substances, keep medications in a
secure location such as a medicine cabinet, and take the medication when
the pet isn’t nearby.
For Problem Drinkers, Depression Often the Result of Heavy Drinking
Depressive symptoms in problem drinkers often are the result of heavy alcohol intake, a new study suggests.
The 30-year study included nearly 400 men, about half of whom were at
increased risk for drinking problems because their fathers were
alcoholics, MedicalXpress
reports. Over the course of the study, about 41 percent of the men with
alcoholic fathers developed alcohol abuse or dependence. Almost 20
percent suffered at least one bout of major depression, the article
notes.
Among men with alcohol problems, almost one-third of major depressive
episodes appeared only when the men were drinking heavily. The study
appears in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
“I don’t know that the average person realizes that heavy drinking
can induce mood problems,” lead researcher Marc A. Schuckit, MD, of the
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, said in a news release.
Dr. Schuckit noted that depression caused by heavy drinking is
treated differently from major depressive episodes with other causes. He
said the symptoms of depression caused by heavy drinking can be the
same as those seen in people who are not heavy drinkers. However, if the
symptoms develop in the context of heavy drinking, they are likely to
disappear within several weeks to a month after the person stops
drinking, and rarely requires antidepressants.
Doctors should consider alcohol use disorders as a potential cause of
depression, Dr. Schuckit said. He found no evidence that people with a
history of major depression were at increased risk for developing
alcohol problems. “If you’re an alcoholic, you’re going to have a lot of
mood problems,” he said. “And you may be tempted to say, ‘Well, I drink
a lot because I’m depressed.’ You may be right, but it’s even more
likely that you’re depressed because you drink heavily.”
Teens with ADHD More Likely to Have Substance Abuse Issues
Teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) are significantly more likely to have substance abuse issues and
to smoke cigarettes, compared with their peers without a history of the
disorder, according to a nationwide study.
The study found when teens were an average of 15 years old, 35
percent of those with ADHD said they used one or more substances,
compared with 20 percent of teens without a history of the disorder, Science Daily
reports. Ten percent of teens with ADHD experienced significant
problems from their substance abuse, compared with 3 percent of those
without ADHD.
The researchers found by age 17, about 13 percent of those with ADHD
experienced marijuana abuse or dependence, compared with 7 percent of
those without the disorder. Daily cigarette smoking was also higher
among teens with the disorder in this age group—17 percent, compared
with 8 percent among teens without ADHD.
Both teens with and without ADHD had high rates of alcohol use, the
study found. Teens who were treated with ADHD medication had similar
substance abuse rates, compared with those who were not being treated
for the disorder.
The findings appear in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
“This study underscores the significance of the substance abuse risk
for both boys and girls with childhood ADHD,” lead author Brooke Molina,
PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said in a news release.
“These findings also are the strongest test to date of the association
between medication for ADHD and teenage substance abuse.”
Molina added, “We are working hard to understand the reasons why
children with ADHD have increased risk of drug abuse. Our hypotheses,
partly supported by our research and that of others, is that impulsive
decision making, poor school performance, and difficulty making healthy
friendships all contribute.”
Bipartisan Group of Senators Introduce Bill to Strengthen Mental Health Care
A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill that
would strengthen the nation’s mental health care system, and improve
access in communities, according to The Washington Post.
The bill, the Excellence in Mental Health Act, would require about
2,000 federally qualified community behavioral health centers to provide
substance abuse treatment and 24-hour care.
Facilities that met federal criteria could bill Medicaid for their
services, which would greatly expand access to treatment, at an
estimated cost of $1 billion over the next 10 years, the article notes.
According to the advocacy group National Council for Behavioral
Health, the bill will allow greater access to services and treatments
needed by people with mental illnesses and addictions, to keep them
healthy and safe in their communities.
“Behavioral health has long been left out of the federal dictionary,”
Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council for
Behavioral Health, said in a news release.
“As a result, mental health and addiction providers cannot receive the
critical federal funds that support other safety net providers. They
share the unique responsibilities of the safety-net — but none of the
supports.”
