Cracking Addiction

In this episode of Cracking Addiction, Scot Aitken and Dr Ferghal Armstrong chat about Johan Hari’s book, Chasing The Scream. We explore some of themes of the book including the motivations that underpin the war on drugs, the economic factors that affect the war on drugs and the role of decriminalization of drug use. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only a...

In this episode of Cracking Addiction we are again joined by Dr Colin Mendelsohn to discuss the controversies around vaping including the risks around vaping, the thoughts of vaping being a gateway to smoking cigarettes, the risks of EVALI, the role of 'Big Tobacco' in vaping, looking at the evidence around vaping and challenging some of the latest reviews around vaping Discussions and comments in...

In part 2 of 3 episodes. In this episode of Cracking Addiction we are again joined by Dr Colin Mendelsohn to discuss the different types of vaping products on the market, the different types of nicotine e-liquids available, how to source vaping products, how to prescribe nicotine and how to vape safely. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not repla...

In this 1st of three episodes of Cracking Addiction we are joined by Dr Colin Mendelsohn to discuss the harms of tobacco usage, what vaping is and how vaping can be useful to aid smoking cessation, the myths and benefits surrounding nicotine and the efficacy of vaping in smoking cessation. Nicotine vaping is surrounded in mystery with a lot of myths and misinformation abounding and in this episode...

In this episode of Cracking Addiction we discuss tobacco use in pregnancy and the those with mental health disorders and the evidence around smoking cessation in these special population groups. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional. Please consult with your doctor before making any changes to your...

In this episode of Cracking Addiction we discuss various smoking cessation interventions including behavioural interventions, nicotine replacement therapy, varenicline, bupropion and nortriptyline to aid patients in stopping smoking. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional. Please consult with your do...

In this episode of Cracking Addiction we discuss the harms associated with tobacco use, the health benefits of tobacco cessation, briefly discuss smoking cessation interventions and highlight the importance of brief interventions in eliciting behaviour change. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional....

In Episode 38 of Cracking Addiction we summarise the previous episodes regarding opioid use disorder and discuss a framework on the safe management of patients with opioid use disorder. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional. Please consult with your doctor before making any changes to your medical t...

In episode 37 of Cracking Addiction we discuss in detail some of the social comorbidities associated with substance use disorders and what to screen for, be aware of and some management strategies to tackle these social comorbidities. Social isolation and alienation are some of the unfortunate hallmarks of substance use disorder. Some of the biggest social harms that occur to the patient are the h...

In episode 36 of Cracking Addiction we discuss in detail some of the physical comorbidities associated with substance use disorders and what to screen for, be aware of and some management techniques. People with substance use disorders often deal with many medical and physical issues that can impact both their quality of life but also increase the risks of morbidity and mortality. There are a numb...

In episode 35 of Cracking Addiction we discuss in detail some of the psychiatric comorbidities associated with substance use disorders and what to screen for, be aware of and some management techniques. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional. Please consult with your doctor before making any changes...

In episode 34 of Cracking Addiction we discuss how to manage some of the special circumstances in opioid substation therapy including OST in renal and hepatic impairment, managing polypharmacy complications with OST and managing acute pain whilst a patient is on OST. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical profess...

In episode 33 of Cracking Addiction we discuss how to manage some of the special circumstances in opioid substation therapy including vomiting of doses of OST, dealing with intoxicated patients, overdoses of OST and transitioning between Methadone and Suboxone and vice versa. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medica...

In episode 32 of Cracking Addiction we discuss the harm reduction intervention of Naloxone and when to consider prescribing this medication, the benefits of take home naloxone and how it saves lives! Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional. Please consult with your doctor before making any changes to...

In episode 31 of Cracking Addiction we discuss the harm reduction interventions that we can implement for people who inject drugs to decrease the risks of morbidity and mortality. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional. Please consult with your doctor before making any changes to your medical treatme...

In episode 30 of Cracking Addiction we discuss the different opioid receptors buprenorphine acts upon and the nature of these effects, the difference between agonists and antagonists, how to start a patient on Suboxone and how to monitor patients on Suboxone and adjust doses. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medica...

In episode 29 of Cracking Addiction we discuss Suboxone and talk about the components of Suboxone as well as the pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of Suboxone. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional. Please consult with your doctor before making any changes to your medical treatment or lifestyle. Lat...

In episode 28 of Cracking Addiction we discuss our practical tips, advice and experience in managing patients on LAIB and share what we have learned. Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional. Please consult with your doctor before making any changes to your medical treatment or lifestyle. Latest Blogs...

Episode 27 of Cracking Addiction discusses the patient journey on LAIB and how to adequately deal with and manage adjusting doses of LAIB, commencing and ceasing LAIB and ensuring that patients are maintained on LAIB therapy Discussions and comments in our videos are for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your medical professional. Please consult with your doctor befo...

Cracking Addiction discusses Sublocade one of the LAIB preparations available and how to commence, maintain and manage any dose changes or complications associated with Sublocade. Sublocade is a long acting injectable buprenorphine (LAIB) manufactured by Invidior that uses the “Atrigel” system to provide for a sustained and prolonged delivery of buprenorphine into the systemic circulation after su...

Cracking Addiction discusses Buvidal one of the LAIB preparations available and how to commence, maintain and manage any dose changes or complications associated with Buvidal. Buvidal is a long acting injectable buprenorphine (LAIB) preparation manufactured by Camurus and uses “FluidCrystal” technology to provide for a sustained and prolonged delivery of buprenorphine into the systemic circulation...

Cracking Addiction discusses some of the special or difficult circumstances of prescribing LAIBs including intoxicated patients, pregnant patients, patients with chronic disease, patients with acute pain and our management strategies in these situations.

Episode 23 of Cracking Addiction explores commencement of patients on LAIB, side effects and risks of LAIB, discussion about precipitated withdrawal and when and how to review patients

An Introduction to Long Acting Injectable Buprenorphine (LAIB) Long acting injectable buprenorphine (LAIB) are long acting buprenorphine depot preparations that are injected subcutaneously and provide patients with a sustained release of buprenorphine for the duration of the depot preparation. Currently, two LAIB products are available for the Australian market. They differ in their formulations,...

Episode 21 of Cracking Addiction explores methadone pharmacokinetics, breakdown and interactions within the body and interactions with other drugs. Methadone is a drug with a wide variability in its absorption with oral bio-availability ranges from 35% to 100%. This is a significant amount of variability and explains why the same dose of Methadone can impact different patients differently. Methado...