Prescription pain relief medications have greatly advanced the field of medicine in terms of the wide range of conditions these drugs can treat. Oxycontin, one of the stronger analgesic medications, provides needed pain relief for conditions involving severe and chronic pain symptoms. Unfortunately, the world of prescription pain pills has brought about a dark side […]

  The death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman last week prompted a slew of articles about the related problems of prescription opioid abuse and heroin addiction. In the Washington Post, Joel Achenbach points out that despite the recent spike in deaths from heroin overdose, recent data indicated that “[p]rescription opioids are killing Americans at more than […]

CONCLUSIONS: HCV infection was associated with higher plasma concentrations of buprenorphine and buprenorphine metabolites. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Findings suggest the potential for opioid toxicity among HCV-infected patients treated with buprenorphine/naloxone, and possible hepatotoxic effects related to increased buprenorphine exposure. HCV-infected patients receiving buprenorphine may need lower doses to maintain therapeutic plasma concentrations. (Am […]

By Amy Orciari Herman Buprenorphine (Suboxone, Subutex), once hailed as a “holy grail” in addiction medicine, “has become both medication and dope: a treatment with considerable successes and also failures, as well as a street and prison drug bedeviling local authorities,” … (Source: Physician’s First Watch current issue) MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best Christmas […]