Debate continues over treating opioid addiction with opioids

Suboxone pills. (Creative Commons photo by Supertheman)
Buprenorphine is one of the medications used to treat opioid addictions. A speaker at a recent medical conference in Anchorage said getting the medication to heroin users through their primary care providers is an essential way to reduce overdose deaths. But some addiction treatment professionals in Alaska say not so fast.
Buprenorphine is a synthetic opioid that’s often combined with another drug and sold as Suboxone. It’s usua