The intent of Bottle Recall initially was to be able to allow patients take home medication and to insure that methadone is not diverted to the streets. However, methadone programs have been giving patients take home medication for years without a serious methadone diversion problem. Furthermore numerous studies have demonstrated that methadone is not a…

The bias and misunderstandings about methadone as a medication often result in methadone patients being refused medical care (Umbricht-Schneiter, 1994; Zweben and Sorensen, 1988). Another common scenario is that their medication is used to coerce or manipulate methadone patients into medical treatment (Blansfield, 1992). In other areas of medicine such actions would be considered unethical…

Education Series Number 9 January 1999 Letter Supplement O N  Y O U R  L E T T E R H E A D Dear Doctor: The bearer of this letter is a patient in a methadone maintenance treatment program. Methadone patients frequently need treatment for other medical, surgical, and dental conditions. At times the health professional…

The dilution of methadone with water was initiated as a result of the first federal methadone regulations because it was believed that this policy would reduce the diversion of methadone. While initially this policy may have had an impact within a short time most prospective buyers learning that methadone was now diluted with water and…

Course Readings Lesson 1: Brief History of Methadone Maintenance Treatment   A short introduction about how methadone started. The original team consisted of four and included Drs. Dole and Nyswander who were the investigators, Dr. Herman Joseph who did the statistics and Dr. Mary Jeanne Kreek who was a medical student at the time. Lesson 2: Methadone…

The peer facilitated Medication Assisted Recovery Services Project (MARS) is a collaboration between the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA) and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM), Division of Substance Abuse (DoSA). MARS is located in the Bronx, NY and will provide peer recovery support services to patients at AECOM’s Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs….