Category Archives: Drug Treatment

Methadone Clinics Offer Important Medical Service

methadone clinics medication assistanceThere are currently well over 1000 methadone clinics in operation across the United States and many more throughout the world. Methadone has been a leading treatment intervention for opioid addiction for more than 40 years. Methadone is an FDA-approved medication and it’s use in treating opioid addiction has been identified by SAMHSA as a best practice, evidence-based treatment approach.

Adding to the legacy of methadone as a successful treatment medium are the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have been able to totally eliminate the severe opioid withdrawal sickness that wrecked their lives. The value of this medical benefit is priceless.

The cost for participating in a methadone program varies from clinic to clinic and in part depends on whether the clinic receives any state funding or accepts Medicaid for payment. Many clinics operate as private practices funded primarily through patient self-payment. Private clinics often offer a substantial discount for patients that pay for a month of services in advance.

Due to methadone’s proven efficacy, many addicted people experience rapid relief from opiate withdrawal and find themselves eating and sleeping more normally, gaining weight, and able to work again. They are able to pursue other goals & responsibilities that had previously become too difficult in their active addiction.

Methadone is a powerful medication that must be taken as prescribed and in conjunction with good counseling. When a patient is willing to embrace medication-assisted treatment and to utilize it properly, recovery can happen. This life restoration process is demonstrated on a daily basis all around the country.

> Compare Different Opioid Addiction Treatments

 

Methadone Clinic North Dakota

methadone north dakotaIt was announced in June that North Dakota would be receiving its first methadone clinic. North Dakota and Wyoming are the only two states in the U.S. that have yet to provide a methadone treatment program for opioid addiction.

The region has suffered in recent years with an increase in the use of heroin and fentanyl, and with associated opioid overdoses. Kurt Snyder is the Executive Director of the new clinic, Heartview Foundation. Mr. Snyder echoed the research-based evidence showing that medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction provides superior results to abstinence-only treatment interventions.

In the article linked above from The Jamestown Sun, a local police detective indicated that the addiction problem had recently worsened in North Dakota as a result of the price of drugs dropping.

The Heartview Foundation clinic will also offer buprenorphine and naloxone in addition to methadone thus providing a more complete range of medication assisted therapies. Therapeutic counseling and mental health treatment will be a component of the Heartview program as well as drug testing.

Of particular benefit too is the recent initiative in North Dakota that will allow pharmacists the ability to prescribe naloxone so that opioid overdoses can hopefully be greatly reduced. The ready accessibility of naloxone is receiving a nationwide push as communities struggle to address overdose concerns.

Methadone.US welcomes a new addition to the featured clinics here on the site with the listing of BrookStone Medical Center in St. George, Utah.

Buprenorphine Implant for Opioid Addiction

buprenorphine implantThe FDA has approved a new implantable drug called Probuphine. Probuphine contains the partial opioid agonist, buprenorphine, which is used to suppress the opioid withdrawal symptoms that interfere with daily life.

The implant is the size of a matchstick and is inserted under the skin in the forearm area. It steadily releases a dose of buprenorphine which has been scientifically proven an effective treatment for eliminating opiate withdrawal symptoms in a number of people physically dependent on opioids.

With heroin and opioid overdose deaths at an all time high in the United States, this new alternative offers one more beneficial path for anyone struggling with opioid relapse and chronic withdrawal. Importantly, Probuphine only treats the physical withdrawal from opioids such that the underlying psychological factors of addiction must still be treated through counseling and other support approaches.

The Wall Street Journal has an extensive article on this new medication and the historically important role of methadone and oral buprenorphine. In the article, Nora Volkow (director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse) is quoted as saying:

Scientific evidence suggests that maintenance treatment with these medications in the context of behavioral treatment and recovery support are more effective in the treatment of opioid-use disorder than short-term detoxification programs aimed at abstinence.

Over 47,000 people died in the U.S. of drug overdoses in 2014. A majority of these were attributed to heroin and prescription painkillers. With continued coverage in the media and ongoing community discussion, more answers and helpful interventions will hopefully see the light of day.

Methadone Information | Suboxone Information

Making A New Start

methadone-graphicA study by the government agency SAMHSA indicated there were approximately 254,000 patients receiving methadone for opioid addiction in 2006. In 2015, it is most likely that number is much higher given the prevalence of opioid addiction and the continued expansion of outpatient opioid treatment services in the United States. Today, there are considerably more methadone clinics and suboxone-approved physicians than there were a decade ago.

Making a new start with medication-assisted treatment is what hundreds of people across the country are deciding to do for themselves every week. Addiction is a progressive illness – one in which a person’s ability to choose is severely compromised. Medication-assisted treatment using either methadone or buprenorphine (suboxone) provides an important open door to a more responsible, quality life.

A majority of individuals suffering with opioid addiction (particularly when the illness spans years) have experienced dramatic brain changes which deepened their physiological dependency on opiates. This physical dependency is not easily removed. It is severe and persistent thus leading the person to do whatever is necessary to avoid being sick from opioid withdrawal.

Most long-term addicted individuals will tell you they rarely, if ever, get high from the illicit substances they use. They are simply trying to avoid being sick from debilitating opioid withdrawal symptoms. When a patient chooses to receive methadone or buprenorphine under the supervision of a doctor, they are making a decision to face their illness and to do something constructive about it.

As a family or friend, it is very helpful to gain an understanding of addiction and how medication-assisted treatment can be life changing for a person stuck in the cycle of opiate addiction.

Making a new start can be a bit frightening. Will methadone work for me? Will my loved ones condemn me? What about my job, or my legal situation? It becomes easy to put off making a decision when so many questions come into play.

It is important to remember that the road to recovery begins with just one step forward. That step will lead to another and another. This new start is always available. The message is one of hope and opportunity. Opiate addiction is a treatable illness. Medication-assistance can make a real difference.

Right Path Clinics Offer Suboxone and Addiction Counseling

right-path-clinics-2Right Path is an opioid treatment provider operating in the greater Hampton Roads area of eastern Virginia. The organization specializes in the use of burprenorphine (the critical ingredient in Suboxone that alleviates opioid withdrawal symptoms).

Right Path currently have outpatient services in Virginia Beach, Newport News, and Suffolk, but plan to soon offer a location convenient for residents and visitors along the Outer Banks.

Recognizing the importance of individualized treatment plans, Right Path tailor their services to the needs of the individual patient. While suboxone is beneficial in eliminating the pain of opioid withdrawal, addiction counseling is essential in helping patients to understand the addiction and recovery process. Right Path provide addiction counseling as a component of their overall treatment program.

Evening and weekend hours are offered, and most insurance is accepted. The Right Path website has a helpful page that outlines various questions and issues that you might cover with your Suboxone Doctor in your first appointment. Their website provides another highly informative page on Suboxone which answers many common questions about this increasingly popular medication. More information on Right Path’s locations and contact information can be obtained here: