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Local addiction specialist urges wider use of methadone, buprenorphine and long‑acting formulations to reduce overdose deaths
Summary
Dr. Amy Burns reviewed evidence for methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, highlighted long‑acting injectable options and described common barriers and misconceptions that limit access to medication‑based treatment for opioid use disorder.
Dr. Amy Burns, an addiction‑medicine specialist and psychiatrist, told a Spokane audience that medication‑based treatments for opioid use disorder—methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone—substantially reduce overdose deaths and overall mortality, and that widening access should be a cornerstone of local response efforts.
“Methadone saves lives,” Dr. Burns said, summarizing large studies comparing mortality for people actively using opioids to those receiving methadone. She described buprenorphine as a partial agonist that reduces cravings and…
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