Ep. 24 The Evolution Of The Opioid Crisis

In This Episode

Dr. Jeffrey Fudin joins us today to discuss the opioid crisis.

A fellow pharmacist and pain management specialist, Dr. Fudin talks with Neal about all the factors which may have played a role in the development of the Opioid epidemic as we know it today.

They explore everything from the responsibilities of the CDC and pharmaceutical companies to the role that doctors and pharmacists play in tracking opioid use and abuse on the front lines.

Topics Discussed

  • Doctors’ initial resistance to Oxy
  • What changed/how the epidemic began
  • Attempts to control opioid distribution and prescription
  • The results of new CDC guidelines
  • The downside to restricting Big Pharma
  • Weaning an addict off opioids
  • Knowing how to interpret urine drug tests
  • The pharmacists’ responsibility
  • The DEA
  • Fentanyl
  • New classes of drugs

All About Jeffrey Fudin

Dr. Fudin graduated from Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences with his Bachelors Degree and Pharm.D. He completed an Oncology/Hematology fellowship at SUNY/Upstate Medical Center.

He is a Diplomate to the Academy of Integrative Pain Management and a Fellow to the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists, and the Federation of State Medical Board.

Dr. Fudin is a Section Editor for Pain Medicine, Co-Editor-At-Large for Practical Pain Management, Founder/Chairman of Professionals for Rational Opioid Monitoring & Pharmacotherapy, and peer reviewer for several professional journals.

He has participated in developing practice guidelines for use of opioids in chronic noncancer pain (APS, AAPM collaborative) and participated in national (US Health and Human Services) and international guideline development for various pain types including but not limited to arthritis, fibromyalgia, and palliative care.

Dr. Fudin has also participated in the development and co-authored consensus guidelines for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation and for urine drug monitoring.

He practices as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist and Director, PGY-2 Pharmacy Pain Residency Programs at the Stratton Veterans Administration Medical Center in Albany NY. He holds adjunct faculty positions at Western New England University College of Pharmacy in Springfield MA and Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences. Dr. Fudin has been an invited speaker on pain management nationally and internationally.

Dr. Fudin is a Founder and Board of Trustee for the Society of Palliative Care Pharmacists where he serves on several committees. He is a member of several professional organizations and has been appointed as a Board Member to the New York State Office of Professional Medical Conduct.

He is the owner and managing editor for paindr.com and Founder and CEO of Remitigate LLC, a software development company that has launched an application to help clinicians interpret urine drugs screens (Urintel) and another that interprets risk of opioid-induced respiratory depression and guides clinicians in qualifying patients for in-home naloxone.

There are several pipeline products including a pharmacogenetic and opioid taper applications plus other opioid safety software initiatives in development. He is a prolific lecturer, a writer with over 300 publications, and researcher on pain management topics.

Resources

Dr. Neal Smoller, Holistic Pharmacist

About Neal Smoller

Dr. Neal Smoller, PharmD, is a licensed pharmacist: and owner of Village Apothecary, an independent pharmacy in the most famous small town in America—Woodstock, NY. He’s also the host of the popular wellness podcast, The Big Mouth Pharmacist.”

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