Pubdate: Tue, 03 Nov 2015
Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Metro Canada
Contact:  http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775
Author: Emily Jackson

TOO RISKY A REMEDY

Authority calls for new drug in place of methadone

Vancouver Coastal Health is making dramatic changes to how it treats
opioid addictions after seeing too many overdose deaths caused by
methadone, the drug that has been the go-to treatment for decades.

The local health authority announced Tuesday it will introduce new
treatment guidelines to steer away from methadone and towards
Suboxone, a much safer drug that is now available as a generic and
covered under regular provincial health plans.

"It's not to say methadone isn't an effective treatment, but we are
struggling with too many fatal overdoses," medical director Dr. Evan
Wood said, adding that one quarter of recent overdose deaths have been
linked to methadone.

"Why would we reach for that as the first line option for someone has
a good chance of going into long-term remission?"

As it stands, methadone is offered in 90 per cent of cases whether a
person is addicted to illicit drugs such as heroin or over-the-counter
prescription drugs such as oxycodone, Wood said. But Vancouver Coastal
Health wants to reverse that and only use methadone in extreme cases
where nothing else works.

The new guidelines suggest Suboxone, which is much more difficult to
overdose on and is easier to provide in safe, take-home doses. The
guidelines also recognize that doctors need flexibility to provide
different treatments for patients with different needs, and highlight
the role of recovery programs.

"Essentially we're looking to dramatically modernize the addiction
treatment system in terms of moving ahead in practice with where the
evidence has taken us=C2=85 practice has got to do some catching up,"
medical director Dr. Evan Wood said.

Wood praised the province for its leadership on the file. The
guidelines are part of a $3-million provincial investment to research
ways to treat substance dependence. B.C. will look into expanding the
guidelines across the province.

The B.C. Association of Persons on Methadone and From Grief to Action,
an association dealing with addiction, both support the new
guidelines.
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MAP posted-by: Matt