Weekly Infusion

Today we address the use of Naltrexone as a treatment option for addiction and examine the Government’s response to the Opioid Crisis.  Experts include Harvard professors, Dr. John Kelly and Dr. Bertha Madras, Beautiful Boy author/public speaker, David Sheff and addiction counselor Shelly Sprague.  We want to thank our guests and special thanks to all of you listeners who explored The History of Opium with us. Produced by Michelle Poe and the staff of drdrew.com.  Sponsored by Social CBD. Go to DrDrew.com/socialCBD. On our site and for a limited time you can save 20% at checkout with code DRDREW.

Professors Dr. John Kelly, Dr. Anna Lembke and Dr. Bertha Madras plus best-selling author of Beautiful Boy, David Sheff join @drdrew this week as we focus on steps that could be taken to address the opiod epidemic more effectively. Some of these methods are tried and true and others take a more novel approach.  This show is courtesy of SocialCBD. Go to DrDrew.com/socialCBD. On our site and for a limited time you can save 20% at checkout with code DRDREW.

Suboxone:  Miracle or Menace?  This week’s installment tackles medication assisted therapy, and specifically the use of Suboxone to treat the disease of addiction.  There are arguments both for and against this controversial treatment method.  Addiction treatment expert Bob Forrest, Dr. Anna Lembke and Dr. John Kelly weigh in on the topic.  

This week’s installment explores the physicians’ role in the current opioids crisis and explains why mixing opioids and benzodiazepines is such a lethal combination.  Our superstar panel of experts includes Dr. Bertha Madras (Harvard University), Dreamland author, Sam Quinones, Dr. Anna Lembke (Stanford University), addiction specialist, Shelley Sprague, and Beautiful Boy author, David Sheff. 

This installment examines the drug companies’ role in the current opioids crisis.  Led by the billionaire Sackler Family, Purdue Pharma used marketing, advertising and questionable tactics to encourage physicians to prescribe OxyContin whenever possible.  The push to “eliminate pain completely” resulted in iatrogenic addiction.  Beautiful Boy author, David Sheff, Dreamland author, Sam Quinones and Addiction Treatment Specialist, Shelley Sprague are this week’s contributors.  

Dr. Robert DuPont, former White House Drug Chief (under Nixon), joins us this week to talk about Methadone maintenance therapy as a treatment for addiction.  He shares his thoughts about harm reduction and illuminates the groundbreaking work that was done in this area by Dr. Marie Nyswander and Dr. Vincent Dole.   This episode is sponsored by Select CBD.

Dr. Anna Lembke of Stanford University and recovered addict Mike Catherwood are this week’s guests.  This episode addresses the processes that occur in the brain when an addiction takes hold.  Find out how genetics, the environment and childhood trauma contribute this disease as well.  This episode is sponsored by Select CBD

This week’s experts are “The Age of Addiction” author, Dr. David Courtwright, Former Nixon Drug Chief, Dr. Robert Dupont and Harvard Professor, Dr. Bertha Madras Methadone was becoming a popular withdrawal treatment even as Timothy Leary was calling for people to “turn on, tune in, drop out.”  Nixon declared a “war on drugs” and soldiers’ drug use in Vietnam shined a light on heroin abuse.  The National Institute of Drug Abuse was founded in the 70s and the 80s ushered in the D.A.R.E. Program.    This episode is sponsored by Select CBD.

With doctors forbidden from treating the addicts they had created, this population began resorting to unlawful activities to acquire drugs.  WWII interrupted the opium trade, making it easier for the U.S. to crack down on drug trade, but by the end of the 40s a rise in heroin use occurred, increasing addiction rates.  Dr. Marie Nyswander began to champion the use of Methadone to treat addicts.  Age of Addiction author, Dr. David Courtwright is this week’s guest expert.   This episode is sponsored by Select CBD.

Drug historian and author of The Age of Addiction, Dr. David Courtwright, joins us to talk about some of the “addiction cures” that became popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  Find out which famous historical figure blamed all addictions on masturbation!   This episode is sponsored by True Recovery. 

