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Suboxone Patients Bring Your Sponsor

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://drleeds.blog/suboxone-patients-bring-sponsor/

Suboxone Patients Bring Your Sponsor

Bring Your Sponsor

Suboxone patients and patients prescribed similar medications, this article is for you.  A sponsor is someone who guides you through the twelve steps. Where can you find a sponsor? In a twelve step program! The two largest twelve step programs are Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). When patients ask me when they can taper off of their medication for opioid dependence, I ask them if they have a sponsor.

To get a sponsor, you have to go to meetings.

Meetings are where groups of people recovering from alcoholism and addiction go to follow a strict format of discussion for usually one hour. Often, there is a speaker who talks about how they stay clean and how the program of recovery has made their life better. Then, there is time for individuals in the group to speak about their recovery and problems they are dealing with. Newcomers are recognized and celebrated. It isn’t easy to go to a meeting for the first time. It isn’t easy to continue going to meetings.  However, Suboxone patients will definitely benefit from meetings and sponsorship.

When you go to meetings, you will be encouraged to get to know the members of the group.

You can get phone numbers and freely call those people. When you are thinking about taking drugs just one more time, call a friend from a meeting first. They will understand what you are going through and give you perspective. Your new friends will help you to stay clean.

As you continue going to meetings, you will hear about sponsors and sponsorship.

You will notice that some people have a lot of clean time and they are happy and doing well in life. Many of these people are available to be your sponsor. All you have to do is ask.

If someone says no, don’t feel bad or take it personally.

They may have too many sponsees to take on another one now. They may have their own personal issues and they feel that they cannot provide you with the best guidance. In some cases, members of NA may be uncomfortable taking on sponsorship of Suboxone patients. If this is the issue, find someone else who does not get involved in your medical care. Whatever the reason, just ask someone else. Don’t let your feelings of avoiding rejection get in the way. This is about saving your life and getting better. You have a right to find a sponsor. You will find the right one if you keep going to meetings every day.

There is also something called a temporary sponsor.

This is a sponsor with no long term obligations. It is someone to help you out until you find just the right sponsor. Often, if things go well, the temporary sponsor will become your sponsor. Asking someone to be your temporary sponsor may make it easier for the two of you to get started.

Suboxone patients, when you have a sponsor, don’t be afraid to call.

Most sponsors want you to check in every day. It is just a brief phone call to let them know you are doing well and to show your commitment to recovery. Also, don’t be afraid to be persistent in wanting to begin working on the steps.

I am giving you this information as an outsider. It will make more sense when you start going to meetings. If you think you don’t like meetings, keep going back. Try different meetings. In this area of South Florida, there are a lot to choose from.

If you are my patient, I welcome you to bring your sponsor to your office visit if you choose.

It is not at all a requirement. Keep in mind that you will be allowing them to hear your protected health information in the room. That being said, if you want to bring your sponsor with you, I don’t mind at all. If you are a Suboxone patient, I would be happy to meet someone who is helping you to stay clean and recover.

Going to 12 step meetings, having a sponsor and a support group of recovering friends and working on the steps will help you to work towards being prepared to taper off of and quit taking medication such as buprenorphine, Suboxone, Subutex or Zubsolv. While some patients do take these medications for very long periods of time, many years for some, this does not have to be the case for everyone.

If you are looking for a doctor who provides medication assisted treatment for opioid dependence and addiction in the Fort Lauderdale and Broward County area, please call Mark Leeds, D.O., Osteopathic Physician, at t.

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Opioid Dependence And Addiction - Let Us Help

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://drleeds.blog/opioid-dependence/

Opioid Dependence And Addiction - Let Us Help

Let Us Help

Imagine throwing a life preserver on a rope out to a drowning man in the ocean.

Opioid dependence is a life threatening condition. Imagine throwing a life preserver to a drowning man. He has no hope other than to grab on not let go. You are going to have to pull the rope to help get him to safety. While it seems natural to do everything possible to save a drowning man, the responsibility can be scary. What if you can’t hold on long enough? What if the man lets go and doesn’t make it? Will you feel responsible? Will other people blame you for the man not making it to safety?

What would you do?

When you throw out the life preserver to the drowning man, do you require that he first state his honest desire to live? Do you ask him to wait while you order just the right size life preserver? Do you stop along the way in pulling him in to verify his grip as he freezes in the water? If you are standing by while someone else holds the rope, do you question his or her qualifications to pull in a drowning man? They have two hands holding a rope and a willingness to pull and you want to question their competency? Why not grab the rope and help pull instead?

In that sort of dramatic situation, I think anyone would hold on to the rope and do their best without thinking about it at the time. In our daily lives, there may be situations that are not so dramatic where we can do our part to save a life. When we have to make these decisions, we may second guess ourselves. We might worry and wonder if we are doing the right thing. Is it better to not get involved? Should we do everything possible to protect ourselves?

For doctors, pharmacists and decision makers at insurance companies, we have an opportunity to save lives.

In 2002, the first medication was approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid dependence. This medication is Suboxone. We now have additional brands of buprenorphine containing medications available. So, people who are addicted to heroin or pain pills now have a new tool to help them to quit these deadly drugs. In addition to medication, therapy is also recommended.

There is an epidemic of opioid dependence related overdose death.

People are taking too many pain pills. They are buying heroin on the street without knowing the potency. A set of tools has been given to us in the healthcare profession to save those people in danger who ask for help.

I have had patients bring a prescription for suboxone to a pharmacy only to be told that it will take nearly a week to order it. Then the pharmacy holds onto the prescription. When a person addicted to opioids wants to quit drugs, there may be a narrow window of opportunity to help. If that person starts to get sick and starts to crave opioids again, they may relapse before having the chance to start treatment.

Pharmacists, please help us.

Pharmacists, if you cannot help a patient who is trying to fill a legitimate prescription for a buprenorphine based medication such as Suboxone, Subutex or Zubsolv, please consider giving back the prescription without writing or stamping all over it. If you aren’t sure what you should do, call the doctor who wrote the prescription first and have a conversation. If you cannot help, let the patient find a pharmacist who can help.

Insurance companies, please help us.

