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⫸STICKY⫷ Australian Opiate Withdrawal Maintainance Medication Prescribers

Hey crew!

(not sure if anyone noticed, or case for that matter :P but) I took a kind of leave of absence from BL (drug culture all together tbh) basically, to cut a long story short and put it bluntly, things got fucked up there for me! I'm sure most people in this thread could relate!

Anyway, I've on a bupe program - 16mg a day - and tbh, I'm loving it! Best thing / decision I've made in a long time! I really wasn't aware how much my opiate use was affecting my life.....and in ways I honestly didn't think it was!

I realise I'm preaching to the choir here, but just want to let the BL world Im in the bend! :D In fact, just started at Uni again to get my second degree! ^_^


Hope everyone else is going well! Goodluck brothers!
 
Glad everything worked out for u buddy! Ive distanced myself from nearly everything. I started my studies finally, it actually amazes me that I can actually remember things that I have learnt and not forget them:)
 
Hey, I'm a University student. 3rd year Psych major at U.Q.!

For me, I reckon opioids help me to kickstart my brain to get into writing an essay mode. Otherwise, I'm way too apprehensive.

But dude, 16 mg of Buprenorphine, is a little much to umm, focus on studies etc. etc. Don't you think?

P.S.
Brisbane OMT Doctors:
Dr. Stuart Reece - South City Medical Centre
Dr. Laurel Moore - Gladstone Road Medical Centre
Dr. John Skala - CBD Medical
Every doctor at Holland Park Medical Centre
Biala
 
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Good thing I'm not using it as a "study aid" then ey!? ;) :P

Tbh (and most definitely no judgement here :) ), but there are other, much better/safer, therapies to treat study/exam angst. lol
 
spacejunk said:
i understand that you are placed on some sort of registered drug addicts list. i assume this varies from state to state, but can anyone give me any more specific information on what sort of effect this has on your day-to-day life, future medical treatment, employment prospects, ability to travel?
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My best friend went, in 9 months, from being on the methadone program in Brisbane to working as a courier for Queensland Health. In that role he went to the main methadone dosing centre to pick up and drop off spare full litre bottles of methadone! So he was completely trusted and obviously had no black marks against his name.
 
New South Australian policy allowing GP to begin prescribing Buprenorphine

Hey Guys,

Forgive me if this has been discussed in this thread, but i looked back through the pages into mid 2011 and didn't see any mention and considering this change was brought about in April i figured it musn't have been discussed before that date.

Anyway, i recently came across a drug services website that stated in South Australia it is now possible for any GP to treat opiate addicts with Buprenorphine products. Apparently any Doc in South Australia can treat up to 5 patients for addiction and actually prescribe Bup drugs.

Does anyone have any knowledge of this, or better still experience? I'm trying to find out what the rules and regulations are for this... Can you just get a monthly prescription and be on your way or do you have to attend a clinic or pharmacy every day? That sort of stuff.

Any info or discussion would be very much appreciated.

Cheers.
 
tyrael said:
Hey crew!

(not sure if anyone noticed, or case for that matter :P but) I took a kind of leave of absence from BL (drug culture all together tbh) basically, to cut a long story short and put it bluntly, things got fucked up there for me! I'm sure most people in this thread could relate!

Anyway, I've on a bupe program - 16mg a day - and tbh, I'm loving it! Best thing / decision I've made in a long time! I really wasn't aware how much my opiate use was affecting my life.....and in ways I honestly didn't think it was!

I realise I'm preaching to the choir here, but just want to let the BL world Im in the bend! :D In fact, just started at Uni again to get my second degree! ^_^


Hope everyone else is going well! Goodluck brothers!
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Good stuff i been on methadone 9years now
 
For those in Melbourne.

Open Family in Footscray, Dr Sherman.

Melbourne Central Medical Clinic.

I came off 6mg of bupe and a light benzo habit at a detox/rehab. Was a tough week and a half or so but was good. I've had a few lapses since then but never developed a habit again, luckily.

Been doing some codeine CWE's, have to be very careful to keep them to weekly or even less frequently.
 
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do you think codiene panadene forte is really even that addictive/effective? ive tried it with my methadone i dont feel that much TBO..not sure what the fuss is about, not like it's Oxy?
 
