The up and coming opioid crisis: Buprenorphine!

While everyone deals with the “opioid” crisis, more and more patients are being “converted” to Buprenorphine products (really just another opioid). These Medication Assisted Treatment centers are popping up all over the place because it’s the “preferred” treatment that is currently the federal government’s “darling” that they shower billions of dollars into across the country. So while it’s considered acceptable and preferred, and especially well paid for in reimbursements, doctors are flocking to it. It won’t be too many years that they will be talking about the “Buprenorphine” crisis, when millions of patients are addicted to this medication. These programs have no real regulations, no supervisory reviews, no inspections, etc. Their patients fail their drug tests and more, yet get to keep their buprenorphine.

If the “opioid” doctors were labeled as “pill pushers” and contributed to the “opioid” crisis, then these MAT providers are doing it even MUCH MORE SO. Because when patients failed drug tests under opioid agreements they were commonly taken OFF their medications. But fail a drug test with methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, etc. at a MAT center and guess what? You never have to fear being cut off! In fact, you may even get more medication!

Just wait and see. All of this is happening now, and the future is foretold by previous care and government policies that just throw billions of dollars at a problem without really understanding all the factors involved and creating good rules to enforce with the use of that money. The federal government is now really the one becoming the “drug cartel” with all their “drug dealers” across the country operating with a license!