2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Opioid overdose

Virology

(+)-Naloxone

Receptor

Opioid

Psychiatry

Opioid epidemic

Economics

Opioid use disorder

Market economy

Medical emergency

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Outbreak

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Buprenorphine

Political science

Opiate Substitution Treatment

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Internal medicine

Mental health

MEDLINE

Closure (psychology)

Medicine

Methadone

Pandemic

Social distance

Disease

Pathology

Journal of Addiction Medicine

The COVID19 crisis has created many additional challenges for patients with opioid use disorder, including those seeking treatment with medications for OUD. Some of these challenges include closure of substance use treatment clinics, focus of emergency departments on COVID-19 patients, social distancing and shelter in place orders affecting mental health, bystander overdose rescue, threats to income and supply of substances for people who use drugs. While the initial changes in regulation allowing buprenorphine prescribing by telehealth are welcomed by providers and patients, many additional innovations are required to ensure that additional vulnerabilities and hurdles created by this pandemic scenario do not further fan the flames of the opioid epidemic.

Opioid Use Disorder and COVID-19: Crashing of the Crises