Renegade Psych

Thanks for listening. I recommend watching this entire series on my YouTube channel so you can see several charts/graphics you won't be able to see otherwise; search 'Renegade Psych' on YouTube to find the page. All future episodes will be live video recordings, but we'll still produce an audio-only version as well, so view on YouTube, listen on other platforms, or don't do either, Life is full of choices!

I recorded this series solo on a topic I consider myself very well-versed in, the drug/opioid epidemic, which has taken the lives of millions of Americans, caused medical and psychological complications for hundreds of millions more, and has led to heartbreak in so many others caring for those with substance use disorders, in the last 25 years. While the official overdose fatality figures hover above 100,000 annually as of 2022, there are likely significant numbers of fatal overdoses that get logged as other deaths. The 1st episode of the series emphasized the severity and under-representation of the magnitude of the drug epidemic problem, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th episodes traced the evolution from an increase in opiate marketing and prescribing, primarily initially Oxycontin, to a black-tar heroin epidemic once the US government introduced regulations restricting opiate prescribing domestically, and a massive increase in the number of people injecting drugs, carrying a host of other potential fatal and non-fatal complications, followed by the 3rd wave of fentanyl contamination into the entirety of the US drug supply, causing an even bigger surge of overdose deaths and non-fatal complications related to illicit drug use. Then, we looked at more non-fatal consequences and complications in the 5th installment.

In this 6th installment, I talk about SOLUTIONS to the problem. Some solutions are obvious and we simply need to overcome the stigma and demonization of this population to implement them on a more widespread national level, while others are less proven but have substantial evidence that they would be helpful. We talk about harm reduction, including MAT and Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone), and potentially even legalizing and regulating the entirety of the drug supply. If nothing else, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT because WHAT WE ARE DOING IS NOT WORKING.

For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Thanks for listening. I recommend watching this entire series on my YouTube channel due to there being several charts and graphics that you won't be able to see on other platforms; just search 'Renegade Psych' on YouTube to find our page. Future episodes will be live video recordings, but we'll still produce our audio-only version as well, so view on YouTube, listen on other platforms, or don't do either, Life is full of choices!

I recorded this series solo on a topic I consider myself very well-versed in, the drug/opioid epidemic, which has taken the lives of millions of Americans and caused medical and psychologic complications for hundreds of millions more, and has caused heartbreak in so many others caring for those with substance use disorders, in the last 25 years. While the official overdose fatality figures hover above 100,000 annually as of 2022, there are significant numbers of fatal overdoses that get logged as other deaths. The 1st episode of the series emphasized the severity and under-representation of the magnitude of the drug epidemic problem, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th episodes traced the evolution from an increase in opiate marketing and prescribing, primarily initially Oxycontin, to a black-tar heroin epidemic once the US government introduced regulations restricting opiate prescribing domestically, and a massive increase in the number of people injecting drugs, carrying a host of other potential fatal and non-fatal complications, followed by the 4th installation discussing the 3rd wave of fentanyl contamination into the entirety of the US drug supply, causing an even bigger surge of overdose deaths and non-fatal complications related to illicit drug use. In this 5th installment, we discuss a litany of different non-fatal problems associated with illicit drug use to try to emphasize ALL of the complications, not just the deaths, related to ongoing substance use disorders. In the 6th and final installment of the series, I will review some of my proposed solutions to combatting our drug epidemic.

For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Thanks for listening. I recommend watching this entire series on my YouTube channel due to there being several charts and graphics that you won't be able to see on other platforms; just search 'Renegade Psych' on YouTube to find our page. Future episodes will be live video recordings, but we'll still produce our audio-only version as well, so view on YouTube, listen on other platforms, or don't do either, Life is full of choices!

I recorded this series solo on a topic I consider myself very well-versed in, the drug/opioid epidemic, which has taken the lives of millions of Americans and caused medical and psychologic complications for hundreds of millions more, and has caused heartbreak in so many others caring for those with substance use disorders, in the last 25 years. While the official overdose fatality figures hover above 100,000 annually as of 2022, there are significant numbers of fatal overdoses that get logged as other deaths. The 1st episode of the series emphasized the severity and under-representation of the magnitude of the drug epidemic problem, the 2nd and 3rd episodes traced the evolution from an increase in opiate marketing and prescribing, primarily initially Oxycontin, gave way to a black-tar heroin epidemic once the US government introduced regulations restricting opiate prescribing domestically, and a massive increase in the number of people injecting drugs, carrying a host of other potential fatal and non-fatal complications. In this 4th installment of OVERDOSED: The Worst Drug Epidemic in Human History, we follow the evolution of the 3rd wave of massive fentanyl contamination, and the somehow even bigger surge of overdose deaths and complications following the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in early 2020.

