Opioid Overdose Risk Is High After Medical Treatment Ends, Study Finds

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- When used in the treatment of opioid addiction, the medication buprenorphine poses an alarmingly high overdose risk once treatment concludes, says a new study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry -- even when treatment extends to 18 months.

Researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons recently discovered that 5 percent of people who concluded short-term opioid treatment using the drug buprenorphine were treated for opioid overdose during the six-month period that followed.

A partner in the study, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Arthur Robin Williams, MD, MBE, stated that he found relapse and overdose rates to be "alarmingly high" among those treated with the drug for periods between 6 and 18 months. The study in question found that patients treated for longer than 18 months experienced more favorable outcomes, leading Williams to conclude that buprenorphine might be better recommended as a long-term treatment solution than a short-term opioid detox.

Buprenorphine has been used in the treatment of opioid use disorder since 2002 and is the treatment option of choice for nearly 1 million people annually, but information on how long treatment with the drug should last is scarce. Many insurance carriers place six-month limits on this type of opioid treatment, though evidence suggests longer is better when it comes to opioid detox using buprenorphine.

The questions are:

Are people relapsing and overdosing because they have not taken a maintenance opioid drug like buprenorphine for long enough, or because the root of the issue was never dealt with?

Is drug abuse the real issue, or the consequence of an untreated condition?
Are people seeking opioids because they want to get high, or because they want to self-medicate emotional distress, often from untreated mental illnesses?
Are we losing sight of the real person behind the diagnosis?

Patients suffering from opioid use disorder need to be seen, treated and diagnosed as individuals with unique needs. Drug addiction is a much simpler issue to tackle than the complex human beings suffering from it. It is important to remember that addiction is not a living and breathing thing, but a consequence. It is also crucial for people to feel heard and understood. Feeling cared for and understood by others, makes it easier to care for ourselves.

For 21 years, the WAISMANN METHOD® Opioid Treatment Specialists have provided those suffering from opioid use disorder safe, effective and dignified medically assisted detox options.  Since patients go through the acute withdrawal in a full-service accredited hospital, nearly 100% achieve complete detoxification. Opioid-free patients are emotionally present so they can receive an accurate assessment and diagnosis. Moreover, they are likely to be adherent to any mental health care that's indicated for their case. Waismann Method Opioid Treatment Specialists & Rapid Detox Center and Domus Retreat have joined forces to provide personalized treatment and aftercare plans to allow for the best chance of a healthy and effective transition to life without opiates.  We always put effective treatment and compassionate care over blame and punishment.

For more information, please visit opiates.com.

Media Contact:
Clare Waismann
800-423-2482
[email protected]

SOURCE Waismann Method Opioid Treatment Specialists & Rapid Detox Center