How Did We Get Here?

How Did We Get Here?

It should be no surprise to anyone reading this that we are in the middle of the worst opioid epidemic to ever strike our country. Thanks to fentanyl (a powerful synthetic opioid), the 2016 mortality figures are even worse than 2015 – over 60,000 deaths. To put this...
Rapid Opiate Detox: Too Good To Be True?

Rapid Opiate Detox: Too Good To Be True?

I had a great visit with my patient, Edward (not his name) earlier this week. Edward grew up in West Virginia and started using Oxycontin toward the end of his high school years. He got hooked and when pills became expensive, he started using heroin. Edward is kind,...
Is Pot Safe?

Is Pot Safe?

In the last 10 years or so, we have embarked on a big experiment in this country – by allowing much easier access to marijuana. There are many reasons this has happened. We have come to believe that marijuana is not really that dangerous – a lot safer than...
Medically-Assisted Treatment for Buprenorphine Use

Medically-Assisted Treatment for Buprenorphine Use

At The Coleman Institute, we continue to assist people with a medical withdrawal from short acting opiates, but we have a growing number of patients who are seeking our services to help get off of buprenorphine products like Suboxone or Subutex®. In an earnest attempt...