Rob Dillard

DocwireNews

Opioid addicted individuals face a high risk of overdosing following treatment with the medication buprenorphine, according to the results of a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.The FDA-approved buprenorphine is dispensed to almost one million individuals yearly to combat opioid addiction. However, approximately 50% to 80% of patients discontinue the treatment within several weeks or months, and there remains no consensus on how long patients should remain taking the therapy.To conduct this study, researchers assessed the Medicaid claims data of almost 9,000 adults (aged 18 to 64 years) across various reporting states who remained in continual treatment for at least six months and up to 18 months. They found that regardless of treatment duration, after six months, almost 1 in 20 patients were treated for an opioid overdose at least once.Moreover, the researchers observed that the rates of new opioid prescriptions and visits to the emergency room were high across all groups in the six months subsequent to buprenorphine treatment discontinuation, and this finding was especially true among individuals with a mental illness. Overall, the rates were notably higher for those who stopped treatment after six months juxtaposed to 15-18 month cohort group.https://twitter.com/EcoInternetDrGB/status/1201397099453005824&ldquo;The rate at which individuals relapsed and overdosed after ending treatment was alarmingly high, suggesting that discontinuing buprenorphine is a life-threatening event,&rdquo; says Arthur Robin Williams, MD, MBE, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in a <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/cuim-oor112719.php">press release</a> about the study.&ldquo;Many clinicians think they should prescribe buprenorphine only for time-limited periods, due to stigma and outdated beliefs that patients using medications for opioid use disorder are not in &lsquo;true recovery,&rsquo;&rdquo; continued Dr. Williams. &ldquo;Our paper is one of the first to look at the effect of long-term durations of buprenorphine treatment on subsequent outcomes.&rdquo;Dr. Williams added that: Patients and families need guidance, social support, and better coordination of care to help facilitate long-term maintenance with buprenorphrine for opioid use disorder.&rdquo;<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Opioid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Opioid</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/overdose?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#overdose</a> risk is high after medical treatment ends, study finds <a href="https://twitter.com/ColumbiaMed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ColumbiaMed</a> <a href="https://t.co/n1H7DdimkV">https://t.co/n1H7DdimkV</a>
&mdash; Medical Xpress (@medical_xpress) <a href="https://twitter.com/medical_xpress/status/1201410577547051009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2019</a>
</blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Opioid Overdose Risk Is High After Medical Treatment Ends, Study Finds | Columbia University Department of Psychiatry <a href="https://t.co/2pRiW4UowL">https://t.co/2pRiW4UowL</a>
&mdash; GeoffHenderson (@Geoffsabtchange) <a href="https://twitter.com/Geoffsabtchange/status/1202407408636706816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2019</a>
</blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>&nbsp;

MarkAlain Déry, DO

Eric Griggs, MD

Measles in America: An Ongoing Problem

Infectious Disease

Roger Rodby, MD

Joel M. Topf, MD, FACP

Seldin Award Winner Advocates Online Education

NKF Spring Clinical Meetings 2025

Hatem Soliman, MD

The Future of Dendritic Cell Vaccines in HER2+ Breast Cancer: Toward De-Escalation of Chemotherapy

HER2 Breast Cancer

Latest News

The Risk of an Opioid Overdose is High Following Medical Treatment

Pharmacology

Opioid addicted individuals face a high risk of overdosing following treatment with the medication buprenorphine, according to the results of a study published in the American ...

About Us

Editorial Policy

Advertising

Contact Us

eNewsletters

Contribute

Career Center

MashupMD

Blood Cancers Today

Cancer Nursing Today

GU Oncology Now

Urban Health Today

Bile Duct Cancer

Colorectal Cancer

Gastroesophageal Cancer

Gastric Cancer

GEP-NETs

GIST

Liver Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

GI Oncology Now

Anemia

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Essential Thrombocythemia

Hemophilia

Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Myelofibrosis

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Polycythemia Vera

Pulmonary Embolism

Sickle Cell Disease

Thrombocytopenia

Thrombophilia

Thrombosis

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Venous Thromboembolism

von Willebrand Disease

Heme Today

Acute Kidney Injury

ADPKD

Anemia and Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease

COVID-19 and Kidney Disease

Diabetes and Hypertension

End-Stage Renal Disease

Gout

Hyperkalemia

IgAN

Kidney Transplantation

Metabolic Acidosis

Nephrology Times

HR Breast Cancer

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Genetics & Breast Cancer

Breast Cancers Today

Atherosclerotic Disease

Atrial Fibrillation

Heart Failure

Hypertension

Interventional Cardiology

Lipid Management

Practice Tips With Dr. Lichaa

Preventive Cardiology

Stroke

Cardiology

Breast Cancer

Gynecologic Cancer

Head and Neck Cancer

Skin Cancer

Oncology

Sleep

Urology

Diabetes

Ophthalmology

— Demodex Blepharitis

Neurology

Rheumatology

Gastroenterology

Pulmonology

Infectious Diseases

— HIV

Health and Wellness

Lupus

Future of Medicine

Orthopedics

Career News

More

Conferences

CardioNerds

The Sleep Source With Dr. Morse

Rheumatology Rounds With Dr. Maheswaranathan

Partners

Expert Interviews

Subscribe