(Source: CNN.com – Health)

CONCLUSION: A review of the literature was completed on severe cases of precipitated and spontaneous opioid withdrawal followed by a discussion of the significance as it relates to this case.
SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Given the widespread use of prescription opioids and opioid maintenance treatment, physicians should be aware of the complications of acute opioid withdrawal and should be equipped to treat these complications. (Am J Addict 2015;XX:1-3).
PMID: 26095066 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher] (Source: American Journal on Addictions)

Opioid drug Suboxone, designed for addiction treatment, is becoming more common on the street (Source: Health News: CBSNews.com)

Opioid drug Suboxone, designed for addiction treatment, is becoming more common on the street (Source: Health News: CBSNews.com)

Fatal drug overdose has reached epidemic levels in the U.S., surpassing vehicle-related deaths in 36 states, according to a new report from the Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In a separate study, researchers found that drug overdoses in the United States tripled in the last 25 years.

The two-fold tragedy of the epidemic in the United States is that overdose deaths are preventable, and they often start with good intentions: Both reports concluded that increasing abuse of prescription opioid painkillers are to blame for these staggering numbers.

“Our health professionals’ well-intentioned approach to treating people’s pain can sometimes lead to unintended consequences and exposing an individual to the risk of addiction or overdose,” Dr. Hillary Kunins, …

Fatal drug overdose has reached epidemic levels in the U.S., surpassing vehicle-related deaths in 36 states, according to a new report from the Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In a separate study, researchers found that drug overdoses in the United States tripled in the last 25 years.

The two-fold tragedy of the epidemic in the United States is that overdose deaths are preventable, and they often start with good intentions: Both reports concluded that increasing abuse of prescription opioid painkillers are to blame for these staggering numbers.

“Our health professionals’ well-intentioned approach to treating people’s pain can sometimes lead to unintended consequences and exposing an individual to the risk of addiction or overdose,” Dr. Hillary Kunins, …

Conclusions
Our analysis of the relative safety of buprenorphine and methadone for opioid substitution treatment reveals that buprenorphine is six times safer than methadone with regard to overdose risk among the general population. Clinicians should be aware of the increased risk of prescribing methadone, and tighter regulations are needed to prevent its diversion. (Source: BMJ Open)

Conclusions
Our analysis of the relative safety of buprenorphine and methadone for opioid substitution treatment reveals that buprenorphine is six times safer than methadone with regard to overdose risk among the general population. Clinicians should be aware of the increased risk of prescribing methadone, and tighter regulations are needed to prevent its diversion. (Source: BMJ Open)

Journal of Medical Economics, Ahead of Print. (Source: Journal of Medical Economics)

Journal of Medical Economics, Ahead of Print. (Source: Journal of Medical Economics)