Switching from Buprenorphine to Extended-Release Naltrexone: Does it Work?

Topics: Buprenorphine | Naltrexone | Opioids | Research Update | Substance Use

Review of: Solli KK et al, Addiction 2018;113(10):1840-1849 Extended-release naltrexone (Vivitrol) has had some good data, yet getting patients on it remains a challenge, because an opioid-free period is required before starting it. Understandably, practitioners get nervous when patients stabilized on buprenorphine ask to be transitioned to extended-

Is Ketamine Just Another Opiate?

Topics: Antidepressants | Depression | Ketamine | Opioids | Research Update

Review of: Williams NR et al, Am J Psychiatry 2018;175:1–11 Type of study: Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study Ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects have now been demonstrated in over two dozen double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, but how it works is less clear. For many years, NMDA receptor antagonism was thought responsib

More Evidence of Lives Saved by Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

Topics: Opioids | Registered Articles | Research Update

REVIEW OF: Larochelle MR et al, Ann Intern Med 2018;169(3):137–145 We are in the middle of an opioid crisis in the US, with many lives lost daily to opioid-related deaths. Pharmacotherapy with methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone represents an important tool for clinicians during this crisis. But just how good are these medications in saving liv