Addiction Medicine Made Easy | Fighting back against addiction

We all know that options to treat stimulant use disorder are limited. In this episode Dr. Grover interviews Dr. Michael Miller, an Addiction Medicine doctor in Indiana who has developed a novel approach to treating stimulant use disorder. In this interview, Dr. Miller describes his novel approach and his outstanding results (Spoiler Alert! - he is seeing an 86% reduction in methamphetamine use in...

In this episode we tackle opioid use disorder during pregnancy with OB-GYN Dr. Kenneth Spielvogel. Dr. Grover and Dr. Spielvogel discuss multiple topics including the use of methadone and buprenorphine during pregnancy, overdoses during pregnancy, fentanyl exposure during pregnancy, and breastfeeding while taking buprenorphine.

Dr. Grover was asked to speak at a high school on the topic of food, nutrition, eating disorders, and how ultra processed food can be addictive. He recorded the lecture while giving it - so here it is as a bonus episode.

We tried to cover counseling and talk therapy as a part of treatment for addiction in a single episode - but it was too big of a topic! This episode is part 2 of Dr. Grover's interview with Andrew Finley, LMFT on the topic of counseling and talk therapy as a part of treatment for addiction.

Ok...so you have a patient using nicotine, cannabis, alcohol, and methamphetamine. What substance should you focus on helping the patient stop first? Or should the patient stop everything at once? In this episode Dr. Grover interviews Addiction Medicine physician Dr. Lee Goldman on the topic of how to treat patients who use multiple substances.

In this episode, we take a second look at cannabis withdrawal. Dr. Grover covered this topic on a previous episode, but as cannabis use is very common, and many people don't realize that cannabis has a withdrawal syndrome - it needed another look. This episode is an up to date review of cannabis withdrawal, including options for treatment.

How much do you know about talk therapy and counseling? How does it work? How does a therapist decide what to talk about? How does one define a successful therapy session? In this episode, Dr. Grover interviews Andrew Finley, LMFT, about how counseling and talk therapy work for patients with addiction. And since it's such a big topic, it will take several episodes to cover.

Are you familiar with Bromazolam? Carfentanil? Isotonitazene? Flualprazolam? What do all these substances have in common? They are showing up in the illicit drug market, and we'll likely be seeing more of them in the future. Dr. Grover gives an update on what's coming next in the illicit drug supply

Dr. Grover was asked to speak at a high school to parents on how to talk to kids about drugs and alcohol - and this episode is a recording of that lecture. Dr. Grover reviews how to talk to kids about substance use in general, as well as how to talk to kids who are actively using substances. Pardon the raspy voice - Dr. Grover is getting over pneumonia :)

We finally came up with a new and better name for the podcast! Addiction in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care is now Addiction Medicine Made Easy. Dr. Grover shares his thoughts on the why behind the name change.

We all know that the illicit drug supply is full of contaminants, some more dangerous than others. I am seeing, in my practice, more of my patients who use stimulants test positive for fentanyl. In this episode, we review a study that analyzes specimens of meth and cocaine to see how often they are laced with fentanyl. Spoiler alert...it's pretty common :(

Do your patients use whippets? Have they ever mentioned that they use nitrous? Not quite sure what we're talking about? In this episode we look at recreational use of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas or whippets.

Have you heard of the drug Iso? Is it isofentanyl? Or maybe it's isotonitazene? Or is it just fentanyl cut with who knows what? In this episode we discuss the drug being sold as "Iso" - and try to figure out what's in it.

Have you heard that giving teenagers alcohol in the home under parental supervision can teach them to use alcohol safely and reduce the risk of addiction to alcohol? Many parents believe this to be true. In this episode, we review the evidence in the literature to find out if this is true or not.

How does a drug deal work? How do people with addiction find out what their drugs are cut with? Can you ask your dealer if your drugs have fentanyl in them? In this episode Dr. Grover interviews Jeremy, who is a former injection drug user about what it's like buying drugs in the illicit market.

In this episode we speak with Araceli, a Substance Use Navigator in California, about her work taking care of substance use patients in her Emergency Department. We talk about how to connect with patients with substance use - both in terms of building trust and how to work with patients who do not speak English as their first language.

Have you heard of P2P methamphetamine? It has turned out to be a major destructive force in the world of addiction and in society in general. In this article we tell the story of how P2P meth came to be the dominant stimulant in the US, and how it has produced devastating mental health effects in those who use it.

Have you heard of peer support? It's AWESOME! Such a huge help for patients with mental health conditions and substance use disorders. In this episode Dr. Grover provides an overview of peer support for the treatment of substance use, and we hear from Ceil - a woman in recovery who is providing peer support.

How often have you seen a patient you think has cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome - and when you tell them you think they need to stop using cannabis they tell you..."it's not the weed". In this episode we review what patients with suspected cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome think about the condition and how you can help them to stop using cannabis

If you don't have a Substance Use Navigator (SUN) at your hospital, you need one! They are awesome! In this episode Dr. Grover speaks with Austin, a Substance Use Navigator, who shares his experience taking care of patients with substance use. Spoiler alert! Substance Use Navigators do incredible work!

Naloxone saves lives! In this episode, Addiction Medicine and Emergency Medicine physician Dr. Reb Close joins Dr. Grover to discuss naloxone - how to use it, how to get it into the hands of patients, and how to distribute it in the community.

Have you heard of Phenibut? Did you know that it can be bought online as an unregulated supplement and yet regular use causes dependence? Any idea how to manage Phenibut withdrawal? In this episode we review the literature on Phenibut, including Phenibut toxicity and withdrawal.

In this episode we review the risk of having opioids in the home. As in – when you prescribe an opioid to a patient – what is the risk to the other people and family members in that patient’s home?

Have you heard about using baclofen for alcohol use disorder? Does it work? How do you dose it? What are the contraindications? In this episode we do an evidence based review of the use of baclofen to treat alcohol use disorder

So...how much do you know about urine drug screens? Can selegiline cause a false + for meth? Can quinolones cause a false + for opioids? Can putting visine in urine cause a false negative? What should you do if you think you've gotten a false positive result on a urine drug screen. In this episode - we tackle all these questions and more