Post Author: Megana Dwarakanath, MD

Megana Dwarakanath is a pediatric resident.

With COVID-19, a need to deregulate buprenorphine prescriptions [PODCAST]

Podcast

August 15, 2020

“With COVID-19, we have both the unique opportunity and need to deregulate buprenorphine prescriptions. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAHMSA) recently updated guidelines for buprenorphine prescriptions. There are new provisions for telephonic initiation of buprenorphine and scripts up to 28 days for stable patients. Unfortunately, this does not circumvent the major issue: redeployed providers will not be able …

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With COVID-19, we have a unique opportunity and need to deregulate buprenorphine prescriptions

Megana Dwarakanath, MD

Meds

May 16, 2020

My patient was a young man who wanted to be placed back on buprenorphine. He had started using again. He often missed appointments, did not pick up phone calls. So when I saw him in the room, I masked my surprise. “What makes you want to start today?” I asked. “I live with my grandma,” he said. He could not keep leaving the house for heroin.

Of the many …

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