Methadone Maintenance Opioid Addiction Assessment

Methadone Maintenance Opioid Addiction Assessment

• Assess yourself and your team first

You and Your Clinic • High Threshold vs Low Threshold • High threshold says IV opioids for years • Low threshold says opioids affecting life function – accepts codeine

High Tolerance vs Low Tolerance • High tolerance accepts many behaviour problems and ongoing drug use, if some stability is occurring • Low tolerance has strict rules – may take you off for missed appointments, ongoing marijuana or cocaine use, etc • Carry policy and Urine Drug Screen Policy

Complexity • Social • Medical • Psychiatric • Adolescent • Pregnant • HIV and Hep C • The unpleasant patient • Chronic pain

Clinic Comprehensiveness • Methadone only • Methadone and primary care (Accept stable patients after start elsewhere) • Methadone, Contingency, Counselling • High level combined care – HIV, Hep C, street outreach, pregnancy………

Money • Clinics with government support • Clinics with fee for service – it doesn’t pay enough for the associated work load • Can you link with addiction programs?

Goals of Assessment 1. Is the patient addicted to opioids? 2. If so, is the patient a candidate for methadone? 3. If so, does the patient want methadone? 4. If so, do you want this patient? 5. Identify other potential problems (housing, financial, legal, family, travel) 6. Any special health risks?

The Invisible Assessment • Therapeutic Alliance begins here. • You evaluate the patient for honesty, humor, intelligence, perseverance…. . dishonesty, anger, criminality • The patient evaluates you - frankness, kindness, trust, confidentiality, do you know addiction?

Setting the Stage for Success • Honesty and frankness • Accepting of where they’re at – with hope for change – environment of support • Safety talk • Early limit setting

Assessment • Social – who are they as a person? Who are their supports? Housing? Other family members or close friends on opioids or unstable? Legal? Financial? Kids? • Income? Dealing, stealing, peeling? • Behavioural addictions? • Goals in life

Substance Use • Identify past or present significant problems – do any need to be part of a care plan? • Crack, Cocaine. Crystal meth, OTC’s, Alcohol, Benzo’s • Is cocaine the major drug and opioids a side issue?

Opioids • How and when did it begin? What effect did • • • they feel? How long have they had daily or near -daily use? What happens when they try to quit? What’s their drug of choice and what’s their dose range? Any high risk use of other opioids? (Tyl 1’s. IV use, fentanyl, street methadone) Evaluating addiction vs abuse Evaluating addiction vs pain Street or Prescription? Who’s the doctor?

• If it’s opioid addiction, continue • If it’s not, follow another track

Gus • Alcoholic, sober for 15 years and very active in AA • At 48, suffers relationship break-up and failure of business – rapid decline into IV cocaine and IV opioids • After assessment, the cocaine appears to be the main driver, and the opioids are a “smoothing” or “crash rescue” use

Significant Chronic Pain • Avoid these complex patients until you are experienced • And then you’ll still have trouble!

Other Basics • Medical history, risk of HIV & Hep C, pregnancy • Psychiatric history – suicide risk, past trauma, Bipolar, ADD, eating disorder • Smoking

DPIN • Check it – look for non-compliance, consistency with history, early refills (which indicate physician behaviour as well as patient behaviour) • Notify physicians • Explore taking over benzo prescribing

Physical Exam • Basics • Infected injection sites • Pregnancy, need for birth control

Urine Drug Screen • Is it consistent with history? • A non-addicted patient can take some percs or T 3’s to have a positive screen • Synthetics (oxycodone, fentanyl) may not show – know your screen • Some patients have negative drug screens but are addicted and need treatment

Collateral • Very useful in difficult cases

Are These a Problem? • Transportation • Lives out of town • Paying for medication • Driving and sedation • Unsafe housing (no Sat or Sun carries) • Clinic hours vs work and school • Addicted family members

Assessment Is Done • Is the patient addicted to opioids? • ASAM – loss of control, craving, compulsion, consequences and can’t stop • DSM 4 – tolerance, withdrawal, time spent obtaining, loss of other interests, consequences, preoccupation and planning

Yes, He’s Addicted • Is he appropriate for methadone? • Depends on your provincial guidelines and your clinic guidelines…. in Manitoba, addicted for one year with significant life consequences • Pregnant patients and medically ill patients do not need the “one year” requirement

What Does the Patient Want, How Does He Perceive the Problem? • Does he think he ‘s addicted? • Does he think it’s a serious problem that needs organized help and real work? • Does he want to keep it a secret from all? • Is he totally focused on only one kind of treatment – “I only need detox” or “It has to be methadone” • Has he learned from friends’ experience?

