Opioid and benzodiazepine tapering: Best practices

Opioids and benzodiazepines are commonly used medications which carry with them the risk of physical dependence and addiction. While useful in the short term, growing medical literature points to loss of efficacy and potential harms when used chronically. In this lecture, Dr. Stader and Dr. Wright discuss the surprising benefits patients may experience when tapering or deprescribing opioids or benzodiazepines, including reductions of pain and anxiety.  In addition, the lecture explores the technical aspects of how to introduce the topic of tapering and deprescribing medications to patients. Finally, we describe successful strategies for tapering opioids and benzodiazepines, including how to mitigate withdrawal and assure the best chance of success for patients.  

 

This pre-recorded webinar, by speakers Stephen Wright MD and Don Stader, MD, FACEP, will take an estimated 75 minutes to complete

 

 

Target Audience

 

Physicians

Advanced Practice Clinicians

Learning Objectives

  1. Apply processes to recognize patients who would benefit from tapering.
  2. Discuss how to effectively introduce tapering in a patient-centered manner.
  3. Identify best practices around tapering opioids.
  4. Identify best practices around tapering benzodiazepines.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Course opens: 
01/06/2022
Course expires: 
09/30/2025
Part of: 
Compass Opioid Stewardship Certificate Program
Rating: 
0

This is webinar 5 of 8 for the Compass Opioid Stewardship Certificate Program.  

Don Stader, MD, FACEP

Don Stader, MD, FACEP, is an emergency physician, opioid expert, film producer and innovator. He works at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, CO, where he serves as the section chair of emergency medicine and associate ED medical director. Stader holds a medical degree with honors from Baylor College of Medicine and attended emergency medicine residency at Carolinas Medical Center. He is the Past President of the Colorado chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (COACEP) and former President of the Emergency Medicine Resident's Association (EMRA). He is also founder and past chair of Colorado ACEP's Opioid Task Force, Editor-in-Chief of COACEP's 2017 Opioid Prescribing and Treatment Guidelines and the leader of CO's CURE, an effort to create multidisciplinary opioid prescribing and treatment guidelines for the state of Colorado. Stader is the Senior Pain Management and Opioid Policy Physician Adviser for the Colorado Hospital Association and serves on multiple national and local committees addressing the opioid epidemic in Colorado and across the nation. He is the founder and chair emeritus of the nonprofit, The Emergency Medical Minute, which provides free online emergency medical education via podcasts and video.

Accreditation: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Iowa Medical Society (IMS). Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) is accredited by the IMS to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation: The Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) designates this live activity for a maximum of  1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Commercial Support: This Activity was developed without support from any ineligible company. *The ACCME defines ineligible companies as those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Note: The ACCME does not consider providers of clinical service directly to patients to be commercial interests – unless the provider of clinical services is owned, or controlled by, and ACCME defined ineligible company.

Disclosure: IHC adheres to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. The content of this activity is not related to products or the business lines of an ACCME-defined ineligible company. IHC has identified, reviewed, and mitigated all conflicts of interest that speakers, authors, course directors, planners, peer reviewers, or relevant staff disclose prior to the delivery of any educational activity.

Disclaimer: Participation in this IHC educational activity does not indicate nor guarantee competence or proficiency in the performance of any procedures which may be discussed or taught in this course. You should be aware that substantive developments in the medical field covered by this recording may have occurred since the date of original release.

Note: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board, The American Nurses Credentialing Center and The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) toward recertification requirements. *We suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

Available Credit

  • 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
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