According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one person dies every 11 days on the Big Island from a drug overdose. Federal legislation aimed at increasing access to treatment for opioid addiction could reduce that grim number.
Amanda DeGuiar had been struggling with opioid addiction for 10 years before she decided to give treatment a try. She said her fear of withdrawal was the biggest reason she stayed in addiction.
She thought she would have to suffer to get better. Then she tried buprenorphine.
"I had walked into that office terrified, craving a pill and my mind was racing. And within 30 minutes, I felt like the fight was over and there was hope again. I also didn’t feel high. To not feel high and to not be craving a pill was unbelievable," DeGuiar said.
Buprenorphine is an FDA-approved painkiller that helps stabilize the lives of those struggling with opioid addiction by reducing opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
The federal policy change was included in the appropriations bill signed by President Joe Biden at the end of the year. It removed a special DEA registration requirement for doctors to prescribe buprenorphine.
Addiction specialist Dr. Kevin Kunz of Kealakekua said that up until mid-January, its use was highly restricted.
"Until six weeks ago, opioid and fentanyl addiction were officially viewed and addressed as primarily a criminal problem by our judicial systems and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the DEA. So on Jan. 12, when all of the discriminatory and counter-productive federal regulations limiting prescriptions for buprenorphine were completely and totally rescinded, we entered a new era," Kunz said. "The DEA gets it. This is a medical problem."
Kunz said more work needs to be done to convince health professionals and insurance companies that buprenorphine can be a significant weapon in the fight against the opioid overdose epidemic in the islands.