Insurance companies, I don’t know what to say. You want prior authorization for every single patient. Fine, we, the doctors, will play along and fill out the online form.  More often now, I am seeing insurance companies looking for any possible reason to deny and delay coverage for these life saving medications. Why? Who are you protecting? Certainly not the patient.

I have seen insurance companies deny coverage for buprenorphine medications, including Suboxone, Subutex and Zubsolv as well as generic equivalents. They sometimes deny based on missing information. Often the information they say is missing was submitted already.

I have had to get on the phone with impersonal insurance pharmacy program representatives and point out that the drug test results, the PDMP review statement, the statement about the patient having a true diagnosis of opioid dependence, the statement that the patient is compliant with therapy are all there in the documentation submitted. Seriously? A patient sometimes cannot get their first prescription filled. Insurance companies, please help us by doing your part to save lives.

Buprenorphine medications for opioid dependence are too expensive.

To the pharmaceutical industry, we need lower cost alternatives. Even the generics are too expensive. The cost for the brand name medications for opioid dependence is way too high.  Patients need better access to these medications. Thank you Orexo for providing free vouchers to at least help patients get started.

Medication Assisted Treatment is readily available in our region.

Fortunately, in the area where I work, there are many doctors willing to get credentialed to prescribe buprenorphine medications for opioid dependence and addiction. I have heard some patients complain about doctors who make it difficult to get help. Please, treat these patients with respect. They are asking for your help. It is not easy to ask for help. Please do what you can to provide treatment or refer them to someone who is able and willing to help.  Opioid dependence and addiction do not make a person bad. It is not a moral failing. It is a medical condition that requires treatment.

Call today.

If you are a patient who is seeking help for opioid dependence and addiction, you have a right to get treatment. You don’t have to continue suffering. Help is available. There are online resources to help you find a doctor near you who is able to prescribe medication and refer you for therapy that will help you quit drugs now. If you are in the Fort Lauderdale or Broward County area, you can call me, Mark Leeds, D.O., Osteopathic Physician, at 954-776-6226.

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I missed your call.

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://drleeds.blog/i-missed-your-call/

I missed your call.

I missed your call. Sorry.

I missed your call. The phone was ringing, I know. My name is Mark Leeds, D.O., Osteopathic Physician, 954-776-6226.

The focus of my work is treatment of opioid dependence and addiction with medication assisted treatment. If you are calling about treatment for addiction, I hope that you will call back and speak to me or leave a message.

Starting treatment for opioid dependence and addiction is important and should be started as soon as possible. You don’t want to take drugs anymore. You don’t want to feel sick. Don’t risk your life for this anymore. Please call back. If you get the voicemail, just leave a short message.

I try not to miss calls.

Wherever I go, I can hear the phone ringing. That is because I use a phone system that rings the office phone and my cell phone all at once. Sometimes, I cannot help missing a call. I could be driving. Another patient may have called me or I returned their call. I could be at the office seeing a patient. If it is late at night, I may be sleeping already.

You may get my voicemail sometimes.

I work in a micropractice. That means I don’t have a group of employees doing various jobs around my office. I don’t have people to answer my phone for me.  The good thing about that is that when you get a live person on the line, it will most likely be me, the doctor. The bad part is that if I cannot answer the phone, it will go to voicemail.

Don’t be afraid to leave a message.

The voicemail messages go to me, Dr. Leeds. There is no office staff reviewing messages and listening to you. You don’t have to worry about that. You can feel comfortable leaving me a voicemail. When you leave a voicemail, please leave a message with your name and phone number. So, if you don’t mind mentioning your reason for calling, that would be great. Thank you. Again, I am sorry I missed your call. If you need my number again, it is: 954-776-6226.

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New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://drleeds.blog/hang-up/

Did you just hang up on me?

Hang up the phone on Dr. Leeds? Don’t worry, I’m not upset. I get it all the time. My name is Mark Leeds, D.O., Osteopathic Physician. The focus of my work is on treating opioid dependence and addiction. That is, addiction to heroin or pain pills.

People searching for help find me all the time.

I have been doing this work for many years. I write many articles on the topic of addiction, recovery and treatment on my blog. Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines often direct people to my website when they are looking for help.

Addiction makes it hard to ask for help.

It stops you from asking for help. It tells you that you can get high one more time and ask for help later. That is how addiction kills. That is how addiction causes permanent disease and disability. Most people who die of an overdose were planning to ask for help after getting high just one more time.

Please call again.

I will answer the phone and talk to you. You can come in for an appointment. If you get the voicemail, please leave a message. Don’t be paranoid. Your privacy is protected. I, Dr. Leeds, am the only person who listens to my voicemail. That is one of the benefits of calling a doctor who works in a micro-practice.

So, leave a message if you get the voicemail.

If I do answer the phone, please don’t hang up on me this time. It��s OK. You just want more information. You want to find out how to quit the drugs and stay alive. And, you want to stop feeling sick.

If you are not comfortable calling me back, please call someone for help.

You can call AA or Alcoholics Anonymous, NA or Narcotics Anonymous. You can try another doctor. I don’t mind at all. I just want for you to get the help you need.

You can survive addiction and live.

The main form of treatment I use for opioid addiction is the use of a medication called buprenorphine.  It is the ingredient in Suboxone, Subutex and Zubsolv.  This medicine combined with therapy works. It saves lives.

If you forgot that you tried to call me and you need my information again, here it is.  I am Mark Leeds, D.O., Osteopathic Physician. My phone number is 954-776-6226.  Call me.

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You Should Quit Heroin

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://drleeds.blog/you-should-quit-heroin/

You Should Quit Heroin

You should quit heroin.  Here are five reasons why.

Five reasons why you should quit heroin.

Reason #1:

You should quit heroin. There is special medication that can make quitting relatively easy and painless. It is called buprenorphine. It is the main ingredient in Suboxone, Subutex and Zubsolv. The first drug in this class was approved in 2002. Since then, we have gained much experience in using it to treat heroin addiction. It is unfortunate that other forms of addiction do not have such a powerful tool to help the addict quit. People addicted to other drugs have to quit the hard way. Hopefully, future research will yield new ways to help them.

