Opiate withdrawal scales were developed to examine the patient’s physical dependence and physiological readiness prior to methadone or buprenorphine induction, and to compare treatments for withdrawal (Wesson and Ling, 2003). The Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS; Wesson and Ling, 2003) is a common measure used to assess withdrawal in clinical trials and practice, and consists […]

The high prevalence of interrelated problems with opioid use disorder, injection drug use (IDU), and HIV/AIDS in Malaysia has led to the scale-up of public health approaches, including opioid agonist maintenance treatment with buprenorphine or methadone. Malaysia has more than 300,000 registered people who use drugs (PWUD)-approximately 1.1% of its population of about 30 million-and […]

By Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH Opioid-dependent individuals visiting the emergency department are much more likely to participate in addiction treatment when buprenorphine/naloxone therapy is started during the visit, a JAMA study finds.Investigators randomized some 330 adult patients reporting opioid dependence to one of … (Source: Physician’s First Watch current issue)

ConclusionsThe introduction of BNX film in Australia varied across States. A perception of restricted choice in medication may have undermined initial acceptance in SA. [Larance B, Dietze P, Ali R, Lintzeris N, White N, Jenkinson R, Degenhardt L. The introduction of BNX film in opioid substitution therapy in Australia: Uptake and issues arising from changing […]