| Podcast
Overdose--a small word that packs a major punch, and a big reason for many recent legal regulatory changes in controlled substance prescribing and pain management. Too many physicians and allied healthcare practitioners are caught unawares by the legal issues surrounding overdose events, fatal and...
| Article
Although the CDC has issued recommendations against taking opioids with benzodiazepines, almost 25% of Medicare patients who are prescribed opioids are also getting prescriptions for benzodiazepines. Now, results from a study conducted at the University of Pittsburg School of Pharmacy confirms the...
| Article
Practitioners need to understand that there are steps that they should be taking to minimize the potential of a bad legal outcome in the event of an investigation involving an overdose.
The liability for an overdose event tracks back to the practitioner’s adherence to licensing board requirements...
| Article
A cross-sectional study published in the July edition of Drug and Alcohol Dependence concludes that the application of dispositional mindfulness may mediate the risk for opioid misuse in patients with chronic pain who are on long-term opioid therapy. The practice can attenuate opioid craving and...
| Article
Conclusions from new research conducted by a team from University of West Virginia School of Pharmacy and colleagues may help to inform prescribers’ decision making about the engagement of opioid therapy for noncancer pain. In seeking to better understand the risk factors for transitioning to long...
| Podcast
This session will explore some of the challenges resulting from the recent “Decade of Pain.” Clearly, the overuse of opioids and, to some extent, the solutions proposed to curtail the misuse of prescription drugs has led to a shift in how we diagnose and how we treat substance use disorders in this...
| Podcast
2016 was not a good year to be on the wrong side of medical necessity when it came to drug testing and ongoing prescribing of controlled medication or substance abuse treatment programs. 2017 is likely to be an expensive year for those who do not proactively take steps to understand medical...
| Article
Last week, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, issued an advisory advocating for greater distribution and availability of naloxone as an element of the national response to opioid use disorder. The Surgeon General recommends that individuals at risk for opioid overdose, as well as their family...
| Article
In 2017, the state of Kentucky became the first to classify gabapentin as a Schedule 5 substance, following the finding that the drug was involved in up to 33% of overdose fatalities during the prior year. This means that prescriptions for gabapentin will be reported to the state’s PDMP going...