 
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^how did/do you find ADFQ?

i went to them at one point around 2007 but can't recall too much of my experience apart from going back to using quick sharp on my own accord. they were one of the better places i've attempted counsel through,.
 
they were definitely one of the better places i've sought therapy from as well. they had the time to make a case with you, though, only willing to put in as much effort as you. they kept it down the line and unbiased toward my decisions which helps immensely when you're coming off a long time habit.
 
cool. about sums up my experience with them as well. i've found this so with the privately run programs compared to seeing the ATODS (government run) centre in my area. they have changed their approach to handing out sharps which has been a stark positive change i least expected of them recently. they've made it a little more discrete within a fairly large and open area of the centre.

i've sort of burnt my bridges with the local ATODS in respect to getting on the program so am left dealing (thankfully with a great) primary GP and a program he's setting out for me to keep me above water. i'm still humming and hahhing at the idea of seeing if he will take on the prescriers licensing and myself as a patient on the bupe program. the morphine has me turning back to old habits and regressing further than i was at the beginning of the year, leaving me a recluse.
 
I need to get off junk. I can't seem to do it cold-turkey. My doctor knows about my habit, and he said if I end up back on it (which I have) to let him know, and he'll send me to a specialist for ORT. Thing is, I really don't want to go on Methadone, Bupe is the only one I'll do. Will I get a choice? What happens next?
 
C_Tripper said:
I need to get off junk. I can't seem to do it cold-turkey. My doctor knows about my habit, and he said if I end up back on it (which I have) to let him know, and he'll send me to a specialist for ORT. Thing is, I really don't want to go on Methadone, Bupe is the only one I'll do. Will I get a choice? What happens next?
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Of course you'll get a choice, after your doctor refers you to a clinic or another suitable prescriber then you can discuss what your options are. I haven't encountered a bias towards either methadone or buprenorphine when I was on maintenance. Though, some doctors seem to favor one over the other but if you ask for Subutex/Suboxone I can't see why they wouldn't put you on that instead of methadone. Both are widely prescribed and generally accepted as suitable/effective treatments in the medical community.
 
I haven't encountered a bias towards either methadone or buprenorphine when I was on maintenance.
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i haven't either. i recently asked my doctor about putting me on ORT but i get the feeling he doesn't want to have to deal with the "junkies" on a regular basis. he's a busy man as it is.

either way, he's looking after me just fine and continually guiding me in the right direction. i really couldn't be happier with the relationship i have with him. honesty is the key to building the foundations of a sincere doctor/patient relationship.
 
Ashley said:
Of course you'll get a choice, after your doctor refers you to a clinic or another suitable prescriber then you can discuss what your options are.....
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tl;dr
Personally I'd suggest first going to a clinic who are specially designed for specifically drug/alcohol rehab. And good luck! :)

(good post Ashley but) A few things, I would personally suggest not going to your local GP but to an actual drug and alcohol addiction clinic. Unless you have an extremely good relationship with your GP. I say this for a few reasons; 1. A lot of local GP's (especially the older ones, or the "around the corner"* doctors), at best aren't up to date with the current rehabilitation laws/programs/pathways/etc, or at worst don't "agree" with clinics (you'd be surprised how many "don't believe in them" 8) )/have backward views on clinic/rehab help.

Additionally, a clinic will be more sympathetic, greater equipped, and essentially it's something they do literally everyday and (have experienced basically all the scenarios mentioned here!) are best informed.


Ashley said:
.....I haven't encountered a bias towards either methadone or buprenorphine when I was on maintenance. Though, some doctors seem to favor one over the other but if you ask for Subutex/Suboxone I can't see why they wouldn't put you on that instead of methadone. Both are widely prescribed and generally accepted as suitable/effective treatments in the medical community.
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Agreed that it is generally whichever the doctor is more familiar with. However from what I hear (reading peer-review journals, speaking with my GP, and my councillor at my clinic) there is a push more toward Subutex/Suboxone - then methadone - and specifically Suboxone due to the addition of the Naloxone (which afaik can't be incorporated with methadone doses? :? Please correct me if I'm wrong about this however! :) )

For a little bit of background about myself (give me a little credibility as not to seem like I don't know what I'm talking about) - I'm about 7 months into my Sub program after a number of years addicted to opiates (Any type. Admittedly my addiction wasn't to the point of on the streets, but enough for me to know I need to make a change), initially I did in fact went to a doctor (my usual GP is in a walk-in clinic, "first come first server"-kind of place) who specifically said to me that he "did not believe in it [drug rehab programs]" - needless to say I was furious. After which I found that my town has a clinic where I went to, they stabilised me and my usual GP took over the authority (I have since changed doctors to one [younger and] more educated in the addiction and rehab speciality.


And lastly, good luck matey! There are always options out there to help! Don't give up and be determined! =D



* By "around the corner clinics" I mean those doctors who's usual pt's are the normal, everyday, cuts/bruises/broken bones/geriatric medicine)
 
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