Methadone Withdrawal Units in BC

Posted by on Jun 25, 2014 in Blog, Methadone Maintenance, Opiate Addiction | 0 comments

For someone living with chronic pain there is nothing worse than finding out your have now become completely dependent on your opiate-based prescriptions. Your body has become tolerant to the drugs and you find yourself constantly increasing your medication just keep your pain tolerable or your withdrawal symptoms away. Your doctor who is supposed to be monitoring you just keeps writing you the scripts for more, stronger drugs rather than suggesting it’s time to wean you off these medications and send you to holistic or non-narcotic pain management alternatives. This medication mismanagement has become a problem for many people who never thought they would end up having an addiction. Unfortunately, this problem is worse that we thought. After you have decided you no longer want to be on the medications, the average person will ask their general practitioner or prescribing physician that they would like to stop taking these medications. One of two options happen – the patient is sent to a medically supervised withdrawal unit within their local health authority (e.g. VCH, FVA, VIHA) where they will spend an average of 5-14 days going through withdrawal. The other option is to be prescribed the anti-craving drug methadone. Once on methadone, a patient starts a minimum dose, which is increased until the client is stabilized. Eventually, most clients on a methadone maintenance program will want to stop using it. They will find that Methadone is incredibly difficult to stop using. Once on this anti-craving drug there are few programs that will provide you treatment for your addiction or any withdrawal units to help you come off the drugs completely. The withdrawal symptoms from methadone have been described as being worse than opiates themselves. After contacting each of the major detox units in each of the five health authorities we have discovered that most withdrawal units will want you to be on little to no methadone in order to help you through your withdrawal. Medically Supervised Withdrawal Units in the five BC Health Authorities   NORTHERN HEALTH AUTHORITY Adult Withdrawal Management Unit
 1308 Alward St.
Prince George, BC V2M 7B1
 Phone: (250) 565-2175 Must be 30mg or less to go to this withdrawal unit VANCOUVER ISLAND HEALTH AUTHORITY Victoria Medical Society
 Eric Martin Pavillion, 5A-2334 Trent St.
Victoria, BC V8R 4Z3 Main Phone: (250) 519-7708 Intake 
Phone: (250) 213-4441 Must be 25mg or less to go to this withdrawal unit INTERIOR HEALTH AUTHORITY Phoenix Centre
 922 3rd Avenue, 
Kamloops, BC V2C 6W5 Phone: (250) 374-4634
 Text: (250) 320-0341 (M-F 9am-3:30pm)
 Toll-Free: 1(877) 318-1177
 Fax: (250) 374-4621 Must be 30mg or less to go to this withdrawal unit VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY Access Central Toll-free: 1(866) 658-1221 Note: for referrals to detox and supportive recovery housing. Access Central is staffed with social workers who can provide on-the-spot counselling and coping strategies. Hours are 9 am to 7:45 pm seven days a week. Messages left on voice mail will be returned the following day. Must not be on Methadone Harbour Light Detox (Cordova Detox) Salvation Army
119 East Cordova St.
Vancouver, BC V6A 1K8 Phone: (604) 646-6808 ext. 2
 Toll-Free: 1(866) 658-1221 ext. 2 
Fax: (604) 646-6840 Vancouver Detox 377 East 2nd Ave.
Vancouver, BC V5T 1B9 Phone: (604) 658-1280 (non-admissions calls) 
Phone: 1(866) 658-1221 (Access Central – Admissions) FRASER VALLEY HEALTH AUTHORITY Creekside Withdrawal Management Centre 13740 94 A Avenue
Surrey, BC V3V 1N1 Phone: (604) 587-3755 ext.1 (adults)
 Phone: (604) 587-3755 ext.2 (youth) Must be at 10mg or less to go to this withdrawal unit   For more information on finding treatment resources for yourself or someone you know please call 1-877-746-1963 or email info@canadadrugrehab.ca or...

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Treatment for Opiate Addiction and Methadone Maintenance

Posted by on Jun 23, 2014 in Methadone Maintenance, Opiate Addiction | 0 comments

25-year-old BC resident, Sean, is struggling to find public residential treatment for his addiction to opiates and dependency on methadone. We provided Sean with the resources to go to his local assessment office after he had called the three residential treatment programs most effective for him (see below) since there are no public adult treatment units offered by the Northern Health Authority (NHA). Because of where he lives, Sean will likely get referred to another health authority or province for treatment. Sean doesn’t want to be on methadone anymore either and has been in communication with his prescribing physician who is supportive of Sean’s decision. Individuals using methadone often have a more difficult time finding treatment (Methadone Maintenance Programs don’t align with many centers who are abstinence-based). That said, the Interior Health Authority’s (IHA) closest BC program has a 6-week treatment program that accepts stabilized methadone clients. Post-treatment, Sean can continue working with his doctor to taper slowly of Methadone completely. Sean had already found information about Bridgeway in Kelowna that does 6 weeks for men followed by 6 weeks for women, so it may be up to 12 weeks before he enters treatment. With that in mind, we suggested Sean start in an outpatient centre in Prince George and work with his doctor to begin tapering him off methadone until he can attend the next Bridgeway men’s program. Because Bridgeway is a public service, Sean will need to be assessed before being referred to this program in Kelowna, BC. We gave Sean the following resources to help in his search for treatment that works best for him. ASSESSMENT Adult Community Addiction Services located at the Community Response Unit 201-1705 3rd Avenue, phone (250) 565-2668. Hours: 8:30 to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday (closed 12 noon to 12:30 pm) Note: For adults with addiction issues only. DETOX Adult Withdrawal Management Unit 1308 Alward St.
Prince George, BC V2M 7B1
Phone: (250) 565-2175 Fax: (250) 565-2790 21 beds for adults requiring medical detox or withdrawal management services. Clients must self-refer. TREATMENT Bridgeway Intensive Residential Treatment 760 Hwy 33 W.
Kelowna, BC V1X 6A9
Phone: (250) 763-0456 ext. 402 Fax: (250) 868-7791
E-Mail: info@thebridgeservices.ca
Website: www.thebridgeservices.ca/intensive-residential-treatment For adults over 19 years old. Clients need to be sober and stable prior to admission. There are 20 beds for alternating 6-week gender-specific treatment programs. Methadone clients are accepted. Read Bridgeway’s Admission Form to find out what else is required to attend this facility. http://www.thebridgeservices.ca/admissions-intensive-residential-treatment If Sean is able to attend programs outside of BC… Grande Prairie – Adult Primary Treatment (Ask if they accept methadone clients) Business Industry Clinic
11333-106 Street
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6T7
Phone: (780) 538-6316
Toll-free: 1(800) 419-1149
E-mail: admissions.biclinic@aadac.gov.ab.ca Website: Business & Industry Clinic Northern Addictions Centre
 11333-106 Street
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6T7
Phone: (780) 538-6350
E-mail: admissions.nac-treatment@aadac.gov.ab.ca Website: Northern Addictions Centre Both these Grand Prairie programs offer a 20 day drug, alcohol, and gambling program. Both are co-ed and clients must be abstinent for 5 days prior to admittance. These facilities also have detox if needed.  ...

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Where Addicts are Treated Like Human Beings