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. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt