By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Withdrawal from opioid use is hard. Symptoms such as drug cravings, nausea, sweating and chills can make overcoming addiction next to impossible.
A State Opioid and Stimulant Response grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services could help 20 to 30 patients kick the habit in Wood County with the use of a nonpharmaceutical device called Bridge.
The $30,000 grant request, which was submitted by the Wood County Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (WCADAMHS) staff, received full funding from the state and will provide 60 of the $500 devices for distribution through a partnership with the Wood County Health Department.
The small electrical nerve stimulator is being utilized at the health department, according to Francesca Leass, a behavioral health specialist at the health department. She talked about the devices during a WCADAMHS program and outreach committee meeting on Monday (3/13).
The device requires a prescription from a primary care physician, Leass said.
“Bridge looks like a hearing aid, with the battery unit placed behind the ear. It applies electrical impulses to the cranial nerves around the ear which can effectively aid in reducing the devastating symptoms of opioid withdrawal often within as little as 10 minutes,” she said.
Because the battery on the unit lasts for five days, a second unit is installed on the fifth day to give patients the best chance of recovery. The second appointment is scheduled on the day the first device is attached. If the patient tests positive for drugs at the second visit they will not get the second unit.
“Success rate is low because it’s addiction, but Bridge is amazing and can give relief within 20 minutes with no side effects. Bridge eliminates the excuses,” she said.
Wood County is currently one of only two locations in Ohio that offer the FDA-approved device. “We are leading the state in innovative solutions,” said Aimee Coe, WCADAMHS interim director.