For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Thanks for listening. I recommend watching this entire series on my YouTube channel due to there being several charts and graphics that you won't be able to see on other platforms; just search 'Renegade Psych' on YouTube to find our page. Future episodes will be live video recordings, but we'll still produce our audio-only version as well, so view on YouTube, listen on other platforms, or don't do either, Life is full of choices!

I recorded this series solo on a topic I consider myself very well-versed in, the drug/opioid epidemic, which has taken the lives of millions of Americans and caused medical and psychologic complications for hundreds of millions more, and has caused heartbreak in so many others caring for those with substance use disorders, in the last 25 years. While the official overdose fatality figures hover above 100,000 annually as of 2022, there are significant numbers of fatal overdoses that get logged as other deaths. The first episode focused on the scope of the problem, outlining that it is way more serious and severe than the 'official numbers' indicate and the second episode traced the evolution of the 1st wave of the epidemic involving an increase in the precriptions of Oxycontin and other opiates/opioids for minor aches and pains. This 3rd episode shows how the government, with apparently good intentions, tried to reduce the over-prescribing 1st wave of the epidemic by putting in regulatory constraints that actually created optimal conditions for the Xalisco cartel of Mexico, in its infancy prior to the 2nd wave, to become the primary producer and distrubitor of black-tar heroin, on its way to becoming the 2nd most powerful drug cartel in all of Mexico. We'll trace the evolution of the 2nd wave, as well as the massive increase in the amount of people injecting drugs (roughly 3.7 million Americans in 2018, or 5x more than just a few years prior to that in 2011), and the subsequent increase in so many dangerous and potentially deadly consequences or sequelae of Intravenous Drug Use.

For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Thanks for listening. I recommend watching this one on my YouTube channel due to being paired with several charts and graphics; just search 'Renegade Psych' on YouTube to find our page. Future episodes will be live video recordings, but we'll still produce our audio-only version as well, so view on YouTube, listen on other platforms, or don't do either, Life is full of choices!

I recorded this series solo on a topic I consider myself very well-versed in, the drug/opioid epidemic, which has taken the lives of millions of Americans and caused heartbreak for hundreds of millions more in the last 25 years. While the official overdose fatality figures hover above 100,000 annually as of 2022, there are significant numbers of fatal overdoses that get logged as other deaths. The first episode focused on the scope of the problem and this episode tracks the evolution of the 1st wave of the epidemic, an increase in opiate marketing and prescribing, primarily Oxycontin, and the role Purdue Pharmaceutical and the Sackler family played in instigating our current drug epidemic, paving the way for the 2nd wave, a massive increase in availability and use of Mexican black-tar heroin and a huge increase in American IntraVenous Drug Use.

For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Thanks for listening. I recommend watching this one on my YouTube channel due to being paired with several charts and graphics; just search 'Renegade Psych' on YouTube to find our page. Future episodes will be live video recordings, but we'll still produce our audio-only version as well, so view on YouTube, listen on other platforms, or don't do either, Life is full of choices!

I recorded this series solo on a topic I consider myself very well-versed in, the drug/opioid epidemic, which has taken the lives of millions of Americans and caused heartbreak for hundreds of millions more in the last 25 years. While the official overdose fatality figures hover above 100,000 annually as of 2022, there are significant numbers of fatal overdoses that get logged as other deaths. Beyond that, there are so many others that don't get counted as drug-related deaths even though the death is primarily related to the illicit drug use, including death by depression and suicide, infections like Hepatitis C, HIV, and endocarditis (heart valve infection), liver/heart/kidney failure, and so much more, pushing this annual fatality rate of 100,000 deaths much higher than what's reported. Follow along as I introduce the severity of the current drug epidemic and in the coming weeks, trace the evolution over time of how we got to where we are now.

