Evzio is an FDA-approved emergency treatment that counteracts the effects of opioid overdose. It is an “auto-injector” designed to contain a retractable needle and a 0.4 mg dose of naloxone. Naloxone is a powerful opioid antagonist that reverses the effects of overdose with heroin or other opiates. Naloxone has been used throughout the country in the past few years and literally saved hundreds of lives.

Kaleo Pharma is the manufacturer of Evzio. The company specializes in innovative solutions for serious and life threatening medical conditions. Kaleo Pharma is based out of Richmond, Virginia, USA.

As has been documented in national media, very potent forms of heroin have become available much of it laced with other opiate derivatives like fentanyl. These combinations have proven lethal in a large number of cases often with younger people being the victims of overdose due to not understanding the extreme potency of the drugs being sold.

Products like Evzio in the hands of family and … Read more

Paul LePage, the governor of Maine, has announced that he is considering ceasing state-funded support for methadone. As an alternative, Maine is proposing that patients prescribed methadone be switched to a more affordable suboxone option as part of a $727,000 state budget cut. The story is here.

This is an indefensible decision with dire medical implications for opioid addicted patients currently receiving methadone. It equates to government officials making medical decisions that will negatively impact the health and well-being of thousands of people.

Representative Drew Gattine (a member of the Health & Human Services Committee) is quoted as saying the proposal shows a lack of understanding of the societal costs of addiction throughout the state of Maine.

Methadone and suboxone are both effective medications, but offer very unique characteristics and applications depending on the severity & chronicity of a patient’s opioid addiction. Buprenorphine (the actual opioid agonist contained in suboxone) has a much lower ceiling effect than does methadone … Read more

SMC Recovery based in Scottsdale, Arizona opened an outpatient addiction treatment program late last year. SMC provides a Medication-Assisted Program utilizing methadone and an Intensive Outpatient Program. Both treatment modalities are endorsed by SAMHSA as best practices in the field of addiction treatment.

Methadone programs across the USA cover a wide range of prices sometimes as high as $15.00 per day. However, SMC Recovery have implemented one of the most affordable rates in the country at just $55.00 per week. This is an outstanding value for anyone who has been struggling with opiate addiction and it is one of the most competitive rates we have learned of anywhere in the country.

Prospective patients are often unable to get started with outpatient methadone treatment because the cost is just too high for them. SMC Recovery have lowered this barrier considerably. We were informed by their staff that this price will most likely be active over the next year consequently providing … Read more

As we prepare for another new year, there is always this opportunity for welcomed changes and improvements in our lives. New years resolutions are often built around personal goals that people would like to achieve like quitting smoking, losing weight, or beginning a new hobby.

With opioid addiction, the desire for relief is always present. It is amazing what an individual can do when they are truly motivated and committed to a goal. It is true that people enter recovery every single day. What an incredible truth this is!

The big question is what does it take for a person to step onto the path of change and to point themselves in a new direction? The disease of addiction is one that is allowed to continue as a result of becoming stagnant, inactive. As a disease process, drug addition only gets halted when a person makes a decision to do something about it. If a person fails to take any … Read more

Jana Burson is a North Carolina physician who specializes in the treatment of opioid addiction using medications like buprenorphine and methadone. Dr. Burson is a passionate caregiver and patient advocate with considerable experience in the field of addiction treatment. She maintains an informative blog on the topic of opioid addiction treatment and recently posted her comments and observations on a revealing 2012 study.

The 2012 study by Saxon et al is reported in her blog to have followed more than 700 patients over 24 weeks who were receiving either methadone or buprenorphine (the active ingredient in Suboxone). These patients were checked for specific red flag elevations that would suggest emerging liver damage or liver inflammation. None of the patients receiving methadone or buprenorphine had significant abberations in liver functioning. This led the researchers to conclude that neither medication causes liver damage.

A 2014 follow-up study by Soyka and others (published in the American Journal on Addictions) found the same results … Read more

A common question among those seeking help is whether methadone or suboxone is the best choice for opioid replacement therapy. It reminds me of the age old debate … which is better, Ford or Chevy? Methadone has been used in opioid addiction treatment for about 45 years. Suboxone has been available to the public for 12 years. Each of these medications has been shown, through conclusive research, to be highly effective in eliminating opioid withdrawal. Both methadone and suboxone achieve a similar outcome, but with subtle differences. [view our comparison chart]

When opiate withdrawal symptoms are no longer a daily preoccupation and source of anxiety, individuals are free to invest their energy & time in productive, meaningful activities. Avoiding withdrawal sickness is the single greatest driver of continued opioid use, and often pushes an individual to desperate measures to maintain a supply of opiates so that they will not get sick.

People unfamiliar with addiction sometimes believe that … Read more