FDA Approves Lucemyra™ for Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms In a landmark moment for opioid addiction relapse prevention, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first-ever non-opioid medication to treat opioid withdrawal. The agency has expedited approval of Lucemyra™ (lofexidine hydrochloride) on May 16, 2018. Originally developed to treat [...]

Nation’s Addiction Experts Meet at 2018 ASAM Annual Conference The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) had their 49th annual conference in San Diego this past month. It was an event in which thousands of medical professionals in the addiction care landscape – including our CMO Dr. Carlos Tirado [...]

Texas Medical Association Maternal Health Congress – Substance Use Prevention and Treatment This video was published by the Texas Medical Association on April 17, 2018. Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Carlos Tirado, MD, Clinical Associate Professor and Amy Young, MD, Professor, at the University of Texas at Austin [...]

The Impact of Long-Term Opioid Use on Chronic Pain Management As many as one-third of all Americans suffer from chronic pain, a condition that is characterized by persistent pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks. While some patients achieve safe and time-limited pain relief through the use of opioids [...]

Specialized Addiction Healthcare: A New Approach in Austin Stigma-free care that is informed by the science of addiction and recovery AUSTIN, TX – April 3, 2018. CARMAhealth (Collaborative Addiction Recovery Management & Assistance) is announcing the grand opening of its new office for outpatient healthcare services on April 9, [...]

The Impact of Supervised Injection Sites in New York City New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has approved four supervised injection sites for intravenous drug users, joining cities like Seattle, Philadelphia, and San Francisco enacting a harm-reduction strategy aimed at curbing fatal overdoses and providing linkage to care [...]

Alternatives to Opioids for Pain Management Since 2014, America has seen record highs in opioid fatalities and the epidemic shows no signs of tapering. In 2016, there were over 50,000 fatal opioid overdoses, accounting for the overwhelming majority of the approximately 64,000 total fatal drug overdoses in the country. [...]

What Makes an Effective Substance Abuse Treatment Program? As the need for effective and safe addiction treatment becomes more and more apparent, clinicians and treatment professionals are working harder than ever to make innovations to help each and every type of unique patient. With more Americans succumbing to opioid [...]

Tips for Responsible Medication-Assisted Therapy Medication-assisted therapy (MAT) has long been a viable avenue of care for eligible patients seeking ongoing relief from long-term opioid and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. For years, methadone was the prevailing standard in medication-assisted therapy; however, over the past few decades, other drugs like Suboxone® [...]

Maintaining Recovery and Avoiding Relapse during the Holidays As we enter into another holiday season, it’s worth acknowledging the unique and specific challenges those in recovery face this time of year. Whether a person is brand-new to the process or they have years of sobriety under their belt, the [...]