Ferghal & Thileepan explore the role of Methadone in opioid agonist therapy.

Episode 13 of Cracking Addiction covers opioid replacement therapy (ORT) and the philosophy and evidence behind this highly effective treatment for patients with opioid use disorder.

In this episode of Cracking Addiction we cover the difference between dependence and addiction, the intricacies of addiction and provide a definition of opioid use disorder

Cracking Addiction covers the OPQRST framework and how to use this framework to prescribe safely to patients on opioid medications.

In this episode of Cracking Addiction we provide an introduction to opioids, how they work what receptors they act upon and some of the harms associated with opioids.

In this episode of Cracking Addiction we summarise the previous episodes detailing alcohol use disorder, alcohol withdrawal management, rationale for anti-craving medications and how to assist our patients in a safe, ethical and humane manner.

In this episode of Cracking Addiction we discuss both Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART recovery programs and review the evidence base behind each of these interventions and how to help patients choose the best behavioural management program to help manage relapse prevention.

In this episode of Cracking Addiction we explore the common anti-craving medications used in alcohol use disorder and explain what the choices are, what the indications for these medications are, how they work as well as the common side effects and interactions.

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In this episode of Cracking Addiction we explore the intricacies of residential or inpatient alcohol withdrawal management including how to manage patients in a residential setting, complications that can arise and how to management then during alcohol withdrawal, medications and potential dosages of medications uses as well as how to manage patients with pre-existing medical and psychiatric comorbidities.

The safe management of alcohol withdrawal is a fundamental skill that medical practitioners should be aware to perform. It is a protocol driven management and needs to be to ensure patient safety. In this episode of Cracking Addiction we explore home based or outpatient alcohol withdrawal and how to select the appropriate people for home based alcohol withdrawal management, how to manage the withdrawal symptoms and how to safely follow up patients.