NEWS: ABC News- 24/06/08 'Methadone program fees sending addicts back to heroin'

[hoptis]

Methadone program fees sending addicts back to heroin: report
Posted Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:01am AEST

A new report has found recovering drug users are struggling to meet the costs of methadone programs, with some relapsing into addiction.

Methadone is regarded by many experts as the best way to get people off heroin.

But research done by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) says the pharmacy costs associated with it are too high for many users.

It has found some are resorting to sex work and crime to pay for their methadone, or they are just giving up on the treatment altogether.

The study focused on 120 recovering heroin addicts living on low incomes. All were attempting to beat their habits through a methadone program.

The study's author, Dr James Rowe - a drug expert from RMIT, says methadone is the best way to treat heroin dependency.

"People can find some stability, they are removed from committing crime they are removed from sex work," he said.

"They attain a degree of stability in their lives. They're able to re-enter employment or education, they can even start addressing some of the reasons why they were using drugs in the first place."

But Dr Rowe's research found it is not that easy for these people to sustain a methadone program financially.

The drug itself is paid for by the Federal Government but in many parts of the country people still have to cover a dispensing fee charged by pharmacists.

This fee is usually $60 per fortnight. Dr Rowe says this is too much for many people struggling with the bare necessities of life.

"Those on income support who are living on very little income, who also have to try and pay for the basic necessities of life - in terms of accommodation and food - many of whom are also looking after families, really do struggle," he said.

"For some it represents 15 to 20 per cent of their fortnightly income, which is no small percentage."

Dr Rowe says there can be disastrous consequences when, for whatever reason, they can no longer afford to pay.

"They get kicked off the program, they still have a dependency that can't be met by legal means, so they end up back on heroin with all the costs that that entails," he said.

"The crime that's involved, the sex work that's involved, the overdose, the loss of a family member. The costs are quite incredible."

Dr Rowe says the solution is for the Federal Government to pick up the cost.

"Most medications under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) are supplied to people who are suffering from, other lifestyle-induced conditions, such as type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol," he said.

"Those medications are supplied, the cost is subsidised, and the dispensing fee is completely subsidised, so they don't pay any dispensing fee.

"So it's just those on opiate maintenance programs that have to pay a dispensing fee and there is no real rational reason for that to be the case. It's basically a human rights argument."

Based on a report by Michael Edwards for AM.

ABC News

 

[ayjay]

Yeah too true. It's a bit of a handy cash cow for pharmacies. Mind you, they are exoected to "supervise" dosing, which is a hell of a lot more work than handing over a script for cholesterol medication. I think if they changed the guidelines to increase access to takeaways, it remove the justification for the dispensing fees...

 

[SKL]

How the hell much can methadone cost that it remotely approaches the cost of maintaining a dope habit??? $60 a fortnight? A decent sized dope habit will run you at least $60 a day.

 

[ayjay]

^Yeah - but the point of being on 'done is you don't have to do the things you used to do to pay for gear....

 

[mushi mushi 88]

Couldn't some sort health care cover some of the cost of it?

I'm sure heroin would cost a hell of a lot more then what methadone does...

 

[madmick19]

thats funny under the system here in canberra it generally has a minimal cost, if you are on centrelink payments and have been put on the opiod program then you dont really even have to pay all that much.

its more of a nominal amount that is like 1-12$ a day which is heaps better than a $500 day herion habit, i wonder how much information in this article is correct qand not misleading.

i would admit tho that the pharmacotherapy program does need another look at, governments tend to think that it by its self is good enough to get people to abstain from a life of problematic use

 

[yasu]

Blame it on the pharmacies! They are actually allowed to charge a dispensing fee, to make matters worst they can charge ANY amount they want. They know the opioid dependent patients need them, so they inflate the price.....=(

 

[Don Quixote]

ah, typical.
Though i fully support Pharmacy and Chemistry, they do a lot for us (and heck, i'd hope to be one some day ;P) but it's just your general scenario.

criminalise drug, drives prices waayyy up, fuels wars and used as a way to control the population and ensures that your 'war on drugs' will be a lengthy one, create a substitute drug potentially more dangerous than that of the original, and then sell it to those addicted.

That drug is a goddamned killer.

edit:
on an unrelated note, does anyone ever get curious what the police do with their megahauls where they 'prevent a shipment of <insert massive weight value here> of <insert 'hard' drug here> from reaching Australian homes, schools and streets'?
as cost effective and secure i'm sure keeping in excess of 100kilos is, when do we ever see these guys burning a big mound of Ice or whatever?

hmm, should probably wipe this froth away from my mouth
hope you enjoyed my rant

 

[ayjay]

thats funny under the system here in canberra it generally has a minimal cost, if you are on centrelink payments and have been put on the opiod program then you dont really even have to pay all that much.

its more of a nominal amount that is like 1-12$ a day which is heaps better than a $500 day herion habit, i wonder how much information in this article is correct qand not misleading.

The article and the report it refers to are pretty much spot on I would say. The typical dispensing fee in Victoria is $5 a day - which doesn't sound like much but can be a problem if you are on New Start or similar. The charge tends to be irrespective of how many days you pick up - for example if you are on alternate day dosing on bupe you will still get charged $35 per week...

 

[person]

That is really sad! and it makes sense theres alot of australians that ive met here in nz who leave australia to get away from the H scene, but end up a slave to the methadone program here as well - there is no cost involved except for petrol/travel each day to pick it up from the chemists which most of the time is non diluted red liquid..

 

[Christian Soldier]

i have to pay 50bux a week for my bupe, sometimes they forget to ask me to pay for weeks, so now i gotta pay them 190$ today or they cutting me off. heh i usually just leave the program when i owe this much money and go back to using, they just delete my record, i come back a month later and start fresh. i probably owe them a grand, but fuck 'em.

 

[phase_dancer]

as cost effective and secure i'm sure keeping in excess of 100kilos is, when do we ever see these guys burning a big mound of Ice or whatever?

Most likely these drugs are burned in furnaces used for industrial chemical waste.