  Reason #2:

  Heroin addiction is deadly. In fact, it is the most deadly of all addictions. It only takes one small mistake to overdose and stop breathing. If you do not get emergency care right away, you will die. No one plans to die when they take heroin. But, when you are high on heroin, it is easy to get careless. To make matters worse, there are powerful, potent drugs being added to heroin now. You don’t always know the true potency of what you are taking. Most drugs are cut and made weaker by the dealers. Heroin is the opposite. And when it is made stronger, it is deadly. You may get high and nod off. But, you may not wake up again.

  Reason #3:

  Many people describe their first time using heroin to be the best feeling they ever felt in their life. Everything in the world was good and at peace. It was a lie. It lasted many hours and then wore off. The first high is never felt again. You will get high again, but not like the first time. Eventually, you will not get high at all. You just get sick if you don’t use heroin. Your whole life becomes centered around getting and taking more heroin. You may still believe you will recapture that first high. That is the lie of addiction. It will never happen. If you are ready to stop feeling sick then you are ready to quit. If you want to stop the never ending obsession, you should quit heroin.

  Reason #4:

  Heroin doesn’t always kill quickly. It sometimes kills slowly and painfully through illness. It is possible to overdose and survive with permanent disability. Heart damage such as congestive heart failure. Brain damage from a lack of oxygen. Imagine living your life permanently disabled. You will be fully dependent on caretakers. No one wants to take care of someone who caused their own disability by overdosing on heroin. You also may damage your heart valves with infection. Hepatitis and HIV are risks.  Hepatitis can lead to liver cancer. Death doesn’t always come quickly. It can be slow and painful.

  Reason 5:

  In today’s world there is more opportunity to live a happy life than ever before. You don’t have to be rich and famous to be happy. In fact, many rich and famous people are not happy at all. You first need to quit taking heroin. After that, you have a second chance to live the way you want to live. You may be surrounded by family, friends, co-workers and others who tell you what you should be doing. If you get clean and go to a recovery fellowship such as AA or NA, you will find new friends. You may choose to work the 12 steps with a sponsor and discover who you are and what you were meant to do in life. Maybe it is to help other people to quit heroin. There is nothing more satisfying than helping people.

To summarize, you should quit heroin for the following reasons.  

First, you can quit heroin. Medication assisted treatment using buprenorphine works. Second, you will probably die an unexpected, accidental death by overdose. It is far more common than people think.  Third, you want to quit. It’s not fun anymore. It will never be fun again. You just keep going to not feel sick. No one wants that.

Fourth, you will get a permanent illness or disability. If you are healthy enough to be reading this, you need to quit. Imagine severe brain damage from hypoxia. They found you in time to save your life but not your brain. Heart damage from valve infection. Hepatitis C and HIV. If you already have health issues from heroin, you really need to stop. You cannot take care of yourself when you are always obsessed with getting more heroin.  Fifth, it is never too late to live the happy life you were meant to have. You may not see it now, but you can be happy. You are addicted to heroin. If you quit now, life can only get better.

  I have had patients who told me on their first visit that they cannot do it. I just asked them to try and give treatment a chance. In no time, life is better and they tell me that they wish they had started treatment sooner.

  So, yes, you should quit heroin. If you want to give it a try, please call me, Mark Leeds, D.O., Osteopathic Physician. If this treatment is right for you, I will prescribe medication and therapy. You have a very good chance of feeling better and moving on with your life right away.  You should quit heroin and start living your dream. Call 954-776-6226.

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How To Overcome Food Addiction

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://drleeds.blog/food-addiction/

How To Overcome Food Addiction

Overcoming Food Addiction

While not all overweight people are definitely addicted to food, it is an underlying cause of obesity for many.

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New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://drleeds.blog/test/

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What Pharmacies Carry Suboxone, Subutex, ZubSolv in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County Florida?

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/suboxone-subutex-zubsolv/

What Pharmacies Carry Suboxone, Subutex, ZubSolv in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County Florida?

Filling a prescription for Suboxone, Subutex, ZubSolv in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County Florida and getting it approved by your insurance company.

How do you fill a prescription for Suboxone, Subutex, ZubSolv?  Making the decision to quit taking heroin or pain pills is not easy. When you are ready to ask for help, help should be available.  After you have gone to a doctor to get a prescription, you should expect the health care system to operate smoothly.

Unfortunately, it does not always work that way.  There is clearly a lack of understanding and a lack of compassion at certain insurance companies and pharmacies.

Insurance companies require “prior authorization” for Suboxone, Subutex, ZubSolv.  Prior authorization is a paperwork procedure that insurance companies use as a roadblock to recovery for many patients.  For some companies, it has been an escalating process with more and more requirements to be met.

Insurance companies look for any reason to deny a “prior authorization” request. 

After denial, it takes more time and more paperwork to appeal.  The process is offensive and puts patients at risk for potentially life threatening relapse while they wait for approval.  This process should not even exist for patients seeking treatment for opioid dependence.

One helpful tip to keep in mind is that you can request a partial fill of your prescription.

You can pay cash for a small amount while the approval is pending.  Often, you can later get reimbursement from your insurance company for the cash you have spent on your medication.

When you leave the doctor with a prescription for Suboxone, subutex, ZubSolv, you should have the opportunity to stay clean. Insurance companies need to get on board and help treat addiction rather than standing in the way.

So what is the best pharmacy to go to to fill a prescription for Suboxone, Subutex, ZubSolv?

The answer to this may vary over time and from one location to another.  In my recent experience in the Fort Lauderdale, Broward County area, the large chain pharmacies that we see at nearly every street corner are not the best choice.  These pharmacies often do not stock Suboxone, Subutex, ZubSolv. They will ask you to wait until they can order your medication or they may even refuse to order it.

When it comes to addiction treatment, time is of the essence. 

Filling the prescription immediately is an urgent matter.  Another issue is these pharmacies often withhold information that they could easily provide. They do not tell patients if another location has the medication in stock.

Small, independent pharmacies are often a better choice for filling Suboxone, Subutex, ZubSolv.  These are referred to as “mom and pop” pharmacies.  Mom and pop pharmacies have been able to differentiate themselves from the big chains by providing more personalized service.

Your doctor may be aware of local, independent pharmacies that can fill your prescription.

There are some examples of grocery stores and superstores that have pharmacies that do regularly stock Suboxone, Subutex, ZubSolv.  If you are not comfortable going to a small, independent pharmacy, ask your doctor if he or she can recommend a specific location and call ahead for you.

