Trump's Health Secretary Says Addiction Meds Are "Substituting One Opioid For Another"

[RandySF]

On a listening tour about the opioid epidemic in West Virginia on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price stressed the urgency of tackling the staggering overdose problem, saying "we're losing people every single day across the nation, so we don't have time to wait."

But when it came time to discuss solutions, Price contradicted guidance from his own agency by asserting that medications to treat opioid addiction are "just substituting one opioid for another." His comments about so-called medication-assisted treatments run counter to years of scientific studies finding that access to the medications, such as buprenorphine or methadone, make drug users more likely to recover.

Here's Eric Eyre of the Charlotte Gazette-Mail:

Asked about drug treatment options, Price touted faith-based programs while showing less support for medication-assisted programs in which addicts are weaned off heroin with other opioids like Suboxone and methadone.

"If we're just substituting one opioid for another, we're not moving the dial much," he said. "Folks need to be cured so they can be productive members of society and realize their dreams."

The secretary's comments directly oppose literature from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, a division of HHS. "The goal of medication-assisted treatment is to recover from addiction," reads "Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction: Facts for Families and Friends." The literature goes on: "It does NOT replace one addictive drug with another. It provides a safe, controlled level of medication to overcome the use of a problem opioid."


http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/05/tom-price-opioid-addiction-treament

[Adsos Letter]

1. "faith-based programs"

This is where his ilk would like to place our whole social safety net.

[riversedge]

2. OMG! We knew Price was a dickhead but if he interferes in this science based treatment, we, as a

nation are in deep trouble. It is time for the medical community to speak up before it gains traction!

[Docreed2003]

3. He's either a heartless bastard or a moron...

Or maybe both! How any physician with two functioning brain cells could undercut one of the few outlets for treatment of opiod addiction in this current epidemic is beyond me.

[Ilsa]

4. Fuck him. NT

[Motownman78]

5. I manage a 25 million dollar

191 unit Project based Section 8/Tax Credit property undergoing an 8 million dollar renovation for low income seniors/disabled. F**k this guy right in his ear!! I am more productive then any Congressional or administration stooge!

[ramapo]

6. Asswipe

This guy is indescribably awful.