Medication for Opioid Use Disorder After Nonfatal Opioid Overdose and Mortality
Authors: Lawrence V. Brennan
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2019)

Letters19 March 2019Medication for Opioid Use Disorder After Nonfatal Opioid Overdose and MortalityLawrence V. Brennan, MDLawrence V. Brennan, MDSt. Elizabeth Physicians, Campbell County Kentucky Board of Health, Edgewood, Kentucky (L.V.B.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L18-0684 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I appreciate Larochelle and colleagues' (1) efforts to address the association between opioid agonist therapy and subsequent mortality in opioid overdose survivors. The authors propose that enrollment in an opioid agonist program is associated with a decreased risk for mortality from both opioids and any cause. The participants were persons who had a nonfatal drug overdose, and fewer deaths occurred in those who subsequently elected to enter an opioid maintenance program. However, the authors did not address an inherent factor that predicts success in recovery: patient motivation.It is logical to conclude that patients who are motivated ...References1. Larochelle MR, Bernson D, Land T, Stopka TJ, Wang N, Xuan Z, et al. Medication for opioid use disorder after nonfatal opioid overdose and association with mortality: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:137-45. [PMID: 29913516]. doi:10.7326/M17-3107 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Lee JD, Friedmann PD, Kinlock TW, Nunes EV, Boney TY, Hoskinson RA, et al. Extended-release naltrexone to prevent opioid relapse in criminal justice offenders. N Engl J Med. 2016;374:1232-42. [PMID: 27028913] doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1505409 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Kinlock TW, Gordon MS, Schwartz RP, Fitzgerald TT, O'Grady KE. A randomized clinical trial of methadone maintenance for prisoners: results at 12 months postrelease. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2009;37:277-85. [PMID: 19339140] doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2009.03.002 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: St. Elizabeth Physicians, Campbell County Kentucky Board of Health, Edgewood, Kentucky (L.V.B.)Disclosures: The author has disclosed no conflicts of interest. The form can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L18-0684. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoMedication for Opioid Use Disorder After Nonfatal Opioid Overdose and Association With Mortality Marc R. Larochelle , Dana Bernson , Thomas Land , Thomas J. Stopka , Na Wang , Ziming Xuan , Sarah M. Bagley , Jane M. Liebschutz , and Alexander Y. Walley Medication for Opioid Use Disorder After Nonfatal Opioid Overdose and Mortality Marc R. Larochelle , Thomas J. Stopka , Ziming Xuan , Jane M. Liebschutz , and Alexander Y. Walley Metrics 19 March 2019Volume 170, Issue 6Page: 430KeywordsBehaviorConflicts of interestDisclosureDrugsMotivationObservational studiesOpioid addictionOpioids ePublished: 19 March 2019 Issue Published: 19 March 2019 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2019 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...