We are in the middle of an opioid crisis in the US, with many lives lost daily to opioid-related deaths. Pharmacotherapy with methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone represents an important tool for clinicians during this crisis. But just how good are these medications in saving lives? A recent retrospective cohort study evaluated the effects of methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone on all-cause and opioid-related mortality in the 12 months after an opioid overdose.

It’s nice when we can get our patients better with a single medication, but that’s not always possible. Sometimes the right combination of meds can do the trick, but studies of polypharmacy are scarce. In this article we dig through that research, small and limited as it is, to highlight a few useful combinations where the drug interaction can benefit your patient.

There is still confusion about ADHD, especially the name itself. People with ADHD can pay attention well when they’re interested in what they’re doing. Not knowing this, it’s easy to see why so many people still don’t believe the condition is real.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) has a fairly low barrier of entry. Failure of 2 full antidepressant trials—lasting 6 weeks at a minimally effective dose—is enough to qualify. In this month’s issue of TCPR, we’ll highlight pharmacologic advances that are underutilized and debunk a few that are unlikely to be effective for TRD.

You are evaluating a 16-year-old boy referred for mandated substance use treatment by his high school, where he was found drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis with a friend in the restroom.

It can be challenging to manage chronic pain, even more so when our patients suffer from addiction. We can find ourselves walking a tightrope between the risk of relapse due to the inadequate treatment of pain, and the risk of relapse due to the use of opioid analgesics.