She added, “Over the 30 years I’ve worked in behavioral health, I
have heard an untold number of stories about real people who need care,
but go without. I’ve seen ERs so mired down by the needs of people with
mental illnesses and addictions that it interferes with their ability to
serve their primary function. I’ve talked with family members who have
knocked on every door and still don’t know where to get help for their
loved ones. The Excellence in Mental Health Act would help right this
wrong.”
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Colorado Legislature Gears Up to Debate Drugged Driving Limits
The Colorado legislature is gearing up to debate where to
set the limit on how much marijuana can be in a person’s system before
they are considered to be driving under the influence, according to The Denver Post.
The debate is likely to include evidence from two conflicting studies, the article notes. An analysis of nine studies,
published in the British Medical Journal, found driving under the
influence of marijuana is associated with an increased risk of a motor
vehicle crash, especially for fatal collisions. The analysis found
driving under the influence of marijuana was associated with almost
twice the risk of a motor vehicle crash, compared with unimpaired
driving. The studies in the analysis included nearly 50,000 people.
A second study suggests marijuana-limit laws do not impact traffic fatalities.
The debate on drugged driving laws comes in the wake of Colorado’s
passage of a recreational marijuana law in November. Currently it is
illegal to drive while under the influence of marijuana in Colorado, but
prosecutors must prove impairment in every case, the article notes.
One bill that will be considered by the legislature sets the
marijuana limit at 5 nanograms of THC—the active marijuana
ingredient—per milliliter of blood. Under the bill, a person with at
least 5 nanograms of THC would not automatically be convicted, and could
try to argue that they were not impaired, even if they hit the
5-nanogram limit.
Recent research conducted by scientists from the National Institute
on Drug Abuse (NIDA) suggests the 5-nanogram standard may be too high to
capture drivers impaired by marijuana. Marilyn Huestis of NIDA, who
conducted a study on marijuana use and psychomotor function, says active
THC quickly falls below the 5-nanogram limit within 24 hours. “The
level of 5 nanograms per mil is pretty high,” she recently told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
“We know that people are impaired at lower levels than 5, but the
balancing act is trying to find a number that can reliably separate (the
impaired from the not-impaired), which is almost impossible to do.”
PRO-ACT Family Addiction Education Program helps families address drug and alcohol addiction
Next free sessions start week of March 5 at various locations in five counties
Each month PRO-ACT (Pennsylvania Recovery Organization–Achieving Community Together) hosts a free Family Addiction Education Program to help individuals and families recognize and address an addiction problem in a spouse, parent, child or other loved one. Led by trained volunteers who have been in the same situation, these information and support programs begin the first week of each month and run one evening a week for three consecutive weeks. Each session lasts two hours.
Programs are offered at several locations throughout the five-county southeast Pennsylvania region:
· Tuesdays—From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Media and Northeast Philadelphia.
· Wednesdays—From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Pottstown; from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in North Philadelphia; and from 7 p.m.to 9 p.m. in West Chester.
· Thursdays—From 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Northern Liberties; 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Bristol and Colmar
Sessions are free and confidential—first names only. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 800-221-6333, weekdays 9 a.m. through 5 p.m., or visit www.proact.org and click the Family Addiction Education Program link.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Amy Winehouse's Legacy
Mitch Winehouse may have lost his daughter Amy to addiction, but as he tells The Fix, he's doing his best to prevent similar tragedies in other families.
Mitch and Amy Winehouse
Photo via
On July 23, 2011, the music world—and beyond—was dealt a
crushing blow when Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning after binge
drinking. But while fans were mourning, Amy’s father Mitch immediately
sprang into action by starting the Amy Winehouse Foundation,
an organization designed to prevent the effects of drug and alcohol
misuse on young people in the UK. The foundation has crossed over into
the US and now offers music scholarships for disadvantaged youth; it
will also hold the first annual Amy Winehouse Foundation Inspiration Awards and Gala on March 21 in NYC, where Tony Bennett will serve as the honoree and Jennifer Hudson and Nas will perform.
