AUGUST 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 35
Lucemyra is a new medication that helps those in recovery stay in recovery. (Getty Images)
BY EDEN LAIKIN
Rob was plagued by dependence on
the opiate painkiller oxycodone for
nearly a decade. Each day, the drug
dictated when he ate, slept, and
worked. When he couldn’t get the
drug his body craved, Rob would
buy a substitute opiate on the street
to keep from going into debilitating
withdrawal.
He saw no way out.
A few months ago, a friend told Rob
about Vivitrol, a once-monthly injection
that stops cravings for opiates
and helps to heal the brain. But Rob
was told he needed to be opiate free
for about seven days before receiving
the slow-release Vivitrol injection
or face precipitated withdrawal.
He tried on his own to wean himself
off the painkillers, but couldn’t do it
for long enough.
Then he met a Great Neck neurologist
and addiction specialist who
was pioneering a new drug to help
those addicted to opiates through the
harsh withdrawal in the comfort of
their home. It’s called Lucemyra and
it’s the first and only FDA-approved
non-opioid treatment for relief of
multiple symptoms of withdrawal.
Lucemyra blocks the release into the
bloodstream of norepinephrine, a
hormone and neurotransmitter
that contributes to the withdrawal
symptoms.
“Before Lucemyra, patients had to
stop using opiates for more than a
week and go through severe withdrawal
symptoms prior to their first
Vivitrol treatment,” Great Neck neurologist
Dr. Russell Surasky says.
“This is no longer necessary.”
Dr. Surasky says that using Lucemyra
in conjunction with other
neurologic-based medications can
eliminate opiate withdrawal symptoms
and allow patients to be treated
with Vivitrol just a few days after
their last opiate use.
Rob took five days off from work and
stayed in bed for the first two. He’s
now been clean and on Vivitrol for
six months. He said he hasn’t once
thought of using opiates.
The severe unrelenting mental
distress and physical discomfort of
withdrawal is the biggest roadblock
people face when trying to stop taking
opiates. Detox facilities usually
use opiate-based medications such
as Suboxone or methadone to wean
patients off opioids such as oxycodone
or heroin.
Due to the success that Dr. Surasky
has had using Lucemyra — the new
detox-at-home medication — he
has since been hired as a national
speaker for the manufacturer,
Kentucky-based U.S. WorldMeds.
Withdrawal symptoms include
full body aches, stomach cramps,
profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, heart pounding, muscle
spasms and unrelenting insomnia.
Massapequa Park pain management
and addiction specialist Dr. Thomas
Jan is currently using Lucemyra to
slowly wean a patient off the opiate
pain reliever oxycodone. The patient,
Phil, suffered a severe injury
eight years ago while working as
a healthcare professional. After
several surgeries, Phil was left dependent
on 60 to 80 milligrams of
oxycodone three times a day to ease
his pain.
Secondary health issues caused by
the opiates led him to try to wean
himself off oxycodone with Suboxone
a few years ago. He was unsuccessful.
Dr Jan thought Phil would
be a perfect candidate for Lucemyra.
In 12 weeks, Phil has decreased his
oxycodone use by 20 percent, with
no side effects. Phil estimates he’ll
be completely off the opiates within
a year.
“We now have something that is
approved by the FDA, is not a controlled
substance, and has a very
good safety record — especially in
light of its track record since its
1992 approval in Europe,” says Dr.
Jan. “Lofexidine (Lucemyra), in conjunction
with other medications we
use for comfort, can provide significant
relief for those suffering from
opioid withdrawal.”
PRESCRIPTION LUCEMYRA
ADDICTS’ NEW HOPE
THE
OPIOID
CRISIS
PRESS HEALTH
“Lofexidine (Lucemyra), in conjunction with other
medications we use for comfort, can provide
significant relief for those suffering from opioid
withdrawal,” says Dr. Thomas Jan.
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
