Methadone  Information  &  News






 


       December 13, 2007... METHADONE ADVISORY  

    June 13, 2007...       CHEESE HEROIN !

   October 08, 2006...  INJECTING ORAL METHADONE !

  July 15, 2006...  HEROIN UPDATE !

  May 16, 2006...  HEROIN WARNING !!!  





Around the World

Methadone and China






National Illicit Drug Prices

"The words we use MATTER - breaking the Stigma through Language" (NAABT)



CANADIAN ADVOCACY!

Canadian Harm Reduction Network
Canada's New Drug Policy


Email the Prime Minister
Insite for Community Safety



~ Dr. Andrew Byrne ~
Letters to Colleagues



Regulating opioid prescribing - Suggest more research!

Buprenorphine "Abuse" Reported To Be Rare Outside of USA.

HCV Advances & Treatment Among Methadone Patients

Personality Disorders - “The Patients Psychiatrists Dislike”

Is methadone cardio-toxic?

Methadone Side Effects - Fact or Fiction?

Naltrexone Implants - Ethical?

Canadian Injecting Centre - Success?

Visit Dr. Byrne's Website...
http://www.redfernclinic.com





(10/12/07)  READ...


YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!

Addiction Recovery Insurance Equity Campaign

READ MORE...




Our new Advocacy section, I am happy to say, has now grown into it's very own page!

COME CHECK IT OUT!!




Dr. Payte's WONDERFUL Letters

Letters all MMT patients should have access to!

"Dear Doctor" Letter

Jail Letter

Probation / Parole Letter

Bad Patients, Bad Treatment?

Visit Dr. Payte's Website...
http://www.jtpayte.com/




Support Full Funding for Drug Courts!
The President has requested $69.86 million for the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007. field. A letter to the House Appropriations Committee in support of full funding for drug courts has been authored by Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D/HI) and Rep. Tom Osborne (R/NE). We are hoping to have 100 members of the House of Representatives sign this letter before it is delivered to the House Appropriations Committee in May. We need your help!

Please take a minute to send a letter to your Representative asking them to sign on to this letter. NADCP is working towards a similar letter in the U.S. Senate. After the drastic cuts in drug court funding last year, it is more important than ever that we raise our voices in unison!

Go to http://ga4.org/campaign/houseapprops to send your letter today.







"Treat the Addict, Cut the Crime Rate"
By Dr. Nora D. Volkow



Professional Perspectives On Addiction Medicine

Understanding Opioid Addiction and the Function of Methadone Treatment



A MUST Read!!
An Essay On the Power of Language



Blueprint for the States

Policies to Improve the Ways States Organize and Deliver Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Treatment



Pain Management Without Psychological Dependence:
A Guide for Healthcare Providers

http://www.MethadoneSupport.org/PainManagement.pdf
VERY IMPORTANT!!!

Methadone Drug Interactions

http://www.atforum.com/SiteRoot/pages/addiction_resources/Drug_Interactions.pdf



Traveling with Methadone


The U.S. State Department’s site for travelers...
http://travel.state.gov/
U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) - their site for travelers’ health...
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/
also from the CDC...
Travelers' Health Hotline - PHONE: 877-FYI-TRIP toll free
**World Travel Guide for MMT Patients** (GREAT!)...
Advice for travelers on methadone maintenance covers the world from A to Z: Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and nearly 200 countries in between....
http://www.indro-online.de/travel.htm

State Methadone Authorities Contact Information - 2005

http://www.dpt.samhsa.gov/statemeth.html



Federal Methadone Regulations

http://www.methadone.org/library/42CRF_part8_code.html#notes



Methadone Clinic Locators

http://pharmaceuticals.mallinckrodt.com/AddictionTreatment/ClinicLocator.as

http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/Default.aspx
(do "detailed search" there to find Methadone Treatment)



Management of Addiction Disorders in Pregnancy

by
Gary D. Helmbrecht, MD, FACOG, and Siva Thiagarajah, MD, FACOG




Urine, Urine and More Urine!

