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Opioid Use Disorder Pharmacotherapy: A Historical Perspective on How We Practice, and Why

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Treating Opioid Use Disorder in General Medical Settings

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Abstract

The modern era of pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorders began with the introduction of methadone maintenance in the 1960s. Since then, four medications, in different formulations, have received approval for its use by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration. Yet, practically speaking, only two medications, buprenorphine and naltrexone, are available to clinicians in addiction medicine. Why? What forces and events determined which medications are, and are not, available today? It is a story, largely untold, that continues to shape our practices and still governs our use of these medications. That story is the subject of this chapter. We hope its retelling will prompt readers to reflect on why we do what we do in using these medications, and reconsider what we can do, or not do, that may yet benefit our patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Walter Ling

  2. Department of Family Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Steve Shoptaw

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  1. Walter Ling
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  2. Steve Shoptaw
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Correspondence to Walter Ling .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA

    Sarah E. Wakeman

  2. Brown University, The Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals, Providence, RI, USA

    Josiah D. Rich

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Ling, W., Shoptaw, S. (2021). Opioid Use Disorder Pharmacotherapy: A Historical Perspective on How We Practice, and Why. In: Wakeman, S.E., Rich, J.D. (eds) Treating Opioid Use Disorder in General Medical Settings. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80818-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80818-1_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-80817-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-80818-1

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