Newsletter

March 2024 – Journal Club- Prescribing buprenorphine: What is the role and risk?

Prescribing buprenorphine: What is the role and risk of monoproduct? Andrea Truncali, MD MPH & Stephanie Nichols, PharmD, MPH, BCPP, FCCP Developed with Support of the Maine Substance Use Disorder Learning Collaborative March 2024 Key Buprenorphine (both combo and mono) = buprenorphine Buprenorphine monoproduct = BUP, mono Buprenorphine/naloxone = BUP-N, combo

March 2024 – Journal Club- Prescribing buprenorphine: What is the role and risk? Read More »

February 2024 Journal Club – Reduced Use vs. Abstinence: Insights from a NIDA Study on Stimulant Use Disorder

“I’m still using meth, but only once this week”. What does this mean?! This NIDA study bravely took a step towards understanding what a reported reduction in methamphetamine (MA) or cocaine use might mean for people with stimulant use disorder (do). It found that at about three months’ time “Reduced Use” of stimulants- defined as

February 2024 Journal Club – Reduced Use vs. Abstinence: Insights from a NIDA Study on Stimulant Use Disorder Read More »

February 2024 Journal Club – Understanding what a reported reduction in methamphetamine (MA) or cocaine use might mean for people with stimulant use disorder(DO)

In people with stimulant use disorders, reducing from high frequency to low frequency stimulant use is associated with reported improvements in substance use and mental health symptoms.

February 2024 Journal Club – Understanding what a reported reduction in methamphetamine (MA) or cocaine use might mean for people with stimulant use disorder(DO) Read More »

October 2023 Journal Club – Fentanyl Toxicology Testing 16 vs 24 mg: Beyond the Headlines

Greetings, colleagues! In the era of fentanyl, we wonder, is more buprenorphine better? Or does having more medication on-hand feed other use disorders, the purchase of more fentanyl, and/or promote diversion? This retrospective study from the Rhode Island PDMP suggests that a 24mg dose and/or the treatment approach that travels with it, captures slightly more

October 2023 Journal Club – Fentanyl Toxicology Testing 16 vs 24 mg: Beyond the Headlines Read More »

June 2023 Journal Club – OUD related telehealth during the early pandemic reduced death, independent of medication for OUD

These two articles were presented at this April’s American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) national meeting as top Addiction Medicine articles of the year. As the public health emergency has now ended and treatment programs are untangling what this means for workflows, I thought it would be useful to take a look. It wasn’t until

June 2023 Journal Club – OUD related telehealth during the early pandemic reduced death, independent of medication for OUD Read More »

May 2023 Journal Club- Precipitated Withdrawal in the Fentanyl Era: Reassessing Risk Perception Through New Data

Some of you remember the days when precipitated withdrawal (PW) felt mostly theoretical. It was before fentanyl suffused the drug supply. At that time, it generally occurred with methadone to buprenorphine transitions or when the advice to wait for moderate withdrawal was not properly heeded. In the last several years, on-the-ground providers have been hearing

May 2023 Journal Club- Precipitated Withdrawal in the Fentanyl Era: Reassessing Risk Perception Through New Data Read More »

May 2023 Journal Club – Revisiting Precipitated Withdrawal in the Fentanyl Era

Some of you remember the days when precipitated withdrawal (PW) felt mostly theoretical. It was before fentanyl suffused the drug supply. At that time, it generally occurred with methadone to buprenorphine transitions or when the advice to wait for moderate withdrawal was not properly heeded. In the last several years, on-the-ground providers are hearing and

May 2023 Journal Club – Revisiting Precipitated Withdrawal in the Fentanyl Era Read More »

April 2023 Journal Club – Naltrexone Revisited: A Closer Look at New Evidence on Alcohol Use

This study was recently highlighted in a major news outlet for its positive findings. It spotlights our good old friend, naltrexone. Though naltrexone cannot be used in our patients on full or partial opioid agonist therapy, I thought it was worth going beyond the headlines given the increase in everything alcohol, along with what seems

April 2023 Journal Club – Naltrexone Revisited: A Closer Look at New Evidence on Alcohol Use Read More »

January 2023 Journal Club – Atomoxetine and OROS methylphenidate performed similarly in patients with comorbid major depression and ADHD

Imagine yourself sitting around table drinking morning coffee with your colleagues and talking shop. Reading this journal article review on your own is more than a smidge shy of that but you can do it in your soft pants so maybe it’s a decent trade.

January 2023 Journal Club – Atomoxetine and OROS methylphenidate performed similarly in patients with comorbid major depression and ADHD Read More »