By the end of the nineteenth century, “addiction cures” were everywhere.  Many people had become addicts at the hand of their own doctors, but The Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 was poised to reclassify this hapless population as criminals.  During this time, social and political activists called Muckrakers galvanized to expose the fraudulent practices of patent medicine companies.  Drug historian and The Age of Addiction author Dr. David Courtwright is this week’s expert.   This episode is sponsored by True Recovery.  

It is widely believed that the Civil War created a legion of opium addicts, but some experts think otherwise.  Drug historian and The Age of Addiction author, Dr. David Courtwright, joins us this week to discuss this period in history, as well as the first incident of iatrogenic addiction (addiction caused by physicians) in the United States, and the widespread use of patent medicines that was taking the nation by storm. This episode is sponsored by True Recovery.

Learn which of America’s founding fathers used opium derivatives, what caused the Chinese Opium Wars and how a young German chemist became the first person to isolate the chemical that would eventually be known as morphine.  Expert Kenaz Filan provides additional historical insight. This episode is sponsored by True Recovery.

Alexander the Great had a pivotal role in bringing the opium poppy to Asia and India.  Expert Kenaz Filan weighs in on some of the flower’s more interesting medical applications during antiquity.  This episode is sponsored by True Recovery. Go to drdrew.com. 

Opioids and the problems they cause are in the headlines daily, but this drug’s global impact actually began thousands of years ago.  In this series, “The History of Opium,” we will explore the substance’s first known use in antiquity and work our way up to the current crisis.  Our first installment features excerpts from an interview with author Kenaz Filan, whose book,  “The Power of the Poppy: Harnessing Nature’s Most Dangerous Ally,” chronicles some of the earliest uses of papaver somniferum, aka the opium poppy.   This episode is sponsored by True Recovery.  If you or someone you care for is dealing with addiction, you know that finding a treatment option that works for you can be extremely frustrating. The truth is, every patient’s needs are different - and constantly evolving.  TrueRecovery.com   And now, DrDrew.com presents “The History of Opium,”     This episode is presented by True Recovery, www.truerecovery.com

Drs. Drew and Bruce tackle the topic of hair loss and discuss the most current treatments.  They are joined by Bill Edwards, CEO of Regenix, who talks about the regimen that Susan Pinsky is finding success with, and hair replacement surgeon, Dr. Parsa Mohebi.  Later, they speak with dermatologist Abel Torres MD/JD, Professor and Chairman of Dermatology at Linda Loma School Of Medicine and dermatologist Dr. Hal Weitzbuch who has successfully treated his alopecia patient, Max, with steroid injections and platelet rich plasma. Get 15 percent off a starter kit at Regenix when you mention Drdrew at checkout.  This episode is sponsored by Hydralyte.

Pathologist Nicole Angemi shares some of her favorite stories from the pathology lab and then challenges Dr. Drew and Dr. Bruce to a round of Mystery Diagnosis. Find Nicole at @Mrs_Angemi on Instagram! See the live video and photos on YouTube/Drdrew and play along!  This episode is sponsored by Alliant University CSP.

Steve Kardian, self defense expert and author of THE NEW SUPER POWER FOR WOMEN, breaks down the mind of a predator and teaches women how to recognize them and protect themselves in vulnerable situations. Elizabeth Smart: Questions Answered: with host Dr. Drew Pinsky airs Nov 20 at 10 p.m. after the two part special Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography on A&E.  Go to The Elizabeth Smart Foundation for more details about bringing hope and ending victimization through prevention, recovery and advocacy.  Sponsored by Alliant.edu  

Drew welcomes the popular host of You Are Not So Smart Podcast David McRaney to the show. They discuss the Dunning-Kruger Effect, flat-earthers, the backfire effect and much more. This episode is sponsored by Alliant International University School of psychology and mental health, education and teaching, business and management, and law and forensics. Alliant.edu for details.

Dr. Omid Hamid, who is at the forefront of this research, shares the latest news of how he and scientists are making incredible advancements in the treatment melanoma with a variety of groundbreaking therapies.   This episode is sponsored by Hydralyte and Alliant University CSP.