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VIDEO: Expert discusses outpatient treatment of opioid, alcohol use disorders
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NEW ORLEANS — Internists have an important role in treating opioid and alcohol use disorders, Ellie Grossman, MD, MPH, instructor at Harvard Medical School and primary care lead for behavioral health integration at Cambridge Health Alliance, told Healio Internal Medicine.
“Opioid use disorder is a disorder that internists should be able to treat,” she said.
There are three lifesaving medications that internists should feel comfortable prescribing for opioid use disorder, including methadone, buprenorphine and injectable naltrexone, according to Grossman.
For alcohol use disorder, there are three FDA-approved medications: naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram, Grossman said, noting that naltrexone should be the first-line treatment.
Disclosure: Grossman reports no relevant financial disclosures.