When the “opioid crisis” is mentioned, most people think of heroin, prescription pills like oxycodone, or — more recently — the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl. Fewer people would think of novel opioids like tianeptine, although an incre…
Category: Meds
Cannabis stigma continues to impede patient care
“My grandchildren are appalled.” So said the elderly patient I saw yesterday. This lovely woman came to our practice for the treatment of extreme pain. At 99-years of age, she has survived multiple cancers and their associated treatments. S…
Practicing medicine without a license is illegal. Yet cannabis dispensaries are doing it.
I look forward to clinic days. I thoroughly enjoy meeting with patients, hearing how they’re doing, and helping them to feel better – even if, on occasion, the only thing I can do to help is to listen. Yesterday was a clinic day. In the middle of…
The pandemic’s epidemic: opioid use disorder and subpar suboxone access
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated America’s health, taking more than 500 thousand American lives, upending the economy, and perpetuating racial health disparities. It also has worsened the country’s ongoing opioid use disorder (OUD) epidemic. In fac…
The updated benzodiazepine boxed warning: What you need to know
“I am [sharing] my story as I would like to raise awareness about the dangers of benzodiazepines and advocate for stronger warning labels.” I paused to wipe away tears before typing the final words of Bobbi’s report into the FDA’s MedWatch online repor…
The confusing policy surrounding the buprenorphine X-waiver
In the waning days of the Trump administration, a surprising announcement came down from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that the barrier required to write buprenorphine prescriptions for opioid use disorder would be lifted via reform…
Cannabinoids are medicine, but patients aren’t getting the care they need
It’s Wednesday at 3:27 p.m. I was just in the kitchen cutting potatoes for a belated birthday dinner which, ironically, will be happening very early this evening. I noticed a missed text on my phone and decided to call back, as was requested. It was fr…
6 unconscious biases against vitamins and supplements
Like many scary health scenarios where patients seek some modicum of influence, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to patient demand for “immune-boosting” dietary supplements. Toilet paper wasn’t the only essential item being limited by stores; bottles of z…
My Klonopin withdrawal story
It was September 11, 2001. My dad had cheated on my mom again, the building that I worked in at that time had received an anonymous tip that we were a potential target for the terrorist attacks, and my mom, who needed a reprieve from my dad’s crap, was…
Merging the wisdom of pain medicine and addiction medicine to optimize outcomes
Family lore recalls that my grandfather, succumbing to stomach cancer in the mid-1960s, “died addicted to morphine.” Decades before the AIDS crisis sparked the hospice and palliative care movements, the confluences of pain, dependence, and addiction we…
