Trainings and Resources

Pharmacists can play an important role in improving access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), especially for individuals living in rural areas where health care workforce shortages are pervasive. Learn how pharmacists can provide Medication Administration Services (MAS) and establish Collaborative Practice Agreements (CPA) in coordination with one or more treating health care providers.

Opioid dependence is a chronic relapsing disorder with considerable individual and global public health burden. The current standard of care for opioid dependence includes treatment with methadone or sublingual (SL) buprenorphine or buprenorphine-naloxone (hereafter, buprenorphine), combined with psychosocial and behavioral support. Both medications are associated with reductions in mortality, illicit opioid use, bloodborne viral infections, and criminal behavior as well as better cost-effectiveness than no treatment or psychosocial treatment alone. Buprenorphine is a partial μ-opioid receptor agonist, enabling office-based treatment for nonsupervised or take-home use of the medication. However, SL formulations of buprenorphine are prone to nonmedical use (eg, injecting, diversion), prompting models of care, particularly in the early phases of treatment, requiring regular attendance at clinics or pharmacies for administration of doses.

Background As the opioid overdose crisis persists and take-home naloxone (THN) programmes expand, it is important that the intervention is targeted towards those most likely to use it. We examined THN program participants to 1) describe those that return for refills, specifically those that reported multiple use (supersavers) and 2) to determine what rescuer characteristics were associated with higher rates of THN use. Methods This study included a cohort of consenting THN recipients from June 2014- June 2021 who completed initial and refill questionnaires from a widespread program in Norway. Adjusted logistic regression was used to explore associations with higher rates of THN use. ‘Super-savers’ reported three or more THN uses.

This TIP reviews three Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for opioid use disorder treatment—methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine—and the other strategies and services needed to support people in recovery.

Xylazine is a drug used in veterinary medicine as an animal sedative with muscle relaxant and analgesic properties

The first part of this presentation examined and presented medical/physiological aspects of SUD and an overview of the impact of SUD on a small but vulnerable population. Dr. Parker then provided an overview of recent substance abuse prevention and intervention applications within American Indian and Alaska Native communities. She described the trends regarding opioid overdose among American Indian and Alaska Native communities during the global pandemic and discussed opportunities for addressing opioid overdose prevention in the future.

On March 16, 2020, to facilitate access to methadone treatment from opioid treatment programs (OTPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration allowed states to request blanket exceptions to provide up to 28 and 14 days of take-home methadone for stable and less stable patients, respectively; this signaled a shift in practice because most patients historically receive methadone daily from OTPs.

Drug overdose is a nationwide epidemic that claimed the lives of over 100,000 people in the United States in the past year.   Opioids, either alone or in combination with other drugs or alcohol, were responsible for approximately 70 percent of these deaths. Many of those 70,000 people would be alive today if they had been administered the opioid antagonist naloxone and, where needed, other emergency care. 

Justice-involved populations are disproportionately affected by the opioid and overdose crisis. In fact, people who have been incarcerated are roughly 129 times more likely to experience a fatal overdose in the first two weeks after their release compared to the general public due to reduced tolerance during incarceration.1 Despite the fact that evidence-based medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is the standard of care in the community, and has been proven to reduce risk of overdose and mortality, it remains widely unavailable in most correctional facilities. However, that is slowly changing. Correctional staff, medical professionals, incarcerated individuals and politicians are beginning to advocate for MOUD. JPOP aims to address the need for accessible information about medication-based treatment for opioid use disorder in the criminal legal system. We encourage you to engage with the resources and tools and links on this website to help to improve treatment for opioid use disorder in your community