Mitch has also released the memoir Amy, My Daughter and is carrying on her musical legacy with his own album, "Rush of Love"—with the proceeds from both ventures going directly to the foundation. In an exclusive interview with The Fix,
Mitch speaks about the accomplishments of the foundation, parenting a
child who’s addicted and the importance of early intervention.
How did the Amy Winehouse Foundation first come about?
I
was in a hotel room in New York when I first got the news that Amy
passed away and one of the first things that entered my head was
“Foundation, foundation, foundation.” But I had no experience with this
and when we started to create it, we realized you can’t just start one
up. It was a steep learning curve and continues to be.
We
launched in the UK in September 2011, but we’re really just starting
here in the US. In the UK, we’re helping a number of grantees and have
joined up with a homeless charity called New Horizon that feeds hot
meals to 60 young people a day. We’re also working on creating drug and
alcohol education projects and, starting in April, we’ll go into 45
schools and speak with the kids.
Nobody chooses to be an addict. Amy didn’t choose to be an addict.
What is the foundation hoping to accomplish?
Our
mission is to help disadvantaged young people so we’re looking to do
that in all forms. In the US, we’ll have a slightly different aim and
focus more on providing music scholarships. We just donated $25,000 to
the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Amy was half-American and her mom
was born in Brooklyn, so it made sense for one of our first US grants to
be given out here.
But in the UK, there is no drug education in
schools whatsoever. And what about the kids who suffer from self-esteem
issues? What do they do when they’re being pressured to drink or do
drugs by their peers? What if they’re being bullied or bullying
themselves? It’s an issue that goes beyond drugs and alcohol and there
are enough people working in recovery in Britain who could be of
assistance with this. The service that we’re providing is completely
unique to the UK.
Did Amy have issues with drugs as a child or did those develop in adulthood?
To
be honest, that all happened so long ago that I don’t want to look back
on it. She dealt with her drug problems successfully and was clean for
the last three years of her life. What she was suffering from was
alcohol addiction. And she really was just one step away from winning
that battle, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Having a child who’s an addict can’t be easy.
It’s
the most difficult thing that you can imagine. If you talk to three
clinical psychologists, they’ll give you three different answers about
the best approach. Some say hard love, others say soft love, another
says tough love. And when people are in the midst of an addiction, they
find it difficult to relate to their families and often separate
themselves completely. Luckily, Amy didn’t do that with us. You just
have to let them know you love them and care about them.
It’s such
a difficult situation for families both in the UK and the US, though,
because, unless you have the resources to send your child to private
treatment, it’s a three-year waiting list. And we did have the means to
send Amy to all these different places, but so many people don’t.
In
your memoir, you talked about needing a holiday from her. A lot of
parents of addicts often feel guilty admitting that it can be
exhausting.
It’s
exhaustion, it’s boring and it’s repetitious. I really wanted that to
come across in the book. One day she’s clean and hasn’t done any drugs,
the next day she’s using again. It would get better and then we’d be
back to square one. It was important for me to try and convey that
feeling of helplessness and boredom.
Did you reach out to any support groups?
There
are a few voluntary organizations in the UK with a family focus, so I
did attend those. And what I found is that most parents are in the same
boat. They think they’re on their own and genuinely don’t know what to
do because if you can’t afford treatment, you pretty much are left on
your own to figure it out.
What message do you hope to convey with the foundation and your work in addressing addiction?
Nobody
chooses to be an addict. Amy didn’t choose to be an addict. 100 percent
of people suffering from addiction didn’t imagine it would end up this
way. It’s an illness and should be treated as such. If someone has
appendicitis in the US and they don’t have private insurance, they’ll
still get an operation and the hospital will pick up the bill. The same
principle should apply with treating addiction.
I
also want to stress the importance of early intervention in school
education programs, as well as reintegration into society once addiction
has happened. Instead of being a burden on society, addicts should be
allowed to earn their own money and rejoin the community. It’s not
rocket science.
McCarton Ackerman is a freelance writer currently residing in Brooklyn. His work has appeared in Time Out New York, The Huffington Post, abcnews.com and usopen.org, among others. He has also written about Carré Otis and Celebrity Rehab, among many other topics, for The Fix.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Fewer Teens Receiving Substance Abuse Prevention Messages From Media
The percentage of teenagers who receive substanced abuse
prevention messages from the media in the past year dropped from 83.2
percent in 2002, to 75.1 percent in 2011, according to a new government report.