The Interpretation of Urine Toxicology in Dependency Treatment.
Principals and Pitfalls


Niacin can be toxic when used to 'beat' drug test




GREAT update for Nepal!  
On 30th Oct 2007, Nepal witnessed a grand re-opening ceremony of Methadone Program in Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital. Amidst controversies, the opening ceremony took place in the Hospital's conference room by the hands of chief guest, Home Minister of Nepal Mr. Krishna Prasad Sitaula.

Witness to the event speculated the ceremony as a historic event taking place in a country where drug users are openly abused by law enforcement and society alike. In a country where anti choice sentiments are still very popular. During his speech the chief guest and Minister of Home Affairs, expressed human prospective towards drug use and tolerant views towards harm reduction and its tools are seen as a major steps towards embracing the humane approach towards drugs problem in Nepal. It's an achievement for drugs and HIV activist of Nepal.

Methadone distribution started from 31st of OCT 2007 with the highly recommended Social Unit operated by NGO in Teaching Hospital premises.

Greater roles of UNODC in Nepal:

The minimum service coverage of below 5 % for drug users in Nepal, Universal access to harm reduction services seems like a far fetched dream.

Recent teaming up of Drug users Network "Recovering Nepal" with UNDP and UNODC for the re-implementation of Methadone program has been encouraging to witness.

Without the support of these UN agencies, such emergency response "the re-implementation of Methadone program" would not have been impossible.

Now, the start of Methadone program and already established Buprenorphine program by Youth Vision "From Margins to Mainstream Project"; the stage has been set for scaling up of these services for wider coverage. The ultimate goal now should be set for universal access to harm reduction services for drug users.

The positive attitude towards harm reduction services by the Government has showed that the future for harm reduction services is very bright for Nepal.

Read other articles about MMT in Nepal....

"Problems in Nepal"

"Kingdom of Nepal"


*Many thanks to Bijay Pandey, a WONDERFUL advocate in Nepal, who contacted me originally and has kept me updated throughout!

Bijay Pandey



CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DR. MARC!!


The 2007 American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) National Conference recognizes outstanding contributions to methadone treatment by rewarding the Nyswander/Dole Award. MSO is THRILLED to announce that OUR Dr. Marc will be a recipient this time! Dr. Marc Kleinman, Regional Administrator/Clinical Director for Operation PAR clinics in Florida, is a PhD in Clinical Psychology and has worked with Methadone patients for over 30 years. Since we opened our doors here at MSO he has taken time out of his crazy, busy schedule to come here and operate his  Real Deal forum ...where he has answered questions and given support to so many. He is also on our Board of Advisors and Directors.

Dr. Kleinman has been instrumental in establishing Methadone Anonymous (MA) groups throughout Florida . He is a member of the Addiction Consult Team for Hospice in South Florida and provides regular training to law enforcement and child protective services investigators. He is my mentor, at the top of my personal hero list, and I am honored to call him "friend".

At each AATOD conference, the award recipients are nominated and selected by their peers for extraordinary service in the opioid treatment community. These successful Award recipients have devoted themselves to improving the lives of patients in our treatment system. Dr. Vincent Dole and Dr. Marie Nyswander were the first recipients of this Award in 1983. The Association has been responsible for bestowing this honor since the first Regional Conference of 1984 in New York .

It is a great honor that this time the Nyswander / Dole “Marie” Awards will be presented by the children of Dr. Vincent Dole --  Vincent Dole III, Susan Dole and Bruce Dole.

Thanks for all you do, Dr. Marc... and...
Congratulations!!



*Come read the interview with Dr. Marc!*





PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FEBRUARY 22, 2007
CONTACT: Mark Parrino
                      Dan McGill

METHADONE TREATMENT:
MEDICINE SAVING LIVES, NOT ENDING THEM

Recent headlines involving celebrities and methadone misuse unfairly undermine the long term safety and benefit of this life-saving medication in treating opioid addiction and reinforce negative public perceptions regarding methadone treatment.

The recent article in USA Today and numerous features in local and national media outlets have focused on the negative outcomes of the misuse of opioids by individuals who are not participating in supervised opioid treatment programs.   While some reports do acknowledge the legitimate use of methadone in treating addiction, such references are often marginal.    Unsupervised prescription and use of methadone for pain management that puts pills in the hands of uninformed patients, is completely different from the supervised and individualized approach that is practiced in medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction.

Numerous scientific studies and evidence-based practices have shown conclusively that methadone, buprenorphrine and other federally-approved opioids have proven to be successful treatment options when used appropriately in clinically-approved settings where medication is monitored by licensed professionals, Mark Parrino, President of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD), stated.   However, the unsupervised use of methadone or other opioids for pain management, obtained illegally or from physicians not specially trained in the use of these medicines, can result in the negative outcomes which surface in the headlines.

AATOD has called for a coordinated national response to reports of methadone associated deaths in line with the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Report of February 2004.    This landmark Report, prepared by a panel of federal and state officials and experts in the treatment of addictions, concluded that health professionals need better training in addressing pain and addiction and highlighted the need to develop a uniform definition in determining cases of drug-related mortalities.    AATOD asserts that it is time to move these recommendations forward.

The truth is that medication assisted treatment helps individuals end the cycle of addiction and its associated destructive behaviors reuniting families and enabling patients to become independent and productive members of their communities, Dan McGill, AATOD Public Relations Committee Chair, noted.   AATOD encourages and welcomes inquiries from all media outlets to focus on the positive role of medication assisted treatment in the practice of medicine and treatment of addiction.







A very familiar name to this organization/website is Sharon Dembinski. Sharon is our pregnancy guru and my personal hero, but in case you're one of the few that has not seen or heard me telling the world about Sharon......she is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, NAMA Certified Methadone Advocate and Lead Developer of the Program "Mother's on Methadone" (MOM) at Kent Hospital in Rhode Island. .....as well as practices at the Discovery House clinics also in Rhode Island in her "spare" time! She also has our Methadone Pregnancy Info and Support page here at the website. Yikes.....did someone say "spare time", lol???

That being said.....on with the alert. Sharon recently discovered an error in TIP 43 on morphine dosing for the treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). She alerted CSAT one month ago to this potential danger and the following is their response/alert. I would also like to take this opportunity to once again thank Sharon for her hard work ......making this her life's passion! Had Sharon not found this error....or....."typo" infant's lives could have been lost. THANK YOU, SHARON!!!

READ ALERT!!














Fentanyl Pain Patch Abuse Can Be Deadly

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/prescription/a/bluf050706.htm







"PROVIDING PHARMACOTHERAPY TO HIV POSITIVE INJECTION DRUG USERS CAN MINIMIZE THE RISK OF FURTHER TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS AND STABLIZE THE UNDERLYING CONDITION" [WHO]

Methadone comes of age - almost...

READ MORE...







Phenix Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland...

Methadone Patients’ Sexual Dysfunctions:

clinical and treatment issues

http://www.phenix.ch/doc/pres/Washington%202003.doc







from University of California - San Francisco

Pain Medication Addiction More Risky for Younger Patients

Article from About.com - Alcoholism / Substance Abuse

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/prescription/a/blucsf050522.htm







Young drug users can suffer brain damage similar to the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, a report found.

Brain Damage Peril for Drug Users

Article from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Read more.......








MMT Effects on Menstrual Cycle Studied

Addiction; June 2005  -  While the menstrual disruption of heroin has been demonstrated in the past, there are few published data concerning methadone maintenance and menstrual function.

This study was conducted to evaluate whether cycle length was more regular during methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Participants included a total of 191 heroin and cocaine-using women from two clinical trials lasting 25-29 weeks at an outpatient research treatment program in Baltimore, MD. Each woman was maintained on 70 to 100 mg/day of methadone.

In the 133 women for whom data was available, menstrual cycle-length patterns were determined to be: irregular in 47%; regular - 28%; cycle restart - 12%; persistent amenorrhea (absent menstruation) - 8%; and transient amenorrhea - 5%. Each additional week of MMT was associated with a significantly decreased risk of overly long (> 40 days) or short (< 20 days) menstrual cycles. Of 27 women with secondary amenorrhea before entering MMT, nearly 60% restarted menses. Positivity for illicit opioids or cocaine was not significantly associated with short or long cycles.

The authors concluded that menstrual cycle length begins to normalize during MMT and menses resumption may occur in some women.

See: Schmittner J, Schroeder JR, Epstein DH, Preston KL. Menstrual cycle length during methadone maintenance. Addiction. 2005;100(6):829-836.









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