If you live in Fort Lauderdale or in the Broward County area and you are ready to quit opioids such as heroin or pain pills, please call Mark Leeds, D.O. and make an appointment.  Dr. Leeds is an osteopathic physician who has experience in dealing with the issues discussed in this article.

Dr. Leeds has experience in navigating these insurance and pharmacy issues.  Dr. Leeds is also experienced in quickly submitting prior authorization requests.  To make an appointment, call Dr. Leeds at 954-776-6226.

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Trauma And Addiction: The PTSD Connection

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/trauma-addiction-fort-lauderdale-broward-county/

Trauma And Addiction: The PTSD Connection

Trauma and Addiction

In many cases, people who suffer from addiction to drugs have experienced some form of trauma during their lifetime.  The trauma may have occurred during early childhood.  Or, it may have occurred later in life.

Whenever significant trauma occurs in your life, it can have a negative effect on your overall mental health. 

If you were physically or emotionally abused by family, this trauma may stay with you for many years or even for your entire life.  Living with the lasting psychological effects of trauma can, by itself, be painful. This is known as PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

It is not uncommon for people with a history of serious trauma to self-medicate to cover up the ongoing psychological and emotional pain.  By self-medicating, I am referring to using and abusing drugs.

If you have found yourself in the situation of using drugs to cover up the emotional pain of trauma, such as abuse, for a long period of time, you may now find that you have become addicted.  If you are addicted to drugs, you have lost all control over your use.  You are obsessed and can think of little more than when, where and how you will get more drugs.

You can see now that the solution to your problem, taking away the persistent psychological and emotional pain of trauma by using drugs, has become a serious problem by itself. 

Now you have two serious problems, psychological damage from life trauma and addiction to drugs.

If you are addicted to opioids, such as heroin and pain pills, in addition to suffering from the pain of addiction, you are at high risk for serious illness and death.  Fortunately, there is medical treatment for opioid addiction.

If you have also suffered serious physical and/or emotional trauma in your life, you are going to need professional help to address this particular problem appropriately. 

You should plan on making an appointment to see a psychiatrist.  Or, you can go to the emergency department of your local hospital that provides psychiatric inpatient care.

While seeing a doctor for medical treatment of addiction can help with the opioid dependence problem and going to group meetings can also be very helpful, in the case of dealing with the psychological effects of serious trauma, it is important to also seek appropriate psychiatric care.

If you would like to learn more about medical treatment for opioid dependence and addiction, please call Mark Leeds, D.O.  Dr. Leeds is an osteopathic physician in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida.  You can call Dr. Leeds at 954-776-6226.

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Death By Addiction

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/death-by-addiction/

Death By Addiction

Death By Addiction

Death is, of course, a morbid subject to discuss.  Most people do not want to die.  We have a fear of death.  This is a healthy fear.  Early on in life, we learn to avoid things that cause death.  We learn to avoid walking into traffic, eating or drinking poison, confronting dangerous animals, playing recklessly with guns.  Death by addiction is a subject that is almost never discussed.

During residency, I spent some time at the Medical Examiner Department in Miami-Dade County.  I had the opportunity to observe the medical examiners working.  Their job is to examine the bodies of people who have died recently.  During my stay, I was given a brief lecture by one of the doctors who worked as a medical examiner.  He explained to me how important it is that doctors document an accurate cause of death on death certificates.  For example, if a person died because their heart failed, putting “heart failure” on the death certificate may be incorrect.  He told me that it may be a mechanism of death, but not the cause.  If that person had heart disease because of many years of diabetes, for example, the correct cause of death would be diabetes.  The medical examiner further explained to me that we, as doctors, must determine the root cause of death.

Why do people who don’t want to die take deadly poison?

Most people who find themselves addicted to drugs are as afraid of death as anyone.  It might not make sense to people who do not have personal experience in being addicted.  Why would someone take poison if they don’t want to die?  It is one of the reasons why members of the NA program call the disease of addiction “cunning and baffling”.  The reason has to do with changes to the chemistry and structure of the brain caused by ongoing use of certain highly addictive drugs.  A person who is addicted does not want to die or expect to die when they take drugs.  Their brains have been reprogrammed to believe that they need to take drugs in order to survive.

This powerful force in the brain of an addicted person drives them to take dangerous drugs, which others would consider to be deadly poison.

The addicted brain cleverly justifies that the use of drugs is important and can be done safely.  Drug users will take deadly amounts of drugs and suffer near death overdoses and still believe that they can continue to survive and take drugs.  They believe they have the same chance of living a long and healthy life as anyone.

There is an unsettling movie written by M. Night Shyamalan named The Happening.  In this movie, people are mysteriously driven to kill themselves as soon as possible by whatever means necessary.  They jump from buildings, use nearby weapons, crash their cars.  The cause of these mass suicides in the story is a substance in the air, carried by the wind.  To me, this seemed like a metaphor for addiction.  The characters seemed compelled to bring about their death, like they were scratching an itch.

Thinking about addiction as a major cause of death may be helpful to motivate you to stop taking drugs.

Opioid drug overdoses are usually called accidental overdoses.  This is commonly heard in the news.  While it is somewhat correct in the sense that the victim did not intend to die by using opioids, such as heroin or pain pills, it still avoids naming the root cause of death.

Most accidental drug overdoses are caused by addiction.

I believe that my mentor at the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Department would have agreed that addiction is most often the root cause of death in drug overdoses, not “accidental overdose”.  Addiction is a cause of death in many more cases than we are aware of and admit to.  Obituaries avoid the subject as well.  Families believe they are being respectful by not discussing the addiction issue in their loved one’s obituaries.  Addiction is a taboo subject and carries a stigma.  Addiction causes traffic deaths, infectious disease deaths, cardiopulmonary related deaths and many more.  The problem is that addiction as a cause of death is being swept under the rug.

There was an excellent speaker and writer on the topic of addiction who was a member of the Narcotics Anonymous program.  Legend has it that he wrote much of the NA Basic Text as it exists today.  His name was Greg P.  NA tradition is to not give full names in order to protect anonymity.  Greg has since passed away, I believe from liver cancer.  In 1988, Greg gave a talk at an NA convention in which he briefly, at one point, spoke about “death by addiction”.  It is one of the few times in my life when I have heard of addiction being called a cause of death.  You can find the recording online here.  That site has many other motivating recordings by speakers who are recovering from the deadly disease of addiction.

You may use drugs and believe that you are still young and healthy. 

You may believe that you will soon quit and still have a long life ahead of you.  Do you think that you will be one of the people who gets away with it?  Maybe you imagine someday telling your grandchildren stories about your adventures.  When you look in the mirror, you cannot see that addiction is as deadly as any terminal illness.  It is as serious as metastatic cancer.  It is as serious as a massive heart attack.  Addiction kills people and they don’t see it coming.

No one who is addicted to opioids intends to die when they use drugs. 

Opioids, such as heroin and pain pills, are the deadliest drugs in common use.  They cause respiratory depression.  If you take a little too much, you may fall asleep, stop breathing and never wake up again.  opioids can also cause death by other means.  They can lead to endocarditis, an infection of the lining of the heart and the heart valves.  They can cause liver damage.  Opioids can cause unsafe behavior, leading to deadly traffic accidents or contraction of deadly infectious diseases.

We may know people who have died from opioid use and we did not even know that addiction was the cause of death.  Maybe it would be a good thing to discuss addiction as a cause of death in eulogies and obituaries.  It might help other people who need to know how serious their condition really is.

You can get help for opioid addiction.

If you are addicted, or dependent, on opioids, including heroin or pain pills, there is medical treatment that can help you to quit taking these deadly drugs.  This form of medical therapy is life saving for many people.  It prevents deadly overdoses and dangerous activities related to using street drugs and unprescribed pills.

If you would like more information on medical treatment for opioid dependence, please call Mark Leeds, D.O.  Dr. Leeds is an osteopathic physician who can discuss options with you and provide medical treatment to help you quit taking deadly opioids.  You can reach Dr. Leeds at 954-776-6226.

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Black Sheep and Drug Addiction

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/black-sheep/

Black Sheep and Drug Addiction

Black Sheep

a disfavored or disreputable member of a group – Merriam-Webster

This article is written for the hard working, high performing black sheep of the world.

Particularly those of you who have struggled with drug addiction issues and still you have managed to succeed in life.  You may have completed college or even obtained an advanced graduate degree.  You may have succeeded in business.  Maybe you are the founder of a company, the owner of your own small business or big business.

Yet, you wonder how it is possible, in light of your successes in life, that your loved ones have marked you as being the “black sheep”.

They have persistently pressured you into feeling like there is something wrong with you, an inherent moral failing.  You might be treated as goofy or silly.  They consider you to be someone who is not to be taken seriously.  You are the class clown, the joker.  You are not a serious grown-up like they are.  To them, you are simply an adult child.  They probably think that you must have tricked or cheated your way to success.

How far back can you remember this feeling of being treated like an outcast by your own family?

Does it go back to early childhood?  Did you feel like you didn’t fit in?  Were you a quiet, reserved child?  Possibly anxious or shy?  Did you not meet your parents expectations of what a “normal” kid should be like? Were you always made to feel like something was wrong with you?  There was always some defect that had to be corrected.  A shortcoming that had to be fixed. When your loved ones found out that you were addicted to drugs, the black sheep status was further reinforced.  All of your successes in life were belittled.  You were told that you are a drug addict, nothing more.

I believe that you have been treated wrongly in life by family, friends, coworkers and others who have treated you like there is something wrong with you.

What you do have is a medical condition that affects parts of your brain.  You suffer from psychological dependence on one or more substances.  That does not make you a bad person.  That does not mean you should be labeled as nothing more than a “drug addict”.

Take pride in the name, “black sheep”.  Don’t think of it as a negative term.

The black sheep of the world are hard working and successful people who are misunderstood by their loved ones.  It is not your fault they don’t understand you. However, it is important to do something about the addiction issue.  It is holding you back from enjoying your life the way you were meant to.  You were meant to accomplish great things in life.  Drugs steal precious time and take away your dreams.  Drugs can also lead you to dangerous situations and cause further health issues.  They can get you arrested, imprisoned and even killed.

If you are addicted to opioids, such as heroin or pain medicine, there is medical treatment that can help you to quit quickly with minimal discomfort.  You can get back to work and back to your life without feeling sick.  If you live in Fort Lauderdale or Broward County and you are interested in medical treatment for opioid dependence, please call Mark Leeds, D.O, osteopathic physician.  Dr. Leeds can discuss treatment options and plans to help you to get better.

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Cravings For Drugs

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/cravings-for-drugs/

Cravings For Drugs

Cravings For Drugs

When it comes to addiction, cravings for drugs are a big problem.  The word, “craving”, is almost too innocent for what it represents.  In the context of drug addiction, it is not the same as a pregnant woman having a craving for pickles and ice cream.  It is not like having a craving for a late night pizza or an ice cream cone.  There may be no word in the English language that captures the horror brought on those who suffer from addiction and the people around them by cravings.

  A craving may manifest as a thought or a feeling.  

As a thought, it may come up as a fully formed plan rather than just a passing thought.  As a feeling, it may be more than just an emotional feeling.  It can be very physical.  

A craving for a drug seems like it can only be handled in one way.  

When you are hungry, eating makes the hunger pains go away.  When you have an itch, scratching usually takes care of it.  A drug craving gives you the feeling that you can handle it the same way.  Taking a drug should satisfy the craving.  This is the big lie.  It never works.  It has never worked for anyone and it never will work.  Taking a drug will always cause more cravings.  

If you have been clean for any amount of time, the cravings will begin to subside.  

They will weaken with time.  They may still seem bad.  You still get that sick feeling that you have to take something.  You feel like you have to just get high one more time to satisfy it.  But as time passes, you must remind yourself that you cannot ever satisfy a craving for drugs by taking drugs.

The only solution is to let the craving pass.  

Cravings always pass.  They eventually just go away. Just wait and give it time.  It will help if you have people to talk to who understand what you are going through.  Group meetings are a great place to meet people who understand and are willing to talk about it.  It will help to meditate and to be mindful and aware of your existance.  Let the craving pass and don’t hold on to it.  

Engaging activities can also help.  

Creating activities such as writing are excellent.  Musical performance and composition are also an option.  Physical activity such as working out in the gym, walking, bicycling, using an elliptical machine are great.  Activities to avoid are taking up smoking cigarettes and overeating.  If you can avoid making things worse in other areas of your life, do your best to avoid these things.

For certain types of drug cravings, there are medical solutions.  

Cravings for drugs such as heroin, pain medication and other opioids can be quite severe.  The same is true of alcohol.  There are medications that can help to minimize and, in some cases, eliminate these cravings quickly.  These drugs are so deadly, it is recommended to seek medical assistance if you suffer from cravings for them.

If you live in the Fort Lauderdale area or Broward County and you would like more information on medical treatment for drug and alcohol cravings, please call Mark Leeds, D.O.  You can reach Dr. Leeds at 954-776-6226.  The office is located at 3290, NE 33rd Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308.

[leedsosteopathic-blog]

About Relapse and Addiction

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/about-relapse-and-addiction/

About Relapse and Addiction

About Relapse and Addiction: You are not your addiction.  Your addiction is a condition that affects your brain.

About relapse and addiction.  Your brain is the organ that takes up most of the space in your head.  Along with managing the basic functions of your body that keep you alive and moving, it also generates thoughts.  Your brain is presenting you with thousands thoughts continuously throughout the day.  When your brain has been altered by the condition of addiction, many of these thoughts will be dangerous lies that try to convince you to take more drugs.  These thoughts will rationalize and convince and try to motivate you to take complex actions that involve finding, buying, preparing and consuming drugs.  Think of all the work it takes to do all of that, just to get more drugs into your body.  It takes a lot of work to poison yourself.

When your brain lies to you, you want to believe it.

It seems like the easiest path to follow.  You want to sink into the satisfying feeling of getting high one more time.  But, after falling for these lies over and over, you start to see them for what they are.  You know that it is not going to be OK if you take more drugs and that you are going to suffer again.  You also know that you won’t be able to stop until you hurt yourself or someone stops you.  And, you know that starting again could end with your death.

It is helpful to be aware of what your brain is doing.

This is called mindfulness.  Quietly observe the thoughts that come from your brain and let them go.  Don’t hold on to them or obsess over them.  Your brain thinks just like your heart beats.  It is just what it does.  You don’t have to act on dangerous lies that are produced out of the sick part of your brain.  Let these thoughts go.  Don’t entertain them.  You might feel physically sick at first.  You may think you need to follow through with it to feel better.  Don’t do it.  To read more about mindfulness, I recommend this book (click here).  This book is not specifically about relapse and addiction, but it explains much about mindfulness.

Relapse is common.

People with the disease of addiction relapse all the time.  In the long run, it might help to have one more story of suffering to hold on to when those addiction thoughts come up again.  When your brain says you should go get high, you can tell it to remember the last twenty times you tried that and each of the disasters that followed.  It never ends up good.  You know that.  The problem with relapse is that it could very well be your last relapse.  No one goes into a relapse with a plan to die.  Everyone starts a relapse with a plan to just get high one last time.  The people who die only planned to get high just one more time.

As you stay clean for longer periods of time, the addictive, dangerous thoughts will subside.

You will have less and less of them over time.  It might not seem like it in the beginning, but it makes sense.  If you don’t feed the addiction, it gets weaker and nearly dies.  It never goes away completely, but it will get easier over time to live with it.

It is important to always remember, that if you get high again, you wake up your addiction again and it comes back at full strength.  It’s like working hard for years to climb out of a deep hole and then jumping right back in again.  Going to a therapist regularly and going to group support meetings can help to remind you that even when things are good and you have put your drug using way behind you, you still must remain vigilant. If you do relapse, don’t think that it is the end and you might as well keep going, using drugs, until the end.  It is never too late to stop using drugs and try again.  But, before you decide to relapse, remember what you are getting yourself into.  Remember the suffering from all of the other times.  Use those memories of suffering to help you to not fall for the lies of addiction.

I recommend, for further reading, look up the chapter in the NA Basic Text on relapse.  You can pick up a copy in a local NA meeting or you can find it on Amazon (click here).

If you would like to learn more about relapse and addiction and getting off of opioid drugs such as heroin and pain pills with Suboxone, medication assisted treatment, call Mark Leeds, D.O. today at 954-776-6226 in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County.

[leedsosteopathic-blog]

Concierge and VIP medicine in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/concierge-and-vip-medicine/

Concierge and VIP medicine in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County

What is Concierge and VIP medicine?

Concierge and VIP medicine.  These are two terms that you may have heard of in the news, from your doctor or from your friends or family.  They are generally interchangeable.  The meaning, however, can vary depending on who you ask.

It is generally accepted that a doctor who has a concierge or VIP practice only accepts a limited number of patients.  This might range from 200-500.  It could be more or less than that range, but those are typical numbers.  This is compared to the thousands of patients that a family medical practice will accept.  Having a smaller pool of patients allows the doctor to give each patient more time and attention.

Payment is another common theme.  Insurance does not cover VIP services.  If it did, everyone would want to sign up.  The fact that insurance companies cover routine office visits is why there is a need for a concierge/VIP level of service.  When people pay for insurance, they tend to want to use it.

Insurance companies negotiate contracts with doctors that motivate the doctors to sign up as many patients as possible.  This leads to busy doctors overwhelmed with many patients using their insurance to come in for routine care and minor sick visits.

Doctors with VIP programs often charge a monthly or yearly fee.  This can cost as much as $5000 per year.  This fee covers any doctors visits that are needed at any time for any reason.  It also covers phone calls.  It is expected that the doctor will be easily reachable by phone.  No answering service or office staff to field the calls.  At that price, you expect access to the doctor’s cell phone.

Does Concierge or VIP medicine replace the need for health insurance?

No, health insurance is still important.  At least you will want to have insurance that covers diagnostic testing and hospitalization.  This is far less expensive than the kind of insurance that does cover routine doctor’s office visits.

What are the differences in VIP programs?

There are some doctors who have VIP programs who still have many patients in their practice.  They may have thousands of patients, but only a few hundred who are VIP.  They offer a separate waiting room, less wait time, easier access to call the doctor.  Often, in these cases, the VIP patients must have insurance that pays for the doctor’s visits, and they also pay an additional premium to the doctor to have VIP status.  Some people may find this offensive, to have a visible separation of classes of patients within a single medical practice.

Another type of VIP practice may be run by a large company with a marketing network.  They sign up doctors for their program and refer patients to those doctors.  The doctors agree to maintain a limited number of patients and give them some priority services.  These programs may promote the credentials of the doctors over availability.  Members get to see the top local doctors in their field on a routine basis.  They may, however, not have easy phone access when they have questions or minor issues.

Most concierge and VIP medicine programs fall into the types described so far.  They are similar to first class on an airplane or having a special pass at an amusement park to skip the line.  They are designed for people who consider themselves to be of a high status who do not want to wait with the “sheep”.  These patients want to be seen getting better service than the rest of us.

There is another type of concierge and VIP medicine practice that is not as well known. 

That is because there is no large organization that benefits from promoting it.  It is something that you have to know to look for.  This sort of medical practice will likely not even use the words concierge or VIP.

A micro practice is a medical practice that is, by definition, a small medical practice.  There is little to no staff to help the doctor.  There is often no answering service.  A micro practice usually consists of a doctor working in a modest office space.  These doctors do there best to leverage affordable modern technology to be available to their patients.

In a micro practice, the doctor cannot accept too many patients.  Without a large office staff, it would be too much paperwork to handle.  For that reason, they usually don’t work with insurance companies either.  Patients can file their own insurance claims if they choose to do so.

So, when you see a micro practice doctor, you will not find a crowded waiting room.  When you call the doctor, you will not get busy, flustered receptionists or an answering service.  What you will get is personal and caring service from the doctor.  A micro practice means there is more time for you.  When you come to the office, you only see the doctor.  When you call, you get the doctor on the phone.

Is it expensive to see a micro practice doctor? 

Not really.  Some doctors do charge a monthly fee whether you come in or not and some charge only when you come in and include a month of ongoing service after each visit.  The fees are usually reasonable and less than the big concierge and VIP medicine programs.

Micro practices are particularly ideal for small business owners.  Small business owners are a unique group of people who value their time and independence.  They don’t like to wait in lines or crowds and they don’t like to wait on the phone.  This is not because the small business owner thinks that he or she is better than anyone else.  It is because they work hard and their time is valuable.  There are no sick days for the small business owner.

To summarize, ideally, concierge and VIP medicine should mean that you get the same level of care as the doctor’s own family.  It is like having a doctor in the family when you have a doctor with a micro practice.  If you are interested in learning more about the convenience of seeing a doctor who practices true concierge and VIP medicine in the form of a micro practice, call Mark Leeds, D.O. today at 954-776-6226.  If you live in Fort Lauderdale or Broward County, you can call now and schedule a consultation.

[leedsosteopathic-blog]

Fort Lauderdale Doctor's Office Weekend Schedule December 17 & 18

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/fort-lauderdale-doctors-office-weekend-17dec/

Fort Lauderdale Doctor's Office Weekend Schedule December 17 & 18

Today Saturday December 17th and Sunday, December 18th the doctor’s office of Dr. Mark Leeds is closed. As usual, our regular opening hours exclude weekends, so we are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. However if you have an urgent matter you can reach us at (954) 776-6226.

Did you know that Dr. Mark Leeds offers priority concierge services for people who have the need to have 24/7 VIP access to priority personalized medical services that go beyond the traditional care offers – find out if concierge services are right for you and learn more and schedule your fee evaluation appointment online now or give us a call at (954) 776-6226

[leedsosteopathic-blog]

What is a micropractice and how can I find one in Broward County?

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/what-is-a-micropractice/

What is a micropractice and how can I find one in Broward County?

What is a medical micropractice and how can I find one in Broward County?

A doctor’s business is known as a “practice”. 

What is a micropractice?  Doctors are said to be “practicing medicine” when they work.  It doesn’t mean they don’t know what they are doing, it’s just the way we refer to a doctor’s work in diagnosing and treating patients.

A doctor practices medicine in a clinic or a hospital. 

In the old days, a doctor’s office was a small and personal space.  Patients got to know their doctor very well over a period of many years.  The doctor would also get to know the patients very well.

Things have changed a lot in recent decades. 

The medical insurance industry has had a significant effect on how doctors practice and how patients see their doctor.  These changes have helped in some ways, but not in all cases.

Doctors now tend to work in large medical practices. 

They work in groups of many doctors and with other practitioners such as Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants.  Some people refer to these medical practices as “big box clinics”.

These are busy places.  There are with many employees.  They have phone operators, medical assistants, receptionists, billing specialists, referral specialists.  You will hear many phone lines ringing.  You will see copying machines and a lot of computers.

Even the doctors spend much of their time looking at the computer. 

Maybe even more time than they look at patients.  The government has mandated the use of certified electronic health records.  They enforce this by controlling how much Medicare pays for a doctor’s service of taking care of a patient.

Restrictions are also imposed by private insurance companies. 

There are referrals, prior authorizations.  There is endless paper work to be maintained.  Insurance companies are business.  Their primary goal is to make money and save money.  They often start by cutting back on how much they pay medical practices to care for patients.

The system has become far too complex.

Doctors give in and go to work for larger companies that manage larger medical practices.  When the insurance companies reduce how much they will pay per patient, the response by these large practices is to see more patients.  The doctors don’t have control of their schedule so they must see more patients when their employers decide that they will see more patients.

Doctors are under tremendous stress.

When you see a doctor in a large clinic, you are often seeing someone who has been squeezed from every direction to a near breaking point.  Too many patients, too many regulations, poorly designed medical records software.

Unfortunately, doctors are hardworking, intelligent people who excel at jumping through hoops. 

More and more hoops are placed in front of them by their employers, the government, the insurance companies.  This is not a good recipe for quality health care.  There has to be a better way.

Here is where the concept of a micropractice comes in. 

What happens when a doctor walks away from the rat race?  How is it possible for a doctor to walk away from the prison of the big box clinic and still be a doctor and care for patients?

It turns out that doctors have been willing participants in their own abuse. 

They are agreeing to be victims.  Unfortunately, it is not only the doctors who suffer, patients and their healthcare suffer as well.  Doctors still have to follow laws and rules of course, but much of the rest can be left behind.

So, what is a micropractice? 

A micropractice is a doctor working alone in a small office, just like the old days.  There is no huge staff, no multiline phone system ringing off the hook.  No complex software tying up more than half of the doctor’s time.  The doctor can take the time to sit with a patient and give them the time and attention that they deserve.

A doctor who works in a micropractice may have a receptionist and/or a medical assistant.  Or, sometimes, they may work completely alone and handle all of the office duties.  Often, the doctor must be creative in making a micropractice work.

How can the doctor leave behind the complexities of today’s healthcare system? 

Are they allowed to do that?  Of course they are.  Doctors do not have to accept insurance.  They can choose to accept only certain plans or none at all.  Even Medicare can be dropped.  The federal government has offered an “opt-out” status that allows doctors to be compliant with the law and still not accept Medicare.  By leaving the insurance industry behind, doctors are able to drop most of the complexity that comes with what we expect in a modern medical practice.

Why would a patient not want to use their insurance for a doctor visit? 

The concept of a patient using insurance to pay for seeing a doctor for an office visit may be the root of the problem.  Insurance in general is intended to protect against the financial impact of unforeseen disasters.  For example, we expect our car insurance to pay for accident damage.  We do not expect it to pay for oil changes and tire rotation.  Our home owner’s insurance covers floods and storm damage.  It does not cover cleaning, painting, landscaping and lawn care.

When routine care and maintenance is paid for by insurance, something has to give. 

We pay plumbers and electricians for their work.  Why not doctors?  When you get your hair cut, you will see a state license hanging on the wall that looks just like your doctor’s state license.  You pay for your hair cut.  Why would you expect an insurance company to negotiate a reduced amount to pay days or weeks later for your doctor’s visit?  Do you think that a doctor deserves the same respect as a barber or hair stylist?

When we take out what we refer to as “3rd party payers”, the insurance companies, things become much more simple.  Doctors can be doctors.  They have so much more available time to sit with you.  To answer your phone calls.  To take care of your problems and do what needs to be done to take care of your health.

A family doctor does not need a large office staff or even a large office. 

A pen and paper in a small exam room with just the basic equipment is usually enough.  This may seem revolutionary to some but it shouldn’t.

When you see your doctor, you should be the most important person in the room. 

It is not about enriching the insurance companies, the pharmaceutical companies, health care executives and other fat cats.  It is about the doctor seeing you as a real human being and taking the time to listen to you and hear what you need to say.  It’s about having the time for the doctor to consider your issues and work with you to come up with a plan.

So, a micropractice is all about you, the patient. 

It is about making it possible for you to have a doctor again and not just a healthcare system.  This does not mean that you should drop your health insurance or leave your primary care physician’s practice.  A micro-practice is somewhere you can go when you want a more personal experience in seeing a doctor.

[leedsosteopathic-blog]

How long will I be taking Suboxone?

New Updated From DrLeeds.com https://www.drleeds.com/blog/how-long-will-i-be-taking-suboxone/

How long will I be taking Suboxone?

How long will I be taking Suboxone?

How long will I be taking Suboxone?  This is a common question and a difficult one to answer.  Every new patient asks this question. It is, of course, reasonable.  When you decide that you want to quit taking drugs and finally be done with them, you don’t want to be told that the best way is to replace your drugs with another drug.  Yet, the fact is that for many people who are addicted to opioids such as heroin and pain pills, the safest way to get clean is to transition to Suboxone under the care of a qualified doctor.

Addiction is a powerful destructive force.

It uses an addict’s own intelligence and creativity against them. The best intellectual tools you have to protect yourself in dangerous situations are nearly useless against the disease of addiction. As the NA literature states, addiction is “cunning and baffling”.  If you are addicted to drugs, you can hardly trust your own thoughts.

The people that you can trust, such as family and friends, may not know the best solutions to recommend. Addiction is a complex condition and only recently do we in the medical community have newer and more advanced tools to use in the treatment of certain types of addiction, such as opioid dependence.

When a doctor tells you that you may need to be on Suboxone for a long time, you may reflexively resist.

You will come up with reasonable justifications to reject this recommendation.  You want to be clean of all drugs.  If you have to take Suboxone, you want to be done with it as fast as possible.

The fact is that in the many years of experience in using Suboxone and similar medications to treat addiction, we have learned that long term maintenance works best. 

This means that you should plan for at least several months.  This should be considered to be a minimum.  Many patients benefit from at least one year of treatment.  Some continue for multiple years of treatment.

So, when is it time to stop?  When can you finally stop taking the Suboxone? 

Going to the doctor every month and buying a prescription at the pharmacy is time consuming and expensive.  You don’t want to feel like you are permanently on medical treatment, especially when it seems like you should be able to just stop and use will power.

Will power tends not to work for very long in the case of addiction. 

What does work is dedication to ongoing therapy to get yourself better.  Medication alone only fixes part of the problem.  When you start Suboxone, you should also start seeing a therapist, such as a psychologist, who has experience with opioid dependence treatment.  You should also go to group meetings regularly, such as NA or AA.  You should get a sponsor in the program you attend.

By taking care of yourself and engaging in a well rounded program of recovery, you will find over time that you will be finally ready to taper off of and quit taking Suboxone. 

It will not happen overnight.  Again, as they say in NA, you did not get addicted overnight, so, easy does it.  When you and your therapist and possibly your sponsor have done significant work and you are certain that you are finally ready, then your doctor will work with you to start a tapering plan.  You may also discuss with your doctor other medical options for ongoing supportive treatment to help prevent relapse.  I hope that this helps to give some insight into why you may have to take Suboxone for at least several months. 

It takes time to address and fix the problems that cause you to take drugs. 

It takes time to put the tools in your toolbox that will help you to fight the cravings that will arise periodically throughout your life.  You can definitely stay clean from drugs and also stop taking Suboxone.  It just takes time and a good plan.

If you would like to discuss this topic further, please call me, Mark Leeds, D.O., at 954-776-6226.  I am an osteopathic physician in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and I have dedicated my practice to helping people who are dependent on opioids to quit drugs and get their lives back on track.