Teens also received fewer school-based prevention messages, the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
found. Such messages reached 78.8 percent of teens in 2002, and 74.5
percent in 2011. An estimated 40 percent of teens did not talk with
their parents in the past year about the dangers of substance abuse, Newswise reports.
A recent SAMHSA report
found teen attitudes about the risk of substances such as alcohol and
marijuana have changed in recent years. From 2002 to 2011, the
percentage of teens who perceived great risk from heavy drinking
increased from 38.2 percent to 40.7 percent. During that same time,
there was a drop in binge drinking among teens, from 10.7 percent to 7.4
percent.
The report found the percentage of teens who perceived great risk
from marijuana use once or twice a week dropped, from 54.6 percent in
2007, to 44.8 percent in 2011. Teens’ rate of past-month marijuana use
increased during that time, from 6.7 percent to 7.9 percent.
“To prevent substance abuse among our adolescents, our young people
have to know the facts about the real risks of substance abuse, and
we’re not doing a very good job of that right now,” SAMHSA Administrator
Pamela S. Hyde said in a news release.
“It is time for all of us – the public health community, parents,
teachers, caregivers, and peers – to double our efforts in educating our
youth about substance use and engaging them in meaningful conversations
about these issues, so that they can make safe and healthy decisions
when offered alcohol or drugs.”
Relatives of Painkiller Overdose Patients Speak at FDA Hearing
Relatives of patients who overdosed on painkillers told
federal regulators Thursday they want changes on the labels of narcotic
painkillers, The Wall Street Journal reports. Pain patients concerned such action could limit their access to the medications spoke against the proposed changes.
They spoke at a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing on the use of opioids
in the treatment of chronic pain. The FDA said it wants to gather
scientific evidence on issues including diagnosis and understanding of
patient pain, understanding and adhering to the labels of pain-treating
products, limiting opioid prescriptions and use, and abuse and misuse of
opioid medicines.
The FDA is considering a petition by Physicians for Responsible
Opioid Prescribing, a group of doctors and pain specialists, to include a
recommended upper daily dose on the medications’ label, and to limit
opioid treatment to 90 days, the article notes. The doctors’ group is
also recommending that opioids be indicated for severe pain, not
moderate pain, except in cancer patients.
Last month, a FDA advisory panel voted to strengthen restrictions
on hydrocodone combination drugs, such as Vicodin. The panel
recommended the FDA make the drugs more difficult to prescribe. If the
FDA accepts the panel’s recommendation, it will be sent to the
Department of Health and Human Services, which will make the final
decision.
Illegal Street Sales of Take-Home Doses of Methadone on the Rise
Illegal street sales of take-home doses of liquid
methadone, prescribed to treat opioid addiction, are on the rise,
according to law enforcement officials in Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia
and West Virginia.
The diverted methadone has been tracked to clinics operated by CRC
Health Corp., the article notes. CRC, owned by Bain Capital Partners, is
the largest U.S. provider of methadone treatment, according to
Bloomberg. Last year it operated 57 clinics in 15 states, Bloomberg reports.
Former employees say the company’s clinics are chronically
understaffed, which makes it easier for take-home methadone to be
abused. Former counselors say their heavy workload did not allow them to
adequately counsel patients.
The clinics provide take-home packages, some with just one dose, and
others containing as many as 30 doses. Police and prosecutors say in the
small towns where the company has clinics, methadone has surfaced in
criminal cases.
CRC Chief Executive Officer R. Andrew Eckert said take-home dosing
can help keep patients on methadone, and off illegal drugs, by not
making them come to the clinic every day for treatment. “Our mission is
to help these individuals, but sadly, we cannot report 100 percent
success,” he said. “No treatment provider can.”
Philip Herschman, Chief Clinical Officer of CRC, told Bloomberg the
company follows specific and rigid state and federal rules when it
decides which patients may obtain take-home doses. The company conducts
spot-checks, in which it calls back patients to clinics, to account for
their take-home bottles, he said. If a patient tests positive for any
illicit substances, take-home doses are suspended immediately, he added.
State regulatory records show this is not always true. The records
also indicate CRC’s clinics have not met staffing standards on more than
50 occasions.
Commentary: Hazelden Responds to America’s Opioid Epidemic
Too many people are hooked. Too many are dying. The problem is too big to ignore.
Over the past decade, America has experienced a rampant rise in the
number of people addicted to prescription painkillers, heroin and other
opioids. We truly face an epidemic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the death toll
from prescription painkillers has increased from 3,000 overdose deaths
in 1999 to 15,500 in 2009. The CDC also reported almost 500,000
opioid-related emergency room visits in 2009, and found that about 12
million Americans reported nonmedical use of prescription opioids in
2010.
At Hazelden, we are on the front line of this crisis, which is
hitting youth particularly hard. At our youth facility in Plymouth,
Minn., opioid addiction increased from 15 percent of patients in 2001 to
41 percent in 2011.
The problem deserves a vigorous response. That’s why Hazelden has
introduced a new treatment protocol specifically for opioid-dependent
patients.
The new protocol builds on our traditional care in two ways: by
weaving the specific features and challenges of opioid addiction into
all aspects of treatment, and by incorporating certain medications. We
now assess opioid-dependent patients to determine the need for
medication assistance. Some patients get none, particularly those who
refuse it or whose addiction is less severe. Some receive
buprenorphine/naloxone. Others utilize extended-release naltrexone. In
all cases, medication is adjunct to, and never a substitute for, our
usual evidence-based approach, which includes: psychological and
psychiatric care; Twelve Step-based individual and group therapy;
lectures; and a focus on peer, family and recovery community support for
additional structure and accountability. All of those care components,
in turn, now have an opioid emphasis. For example, we provide
opioid-specific groups, lectures and individual therapy to our
opioid-dependent patients.
Buprenorphine — an opioid itself — is a partial agonist, meaning its
effect is significantly less than the full agonists to which so many are
addicted, such as morphine, Vicodin® and heroin. It’s a safe and proven
means of helping people recover from their opioid of choice on the way
to complete abstinence. Taken daily, buprenorphine inhibits craving,
improves treatment retention, reduces relapse and improves support group
attendance. Naltrexone, our other available medication, is an opioid
antagonist. Injected once a month, it blocks the brain’s opioid
receptors, eliminating the ability for opioids to produce intoxication
or reward.
The adjunctive medication assistance helps address this population’s
hypersensitivity to physical and psychic pain, which puts them at higher
risk of leaving treatment early, relapsing and accidentally overdosing.
While abstinence remains the ultimate goal, medication helps to ensure
patients stay in treatment long enough to acquire new information,
establish new relationships and become solidly involved in recovery.
Research shows medication-assisted treatment is both effective and
safe. As such, it has been endorsed by health regulators and policy
advocates throughout America. In our view, medication taken to treat the
disease of addiction is not unlike pain medication given to
post-surgery patients: if used as directed, under the care of a
physician and not as a means of intoxication, it greatly assists in
recovery.
One of Hazelden’s values is to “remain open to innovation.” Another
is to “continue a commitment to Twelve Step fellowship.” This new
program reflects those values and, as a response to the opioid epidemic,
offers additional hope, healing and health to those who need it.
Marvin D. Seppala, MD
Marvin D. Seppala, MD, is Chief Medical Officer at Hazelden,
and an adjunct Assistant Professor at the Hazelden Graduate School of
Addiction Studies. His responsibilities include overseeing all
interdisciplinary clinical practices at Hazelden, maintaining and
improving standards, and supporting growth strategies for Hazelden’s
residential and nonresidential addiction treatment programs. Dr. Seppala
obtained his M.D. at Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota, and
served his residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in addiction at
University of Minnesota Hospitals in Minneapolis. He is author of Clinician’s Guide to the Twelve Step Principles, and Prescription Painkillers: History, Pharmacology and Treatment, and a co-author of When Painkillers Become Dangerous, and Pain-Free Living for Drug-Free People.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)