Opioid Overdose Crisis (I)

PharmacyForward

Jeffrey Bratberg, Pharm.D., BCPS - Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Rhode Island talks with us about the opioid overdose crisis - it's causes and potential solutions.

Key Lessons

• The causes of the opioid overdose crisis are multifactorial but rooted in hopeless and despair
• Illicitly obtained synthetic opioids are very potent and the leading cause of opioid overdose deaths today
• Opioid use disorder is a brain disease and all patients deserve compassionate care
• The response to the opioid overdose crisis (to date) has been anemic due to societal stigma and unconscious bias
• Supply-side solutions (e.g. prescription drug monitoring programs) to the problem may seem helpful but have unintended consequences
• Naloxone should be widely available and all health professionals should carry it

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