Breaking through the fog of opioid addiction

Prevention starts with advising parents or caregivers to manage any prescription medication that adolescents may receive for medical indications such as wisdom tooth extractions or sports injuries. “There is some risk for misuse or using it inappropriately or recreationally,” said Dr. Camenga, a pediatrician at Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., who is also board certified in addiction medicine. “The parents should be highly involved in the administration of these medications to teenagers.”

“In the primary care setting, I’ve seen a real increase in marijuana use over the last 10 years,” she said. “Some teens are moving on to opiates, but, luckily, it’s still a rarer thing than using marijuana or alcohol. Identifying these conditions is important because, in the act of screening and helping parents and kids link to treatment, pediatricians are preventing drug use.”

Other red flags include poor academic performance and a lack of connectedness in the community. “When we are doing the well-child exams, we often ask about the home and school environment,” Dr. Camenga said. “Looking for positive healthy activities and attachment is essential. If a kid doesn’t have these protective factors, it puts them at higher risk for drug initiation.”

Any time an adolescent’s drug use is escalating in frequency, leading to parental concern or a decrease in function or problems, consider referring the child to a higher level of treatment with a specialist. “Even among teens with low levels of drug use, there are teens who have many risk factors for escalating to a higher level of use,” said Dr. Camenga, who has treated approximately 50 adolescents with opioid use disorders over the past 2 years. “In this case, you may consider referring them earlier rather than later.”

Broaching the conversation about referral to a specialist in substance abuse treatment can be tricky. She recommends saying something like, “ ‘They [the substance use treatment providers] are not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do,’ because that’s a concern for the teens. ‘They’re going to discuss different options to help you over time, because, physically, it’s very difficult to stop on your own.’ ”

One young patient with several chronic medical conditions was referred to Dr. Camenga after being hospitalized in a psychiatric facility because she was using heroin and stimulants, which triggered a seizure.

“She came into treatment, and it took about 6 months for stabilization, but now she’s doing well,” the pediatrician said. “She’s been in recovery for 2 years and is not using opioids. She’s working, and she’s trying to obtain a higher education certificate.”

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics published a policy statement recommending that pediatricians consider offering buprenorphine and other medication-assisted treatment options for adolescents coping with opioid use disorder (Pediatrics. 2016 Aug. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-1893). Dr. Camenga said that some physicians are reluctant to do so “because there are concerns about exposing the developing brain to another opiate over time, and there are generally few studies that examine the efficacy of buprenorphine in adolescents specifically. However, the adolescents I’ve had on it do well. I’ve had several adolescents go through an entire treatment course and into recovery on buprenorphine.”

Training options for pediatricians looking to become certified in prescribing buprenorphine for adolescents include an American Academy of Pediatrics–endorsed buprenorphine waiver course.

“At first it may seem overwhelming, but you can make a huge impact by treating two or three people,” she said. “When you do the training through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration–supported programs (including one at www.asam.org), they provide lots of resources for mentorship or support from providers across the nation who work with special populations, including adolescents. Reach out to them. When I was learning, I talked a lot with my colleagues in different states because there are very few people who treat adolescents and who have the comfort in treating children. We’re all very supportive of each other and reach out to discuss cases.”

Dr. Camenga emphasized that pediatricians play a role in supporting parents and families of adolescents impacted by addiction to opioids.

“It’s a rampant disease and we all know someone affected by it,” she said. “Even if we feel powerless, perhaps, with this epidemic, we have a unique skill in supporting families. More awareness and less stigmatization, and support of families who are going through this, is important.

“We as a society have stigmatized this disease. I think that inhibits some young people getting treatment earlier rather than later. We also need to focus on prevention,” Dr. Camenga emphasized.

She reported having no relevant financial disclosures.