Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

Medication Talk

Listen in as our expert panel discusses medications for management of opioid use disorder. They’ll review strategies to optimize buprenorphine use and clarify the role of methadone and naltrexone.

Special guest:

• Tyler J. Varisco, PharmD, PhD
  • University of Houston College of Pharmacy
    • Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy
    • Assistant Director, The PREMIER Center

You’ll also hear practical advice from panelists on TRC’s Editorial Advisory Board:

• Stephen Carek, MD, CAQSM, DipABLM, Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine for the Prisma Health/USC School of Medicine Greenville Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville
• Craig D. Williams, PharmD, FNLA, BCPS, Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Oregon Health and Science University

For the purposes of disclosure, Dr. Varisco reports a financial relationship [cardiology, inflammatory bowel disease] with HEALIX Infusion Therapy (research consultant).

The other speakers have nothing to disclose. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

This podcast is an excerpt from one of TRC’s monthly live CE webinars, the full webinar originally aired in March 2025.

TRC Healthcare offers CE credit for this podcast. Log in to your Pharmacist’s Letter, Pharmacy Technician’s Letter,or Prescriber Insights account and look for the title of this podcast in the list of available CE courses.

Claim Credit

The clinical resources mentioned during the podcast are part of a subscription to Pharmacist’s Letter, Pharmacy Technician’s Letter, and Prescriber Insights:

• FAQ: Management of Opioid Use Disorder
• Chart: Treatment of Opioid Withdrawal
• FAQ: Treatment of Acute Pain in Opioid Use Disorder
• FAQ: Meds for Opioid Overdose

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Chapters

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. CE Information (00:01:40)

3. Treatment Indications (00:02:26)

4. Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (00:04:53)

5. Prescribing Laws and Accessibility (00:08:25)

6. Special Populations (00:12:20)

7. Initiating Buprenorphine (00:14:59)

8. Ancillary Medications (00:19:17)

9. Barriers to Treatment (00:22:28)

10. Emergency Supplies (00:25:34)

11. Red Flags and Monitoring (00:29:39)

12. Acute Pain in Opioid Use Disorder (00:34:35)

13. Conclusion (00:36:46)