"The high cost of opioid addiction" was the segment DGIM Professor of Medicine, Dr. Larry Greenblatt, was recently interviewed for on ABC 11 News. It was about a woman with a 'hidden' long-time opioid addiction. Greenblatt spoke about a relatively new drug called Suboxone, which this patient had found success using to overcome her addiction.
In the interview, Dr. Greenblatt explained, "Suboxone can be a highly effective treatment for people with opioid abuse disorder. It's about as effective as methadone, which has to be prescribed in a specialized clinic. Suboxone is made available in many office settings. There is some oversight from the DEA but it's much more straightforward to implement. It's a much safer drug than methadone but it's not right for everyone."
Greenblatt is part of a group of physicians at Duke who are determining best practices when it comes to treating patients with opioids, including the use of Suboxone. He believes there needs to be a standard that applies everywhere, statewide and nationally.
Watch the full video segment on the ABC website here.
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Dr. Greenblatt is the Medical Director for Northern Piedmont Community Care, which provides practice support, care management, and population management primarily for Medicaid recipients. He is currently working on developing systems and policies to improve opioid safety both for Duke Health System and the State of North Carolina. Learn more about him in this faculty spotlight.