Addiction Medicine Made Easy | Fighting back against addiction
Casey Grover, MD, FACEP, FASAM
Addiction is killing us. Over 100,000 Americans died of drug overdose in the last year, and over 100,000 Americans died from alcohol use in the last year. We need to include addiction medicine as a part of everyone's practice! We take topics in addiction medicine and break them down into digestible nuggets and clinical pearls that you can use at the bedside. We are trying to create an army of health care providers all over the world who want to fight back against addiction - and we hope you will join us.*This podcast was previously the Addiction in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care podcast*
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 19, 2023 • 19min
Episode 49 - Buprenorphine vs Fentanyl
As we've discussed many times on this podcast there is a lot of concern - from both patients and medical providers - that patients with opioid use disorder using fentanyl will have an increased risk of precipitated opioid withdrawal when they start buprenorphine. And finally, we have a study looking directly at this topic!! In this episode we review a recent paper from JAMA Network Open that looks at the rate of precipitated opioid withdrawal during buprenorphine inductions in patients with opioid use disorder using fentanyl.
Apr 6, 2023 • 43min
Episode 48 - A Recovery Story
In this episode Dr. Grover interviews Aiden, a young man in recovery. Aiden shares his story of how his addiction developed, what it's like living with addiction, how his recovery started, and what life is like as a young man in recovery.
Mar 22, 2023 • 23min
Episode 47 - What is Kratom?
How much do you know about Kratom? Who takes it and why? How does Kratom withdrawal present and how do you treat it? And what do you do in the case of a Kratom overdose? In this episode we do an evidence based review on Kratom to answer all of these questions and more.
Mar 10, 2023 • 26min
Episode 46 - Treating Alcohol Use Disorder with Topiramate
Have you had a patient ask you about using Topiramate to treat their alcohol use disorder? Or maybe you've heard a colleague talk about it, but don't know much about it? In this episode we review the use of the medication topiramate in treating alcohol use disorder. Spoiler alert! This may be practice changing!
Feb 27, 2023 • 27min
Episode 45 - Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome
How often do you see patients who regularly use cannabis who get recurrent abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting? It seems like this comes up at least every other shift in the Emergency Department. In this episode we review all aspects of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, from pathophysiology, to diagnosis, to treatment.
Feb 10, 2023 • 39min
Episode 44 - What is the risk of fentanyl exposure to first responders and what do we do about it?
Have you heard reports of first responders having overdoses on fentanyl after just touching it? Do you actually know how well fentanyl is absorbed through the skin? What PPE should first responders use if they know they are going to be exposed to fentanyl? In this episode we do a mega deep dive to find out what is the risk of fentanyl exposure to first responders and what can we do to mitigate that risk?
Jan 19, 2023 • 25min
Episode 43 - Cannabis Toxicity and "Greening Out"
How familiar are you with cannabis toxicity? Do you know the symptoms of a cannabis overdose? If your patient told you that she "greened out" last night, would you know what she was talking about? In this episode we do an evidence-based review of cannabis toxicity, including what it means to "green out"
Jan 6, 2023 • 22min
Episode 42 - Delirium Tremens
Dive into the world of delirium tremens, a serious consequence of alcohol withdrawal. Discover how it impacts those with alcohol use disorder and the critical importance of early intervention. Learn about the mechanisms behind withdrawal symptoms, effective treatment strategies like benzodiazepines, and how to gauge severity using the CIWA-AR scale. The episode wraps up with practical advice for preventing recurrence and the importance of long-term abstinence. It’s a deep yet accessible look at a challenging issue.
Dec 28, 2022 • 30min
Episode 41 - How does microdosing buprenorphine work?
Have you heard about microdosing buprenorphine? Have your patients asked you if it's an option for them? In this episode we do a deep dive on the topic of microdosing buprenorphine...including how it might be the best option for patients using illicit fentanyl to start bupe without experiencing precipitated withdrawal.
Dec 2, 2022 • 24min
Episode 40 - What the heck is Xylazine and how do you treat a Xylazine overdose?
Have you heard of Xylazine? I sure don't remember it from pharmacology in medical school. It turns out Xylazine is a veterinary medicine that is being increasingly cut into the illicit drug supply in the US. Why is it being cut into drugs, what does it do, and how is a Xylazine overdose treated? We cover everything you need to know about Xylazine in this episode.
