Ideology vs. Science

Joshua Sharfstein in JAMA discusses the opioid abuse epidemic and what to do about it. This is an opinion piece that doesn ' t have references, but I can assure you that he is right on the facts. People with opioid addiction seldom succeed in maintaining long term recovery without what we call Medication Assisted Treatment. That means either methadone or buprenorphine, both of which are themselves opioids. As Sharfstein tell us, " Many still believe that those who take methadone or buprenorphine are ' trading one addiction for another, ' ' in bondage, ' or ' taking a cop-out. ' " People who are using these medications may face reprisals from judges or social service agencies.Here is the reality. People on Medication Assisted treatment don ' t get high, and are not impaired. These particular opioids have a pharmacokinetic profile (as we say) that keeps them at a fairly steady concentration in the blood for a long time, meaning that they can eliminate craving without the side effects of intoxication. That means people can work, go to school, take care of their families, whatever they need to do. They are no longer committing crimes or at risk for overdose.There are lots of chronic diseases for which people have to take medications every day, for a lifetime. These include diabetes, HIV, high blood pressure, high cholesterol . . . If you are over 45 or so, you probably take at least one medication every day yourself. If you didn ' t, you would be at higher risk for death and if y...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs