Medical Student Tel Aviv University Berkeley, California
Learning Objectives:
At the completion of this activity, participants will:
Use with confidence evidence based medication treatment for opioid use disorder in patients who concurrently suffer from active cancer and are undergoing treatment for their cancer.
Identify oral stomatitis as a possible allergic reaction to oral buprenorphine/naloxone products.
Demonstrate skills in changing between opioid use disorder medications when intolerable side effects such as allergic reactions occur, without compromising a successful recovery outcome.
Presentation Summary: More patients are surviving their cancer than ever before, however, opioid misuse is increasing in parallel. Cancer patients may be more vulnerable to developing opioid use disorder (OUD) due to the physical and psychological pain associated with their underlying illness. A 39-year-old woman diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer luckily achieved chemotherapy-induced remission within 6 months. Unfortunately, she developed OUD that disrupted her activities of daily living for the next 5 years. She began her recovery using buprenorphine/naloxone, but due to a severe allergic reaction, switched to methadone and has been living in recovery for more than 2 years.