Choices in Opioid Addiction • 1. Continue using • 2. Abstinence (detox plus treatment) • 3. Methadone with goal of taper • 4. Methadone as long term medication • 5. Suboxone • 6. Chronic pain - perhaps tightly controlled opioid dispensing or methadone

Suboxone • Many advantages – safer, better side effect profile, easier to wean off, better with HIV meds • Expensive ($500 a month) – might get it covered • Once you have your methadone exemption, do the internet course and apply to the College (www. suboxonecme. ca)

Choices • 1. continue using • 2. abstinence • 3. methadone/suboxone

You Think His Choice is Crazy! • Who decides? Will you help him into abstinence • • based treatment even though you’re sure he needs the long term stability of methadone? What about the nice guy who looks normal, is working, has money – you think he should try abstinence, he wants MMT? Or the guy who knows detox alone will cure him?

Try Abstinence First? • Old thinking – yes • New thinking – MMT is reasonable first option in patient with significant addiction who wants this option – but know your provincial guidelines • MMT is option of choice in patients with major life instability

Consider Abstinence • Relative Stability • healthy, psychiatric stability • supports with sober family and friends • • and finances not addicted very long interested in “recovery” work and AA, NA no polysubstance abuse or alcoholism honesty

Abstinence Choices • Know your resources • Detox alone is not a good option – follow it with treatment unless patient refuses • Plan for real support - rarely successful on the first try • Family and patient may be very demoralized by failure • Risk of death higher in abstinence

Methadone in the “nice patient”? • Fairly stable, healthy, appears “together”. Using 1 -2 years • Financial strain and can’t stop • ? reasonable for methadone • Discuss all options fully, time to think

Consider Methadone 1. Psychiatric instability 2. Physical health consequences, HIV 3. Pregnancy 4. Chronic pain 5. Unstable family, addicted relatives 6. Polysubstance abuse 7. Social and legal and financial stressors 8. Failed abstinence attempts 9. Addicted for significant length of time (18 months) 10. Injection Use

Does the Patient Want MMT? • Discuss • Reading material • Time to decide • Informed consent • Knowledge of tight program rules • Knowledge of long-term program, may not be able to ever stop using opioids

Family • “I get sick to my stomach just hearing the word methadone” • “His uncle is a doctor who says methadone is totally inappropriate`` • ``We want him to ……. `` • The patient has the right to decide but it’s hard without family back up.

Yes, he wants it…. • Clinic rules and treatment agreement • Safety considerations • Notify prescribers and pharmacy • Go!

Rules to Live By • Be able to care and to say no • Safety always trumps other considerations • Trust is earned, not given • The patient who lies sounds just like the patient who is telling the truth • An ongoing relationship becomes the most important therapeutic tool • Remember how disordered some families may be

Methadone Taper • Placed the patient on methadone with goal of stabilization and taper over few weeks or months – where will the emotional growth and recovery treatment occur? • Can treat relapse as a learning experience and try again with more supports

Practicalities • How many people here are considering working in a setting providing methadone services………. . • ? doctors • ? pharmacists • ? nurses and social workers and counsellors

How to Get an Exemption for MMT • Methadone for pain – separate process • Methadone for addiction • - addiction experience • - knowledge of methadone & safety • - book learning • -practical learning at clinic – assessments and • follow-ups -find a mentor

A Methadone Exemption • Ask College advice re your suitability • Take a course – 1 day in Winnipeg June 2010 • Clinical experience • Submit documentation to the College • 1 -4 months later, Health Canada provides exemption and you can start MMT prescribing • Enjoy working – minimal wage – major stress – major patient change!

Clinical Experience • Minimum of 4 half day clinics, with experienced supervising physician who assesses you for appropriate knowledge, attitudes, skills • More experience if you want to open a new clinic or operate solo

Styles of Practice • Full clinic - assessments, link with other addiction care, treat and follow, manage more complex problems • Family practice – follow 10 -20 relatively stable patients who started treatment in a full clinic

Methadone Safety • 1 -3 per thousand patients die, usually during induction • Family and friends may be unstable and have access to the methadone • Diversion occurs - to people in withdrawal and to people who want to experiment • It has strange pharmacology

Build in review and mentoring • Your team – doctor, nurse, counsellor, • • • pharmacist – are protocols needed? Your back up - questions, chart reviews, ongoing education Review bad outcomes and learn from them Remember long term addiction needs a lot of time to change behavioural characteristics – deception and manipulation and distrust have been survival traits

Be Prepared for Change and Surprises

Financial and CME support • CME can make this a self learning experience for significant CME credits – contact Dr Francois • Manitoba government will support some clinical training time if your RHA or Clinic not compensating you. Contact Dr. Lee

Books • Client guide to methadone maintenance • AFM recommended practices in MMT • Ontario guidelines – for doctors - for counsellors

A Side Issue - Safe Prescribing…

Opioids and Chronic Pain Toolkit • Summary of the new guidelines • The opioid manager • Tool sheets –Opioid taper • -Benzo taper • -Opioid equivalence chart • -Opioid Risk Tool • -Urine drug screening • -Treatment Agreement