For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Thanks for listening. RENEGADE PSYCH NOW HAS A YOUTUBE CHANNEL; just search 'Renegade Psych' to find our page. Future episodes will be live video recordings, but we'll still produce our audio-only version as well, so view on YouTube, listen on other platforms, or don't do either, Life is full of choices! If you're passionate about what we do here at Renegade Psych, we're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support our work, you can! Or not... I'll continue putting out content as long as my other jobs pay the bills. Other things you can do: liking, commenting, and sharing our posts also go a long way! https://patreon.com/RenegadePsych.

This interview is with Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, MD, MPH, an absolute pillar of the psychiatric community and a needed reasonable voice in a field captured by industry. A Harvard-trained psychiatrist with 30+ years of clinical experience, Dr. Ghaemi has taught me and my colleagues (from afar) more about appropriate clinical practice than arguably any other national figure, emphasizing pluralism (holding more than one belief on a specific issue simultaneously) and phenomenology (the philosophy of experience) and finding the appropriate middle ground between the biologic and humanistic schools of thought in our field. He has been highly critical of the DSM, the manual of diagnoses for psychiatrists, stating the vast majority of the 300+ diagnoses are invalid and unscientific, and promotes classification systems that fully separate diagnoses based on course of illness over time, family history or genetics, and response to medications. He is a voice that NEEDS to be heard within and outside of the field of psychiatry. Hope you enjoy our conversation and please like, share, and do all those other things that will help us build the brand and spread the word about these issues!

For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Thanks for listening. RENEGADE PSYCH IS GOING VIDEO and starting our very own YouTube channel, just search 'Renegade Psych' to find our page. All future episodes will be live video recordings, but we'll still produce our audio-only version as well, so view on YouTube, listen on other platforms, or don't do either, Life is full of choices! If you're passionate about what we do here at Renegade Psych, we're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support our work, you can! Or not... I'll continue putting out content as long as my other jobs pay the bills. Other things you can do: liking, commenting, and sharing our posts also go a long way! https://patreon.com/RenegadePsych.

In this 2-part series, I talk to Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring, MD, from the Life on Less Meds podcast (Life on Less Meds Podcast - YouTube), who runs a taper clinic based in Utah (Expert Drug-Tapering Psychiatrist | Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring (taperclinic.com). We talk about his background, which is unique as he has been personally harmed by psychiatric medications, has experience working at the FDA and a big pharmaceutical company, before he decided to leave it all behind in order to do what was most important to him, helping people safely come off of psychiatric medications. Hope you enjoy our conversation and please like, share, and do all those other things that will help us build the brand and spread the word about these issues!

For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Thanks for listening. For the first time, RENEGADE PSYCH is GOING VIDEO on YouTube, just search 'Renegade Psych' to find our page. All future episodes will be available for video viewing or audio listening, depending on the platform. If you're passionate about what we do here at Renegade Psych, we're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support our work, you can! Or not... I'll continue putting out content as long as my other jobs pay the bills. Other things you can do: liking, commenting, and sharing our posts also go a long way! https://patreon.com/RenegadePsych.

In this 2-part series, I talk to Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring, MD, from the Life on Less Meds podcast (Life on Less Meds Podcast - YouTube), who runs a taper clinic based in Utah (Expert Drug-Tapering Psychiatrist | Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring (taperclinic.com). We talk about his background, which is unique as he has been personally harmed by psychiatric medications, has experience working at the FDA, as well as experience working at a big pharmaceutical company, before he decided to leave it all behind in order to do what was most important to him and help people come off of psychiatric medications. Hope you enjoy our conversation and please like, share, and do all those other things that will help us build the brand and spread the word about these issues!

For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

In this series, Dr. Stephen Love, MD, and I discuss a vitally important aspect of substance use treatment that is not discussed enough as a society or in our medical training, educating users on how to reduce the harms associated with substance use. In this episode, we focus on HARM REDUCTION, and identify several rules of Safer Drug Use. Though abstinence is the only way to completely remove harm, we realize that is not desired or necessarily possible for everyone, so just as we would work to educate a severe diabetic with uncontrolled blood sugar on how to minimize their risks and do whatever we could to connect them to their internal motivations, we wish the field of addiction would operate similarly. IF someone wants abstinence, that's great and we would support them in that form of recovery, but if they preferred another form of treatment, or ANY form of treatment to reduce the associated harms, we should also be there for that. I hope you enjoy and tune in every Tuesday for a new release!

Thanks for listening. For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @Renegadepsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website.

Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.