Vivitrol and the promise of abstinence maintenance By Bethany Crotts Treatment for opioid addiction is a multi-faceted problem, as it has proven to be a difficult disease to overcome and no single treatment strategy has been shown to be successful. Treatment programs focus initially on the acute stages of detoxification, with an estimated 80 percent…
Three issues to consider when prescribing Suboxone in Kentucky
In the face of the devastating opioid epidemic, treatment professionals are searching for ways to help patients control their addiction. Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine is one treatment which has greatly expanded. From 2012 to 2015, there was an 82 percent increase in buprenorphine dispensing. The Kentucky Department of Medicaid Services paid over…
Pharmacy students weigh in: Understanding sundowning, opioid abuse, Abuse Deterrent Formulations and medication synchronization.
Sundowning (also known as sundown syndrome) is the emergence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in the late afternoon, evening or night. Typical symptoms include agitation, confusion, anxiety and aggression. Sundowning is not a psychiatric diagnosis, but is a broadly used term to describe a group of behaviors that occur at a specific time of day. These behaviors can include disorientation, pacing, wandering, erratic movement and screaming.…
The heroin bill dialogue: What should be included in the final legislation?
There is no disagreement that Kentucky is in need of improved heroin legislation. Last year, 230 people lost their lives due to a heroin overdose. Over half of those were from Jefferson County making heroin deaths twice as common as homicide in Louisville. The 2015 legislative session provides our best opportunity to pass comprehensive legislation…