Topics: Addiction Treatment | Buprenorphine | Buprenorphine Induction | Detoxification | Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) | Opioid Use Disorder

Buprenorphine is a first line medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder yet remains vastly under-prescribed. Here, Dr. Capurso reviews the pharmacologic principles relevant to buprenorphine prescribing and lays out how to start patients on the medication both in the clinic and at home.

Topics: fentanyl | Harm reduction | Naloxone | Opioid epidemic | Opioids

Increases in drug overdose mortality continues unabated around the country driven by widespread availability of illicit fentanyl and methamphetamines. Dr. Sharfstein provides context to these concerning trends and discusses prevention and harm reduction strategies clinicians can implement for their patients.

Topics: Addiction | Safety Planning | Suicide

Addiction is a major risk factor for suicide. Here, we provide a practical guide to Safety Planning, an evidenced based approach for reducing suicide risk that can be implemented in a variety of clinical settings.

Topics: Buprenorphine | fentanyl | induction | medication of opioid use disorder (MOUD) | Opioid Use Disorder

Avoiding buprenorphine induced withdrawal during induction can be particularly tricky for those using fentanyl. Researchers describe a novel induction dosing strategy that mitigates this risk.

Topics: Buprenorphine | Buprenorphine Induction | medication of opioid use disorder (MOUD) | Opioid Use Disorder

Making the switch from full opioid agonist to buprenorphine usually involves a period of withdrawal prior to starting the medication. Here, researchers describe a method of switching from full to partial opioid agonist by using small “microdoses” in order to avoid withdrawal.

Topics: Addiction Treatment | Buprenorphine | Medication for Opioid Use Disorder | Naltrexone | Opioid Use Disorder

Buprenorphine and long acting injectable naltrexone are both effective for the treatment of opioid use disorder; however, until now, we had little data to predict which patients would do better on which medications. Here, researchers identify patient characteristics predictive of success on buprenorphine versus naltrexone.

Topics: CME Post-Test

The post-test for this issue is available for one year after the publication date to subscribers only. By successfully completing the test you will be awarded a certificate for 2 CME credits.