Guest MINDSETTER™ Lambrese: Opioid addicts deserve dignity, not death

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Wednesday, January 04, 2017

Guest MINDSETTER™ Kelly Lambrese, RN, BSN

Patients suffering from opioid addiction do not start out as drug seekers. Often they were prescribed a painkiller for a physical injury which, over time, lost its efficacy. They turn to street drugs which are cheaper and easier to get in order to relieve their pain.

Fear of withdrawal symptoms (anxiety, insomnia, vomiting, extreme diarrhea, etc.) is what drives them to continue their drug-seeking habit. We treated a construction worker patient with limited on-the-job bathroom access, for example. Symptoms can make it impossible to work and can last for months which often leads to relapse.

According to the RI Department of Health, in 2015, nearly 300 Rhode Islanders lost their lives to overdose, and that number is increasing – especially those involving fentanyl, a highly potent opioid often laced in heroin – and deadlier than heroin. Suboxone treatment is essential to help patients get their lives back and to decrease unnecessary deaths.

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Dead addicts don’t recover. That’s the harsh reality. No one should feel ashamed to get help, and opioid dependence should not be stigmatized. We need to guide patients to make well-informed decisions about where they choose to get their care.

My outpatient-based physician practice focuses on the utmost privacy, most flexible hours, best access to care, and the dignity patients deserve. It’s difficult enough to take that first step to recovery; let’s resolve in the New Year to do what we can to break the cycle of addiction before more lives are lost in 2017.

Kelly Lambrese, RN, BSN, is the Founder and President of Recovery Resource in East Providence.

Rhode Island Doctors Getting the Most Drug Company Money

#25

Doctor: Christopher Born

Specialty: Orthopaedic Trauma

Location: Providence, RI

Amount Paid: $83,353

Payments Exceeding $5,000 From: Stryker Corporation

#24

Doctor: Robert Marchand

Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery

Location: Wakefield, RI

Amount Paid: $83,400

Payments Exceeding $4,000 From: Stryker Corporation and MAKO Surgical Corp

#23

Doctor: Jon Ruel

Specialty: Prosthodontics

Location: Portsmouth, RI

Amount Paid: $85,412

Payments Exceeding $5,000 From: BIomet 3i LLC

#22

Doctor: Edward Akelman

Specialty: Orthopaedic & Hand Surgery

Location: Providence, RI

Amount Paid: $86,978

Payments Exceeding $5,000 From: Integra LifeSciences Corporation

#21

Doctor: Samir Shah

Specialty: Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology

Location: Providence, RI

Amount Paid: $88,840

Payments Exceeding $4,000 From: Takeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc and AbbVie Inc

#20

Doctor: Robert Bierwirth

Specialty: Internal Medicine & Gastroenterology

Location: Cranston, RI

Amount Paid: $92,107

Payments Exceeding $4,000 From: Janssen Products, LP

#19

Doctor: Stephen Chabot

Specialty: Neurology & Psychiatry

Location: Pawtucket, RI

Amount Paid: $94,892

Payments Exceeding $4,000 From: Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A. Inc.

#18

Doctor: Damian Dupuy

Specialty: Diagnostic Radiology

Location: East Providence,RI

Amount Paid: $96,840

Payments Exceeding $5,000 From: BSD Medical Corporation

#17

Doctor: Joseph Renzulli

Specialty: Urology

Location: Providence, RI

Amount Paid: $101,000

Payments Exceeding $4,000 From: Algeta US LLC and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc

#16

Doctor: Albert Marano

Specialty: Psychiatry & Neurology

Location: Johnston, RI

Amount Paid: $105,000

Payments Exceeding $2,000 From: Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc and Biogen Idec Inc.

#15

Doctor: David Caldarella

Specialty: Primary Podiatric Medicine

Location: Pawtucket, RI

Amount Paid: $106,000

Payments Exceeding $5,000 From: Biomet Orthopedics LLC and Trilliant Surgical Ltd

#14

Doctor: J Easton

Specialty: Psychiatry & Neurology

Location: Providence, RI

Amount Paid: $117,000

Payments Exceeding $5,000 From: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc, Novartis Pharma AG, and Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC