A couple of MMT questions..

[oxydose]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could point to a guide of sorts to getting started with Methadone treatment?

Do you need a referral?

Is it a pretty inexpensive program, do they ever/usually offer low/no income payment help?

Say if you live a good ways away from the clinic, do they every start anyone with atleast a 2-3 day take home dose regement? Or do any clinics write short term scripts for patients?

Are most clinics fairly anonymous?

How is the intake procedure in most clinics handled, I mean what all is involved in joining up? Drug screens, physicals, and how do they determine your starting dose?

Do most now offer Suboxone treatments as a first step before methadone, I'm not really opposed to this or anything, if it would work great, just wondering.

Is there anything else important I should know before going, or trying to seek treatment at a clinic?

[Duckfeet]

A lot of good questions on there. Many of them will depend on *which* clinic u go to, of course. I posted below, a site that I also am active on--still duckfeet--and which is totally dedicated to methadone maintenance. Please do a search here, as there is much information right here, also...but anyway, I'll answer a few, since I'm on MMT.

Free clinics are still around, but I fear they are fading away. If u r a veteran, go to the V.A., and they will pay, or pay most of it...

If not, u need to go to the nearest clinic, and ask them what kind of set-up they have, sometimes it is Pro-rated, but again, ever since the pay clinics began, most of them are out for a buck...I pay ten bucks a day, out here in sunny cal, and I'm not willing at this time to go thru the hoops to get the V.A. to pay for it...

You don't need a referral...but some of them, u *do* have to piss dirty, or at least convince them u have been opiate user/abuser some way or another...

Again, I'm not going to write pages. Search on here first, see if u get some of ur questions answered. If u *don't* get'em answered, click on website of Watchdog, below, and they have all u want to know about methadone, and can answer all of these questions...I'm all over the place there, just like here...best wishes...

df


http://www.readybb.com/watchdog/viewforum.php?f=2

[oxydose]

thanks for the info df, but mostly i'm concerned about the pricing, there is a free GP hosp here (or there was eh), would that suffice for trying maybe a suboxone regement? I've read that a GP needs to take about a 6 hour course to achieve a license to despense the drug, but frankly I have doubts any GP praticing there would have taken it, and that the clinic may be a rip joint. I've heard tells of them charging 35$USD for 35mg, thats just below *real* street price, and still i've heard of better.

Do you think this is a ripoff joint (I haven't checked out that site yet, WatchDog, is that a bad clinic watch list or someshit?

[Duckfeet]

Yeah, u'd definitely have to check, of course. Subs cost more money at the pharmacy, but again, would depend on so many things, and I guess u have no insurance, right? Watchdog is just a site like this one, just mostly dedicated to methadone, and generally for people on methadone, trying to get their shit together, rather than people into party party party, or detoxing *I Hate Methadone* crew. I like it, but it probably wouldn't be very exciting unless someone is on MMT, like me.

NAABT.org has good info on buprenorphene, and can hook u up w/a doc close to u...they have a deal where u can put in yer address, and they will provide three docs close...my problem, since I don't have insurance, was always the *cost* of the damn subs.

Methadone here is around ten bucks a day...subs cost around ten bucs a piece, for the 8mgs, best I remember...hope someone else, maybe in yer area, can help u...


thanks for the info df, but mostly i'm concerned about the pricing, there is a free GP hosp here (or there was eh), would that suffice for trying maybe a suboxone regement? I've read that a GP needs to take about a 6 hour course to achieve a license to despense the drug, but frankly I have doubts any GP praticing there would have taken it, and that the clinic may be a rip joint. I've heard tells of them charging 35$USD for 35mg, thats just below *real* street price, and still i've heard of better.

Do you think this is a ripoff joint (I haven't checked out that site yet, WatchDog, is that a bad clinic watch list or someshit?

[oxydose]

Wow DF! That site found me 2 doctors fairly close to me who are license to despence bupe, when suboxone.com gave me two, who both where out of state, and oddly enough both now *not working here*.

[Duckfeet]

Yeah, NAABT.org was great for getting me a doc...two within walking distance, the other a bike ride away, and all three called me back, and the one I went to, put me on *subutex* rather than suboxone, which I prefer. I thought it was a good site, all in all...I hope it works out for you, I know yer trying hard, and I know something will break...



Wow DF! That site found me 2 doctors fairly close to me who are license to despence bupe, when suboxone.com gave me two, who both where out of state, and oddly enough both now *not working here*.