A Progressive Way To Manage Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms

Opioid deaths are on track to break another record in 2021 — with the CDC reporting a nearly 30% increase in overdose deaths in 2020 — but a non-invasive treatment to manage withdrawal symptoms offers some hope.

S.T. Genesis is a device that looks a lot like a hearing aid and works like it too. The device can be applied behind the ear and administers treatment for 120 hours (5 days), which helps the patient during the most critical time of detox. This FDA-cleared treatment option is newly available as a way to transition patients with substance use disorder to longer-term treatment.

The device administers what’s called auricular neurostimulation to nerves. It relies on a Percutaneous Nerve Field Stimulator (PNFS) that is applied to occipital nerves and to branches of cranial nerves V, VII, IX, and X.

Many people seeking treatment for opioid addiction are unsuccessful due to the severe withdrawal symptoms that can lead to relapse, or lack the confidence to sustain treatment due to many challenges in their life. Breaking the cycle of addiction is difficult for many and this device is a new, discreet option to intervene during opioid withdrawal. The device is not a cure, but it does serve as a bridge from surviving detox to full recovery.

Photo curtesy of Speranza Therapeutics