suboxone podcast

[707twitcher]

I don’t know if it’s available everywhere, but The Atlantic magazine has a podcast called Radio Atlantic. They have a current series titled Scripts. The Aug 8 show is all about using buprenorphine (mainly suboxone) to treat Opioid addiction. Nothing new here, but it sheds a little light on why buprenorphine is hard to get.

[Joolsg]

theatlantic.com/magazine/

I'd never heard of it, but was able to access easily here in UK. Thanks.

[Searcher55 in reply to Joolsg]

Every GP I tried here in UK said absolutely not when I asked to replace my rx Zomorph with Buprenorphine for my RLS.

where are the lovely Docs who'll easily prescribe it here 🙏😀

[Joolsg in reply to Searcher55]

Postcode lottery.Buprenorphine is red listed in many NHS prescribing areas.

2 ways around it, which others on here have done.

1. Pay to see a neurologist privately.One that is familiar with Buprenorphine.

Dr Chris Murphy in Salford, Dr Robin Fackrell in Bath, Professor Matthew Walker at UCL in London. But, even if they direct your GP surgery to prescribe, some GPs STILL refuse.

Opioid bias. They haven't researched/studied low dose opioids for RLS ( as opposed to pain relief where tolerance develops quickly). If that happens, your neurologist writes a green form prescription and you have to collect it monthly.

2. Change GP surgery to one within an hour's drive, where Buprenorphine isn't red listed and register there. Say you work in the area or have a holiday home there. You have to waive rights to home visits, but when did GPs do home visits????

Morphine is more liable to be abused than Buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is used to get addicts off heroin.

Here is a study on Buprenorphine by Dr Berkowski and Dr Winkelman's opioid study. You could suggest some bed time reading for your GP to learn about RLS and effectiveness of low dose opioids and explain that if patients are treated properly and sleep 8 hours a night, co morbidities are usually resolved, increasing economic activity and taxes AND saving a fortune in NHS appointments, treatments and medications. WIN ,win. I've added a paper I wrote with other forum members on this for The Lancet.

neurologyadvisor.com/report...

massgeneral.org/rls-registry

thelancet.com/journals/lane...