Opioid Use Disorder and COVID-19: Crashing of the Crises

J Addict Med. 2020 Jul/Aug;14(4):e6-e7. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000684.

Abstract

: The COVID19 crisis has created many additional challenges for patients with opioid use disorder, including those seeking treatment with medications for OUD. Some of these challenges include closure of substance use treatment clinics, focus of emergency departments on COVID-19 patients, social distancing and shelter in place orders affecting mental health, bystander overdose rescue, threats to income and supply of substances for people who use drugs. While the initial changes in regulation allowing buprenorphine prescribing by telehealth are welcomed by providers and patients, many additional innovations are required to ensure that additional vulnerabilities and hurdles created by this pandemic scenario do not further fan the flames of the opioid epidemic.

MeSH terms

  • Betacoronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections* / epidemiology
  • Coronavirus Infections* / prevention & control
  • Health Services Accessibility / organization & administration*
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / organization & administration*
  • Narcotic Antagonists / therapeutic use*
  • Opiate Substitution Treatment / methods*
  • Opioid-Related Disorders* / drug therapy
  • Opioid-Related Disorders* / epidemiology
  • Opioid-Related Disorders* / psychology
  • Organizational Innovation
  • Pandemics* / prevention & control
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / epidemiology
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / prevention & control
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Telemedicine / organization & administration
  • United States

Substances

  • Narcotic Antagonists