The Coleman Institute Blog

Getting off benzos such as Ativan^®, Xanax^®, and Klonopin^® is tough. We’ve provided four things to consider when stopping Benzodiazepines. Something to note is that these don’t guarantee a symptom-free withdrawal.

“Please, Ms. Shepherd,” my patient begged, “please remove this naltrexone implant. I don’t want it anymore…”

Evelyn is a 42-year-old high school teacher in New Jersey, and quite frankly, had one hell of a year in 2020. While all teachers deserve medals for Resilience and Creativity in the Educating-During-A-Pandemic realm, Evelyn’s job was further challenging because she works with special needs children. Her high school students have learning disabilities, many with limited access to internet services.

The short answer is Yes!

First, let’s review what Kratom is and why it is of concern. Kratom is a plant derivative of Mitragyna speciose. It is an evergreen tree in the coffee plant family, which grows naturally in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.

All week long our staff has had the pleasure of working with Juliette who came to us for a dual detox off alcohol and buprenorphine. She couldn’t have chosen a better support person, her Aunt Leila, who is tough, wise, and adores Jules.

When I opened the door to get her started on the last day of her 8-day accelerated opioid detox off Suboxone®, Juliette and her aunt were quietly listening to a song on her phone. Their eyes were moist. I sat down and Juliette began to fill in her story for me.

We had an incredibly busy season at the Coleman Institute for Addiction Medicine. We were challenged to keep staff and patients safe from COVID-19, navigate holiday schedules, and respond as best we can to the tsunami wave of people desperate for help from various addictive substances. If holidays and COVID-19 weren’t enough to add to people’s vulnerability to using opioids, benzos, and alcohol, the relative ease of finding these drugs has made a bad problem much, much worse.