Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Lev Facher
Published on 2024-02-01 15:18:16
The federal government has announced new regulations for methadone treatment, the first major update in over 20 years. The goal of these regulations is to modernize methadone treatment and increase access to this medication, which has been used to treat opioid addiction in the U.S. since the early 1970s. Studies have shown that people taking methadone are approximately 60% less likely to die of an opioid overdose. Despite its effectiveness, many people still view methadone treatment as stigmatized and often inaccessible.
Starting in April, patients and clinicians at methadone clinics will have more flexibility. For instance, doctors at methadone clinics will have the flexibility to prescribe larger doses of methadone to new patients, and clinics will also be able to prescribe “take-home” medication, reducing the need for frequent clinic visits.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) believes that increasing access to methadone treatment can save lives. Andrea Palm, the deputy secretary of HHS, stated, “The easier we make it for people to access the treatments they need, the more lives we can save. With these announcements, we are dramatically expanding access to life-saving medications and continuing our efforts to meet people where they are in their recovery journeys.”
Despite the effectiveness of methadone, many patients find the restrictions that come with treatment to be overly burdensome, often referring to methadone as “liquid handcuffs”. During the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government implemented changes that allowed patients to avoid constant clinic visits and avoid exposure to Covid-19. These changes included more liberal access to “take-home” medications, with studies showing that this did not result in increased methadone misuse or overdoses.
The new regulations aim to center patients in their care, reduce barriers, and diminish the stigma around methadone. Among the changes, the regulations advise clinics not to use the results of drug toxicology testing punitively and stress the consideration of life circumstances that can be beneficial to recovery, such as the need to attend school or hold a job.
However, there are concerns about how much these regulations will benefit patients. States typically regulate methadone clinics more strictly than the federal government, and some clinics impose stricter standards on their patients. Despite the new flexibilities at the federal level, most core realities of methadone treatment remain unchanged.
The regulations have sparked a broader debate about methadone treatment, with lawmakers and addiction specialists advocating for allowing board-certified addiction doctors to prescribe methadone directly to their patients, which is currently illegal. However, methadone clinics argue that methadone treatment is more than just the medication itself, and significantly expanding access could destabilize the treatment system and result in an increase in overdoses involving methadone.
In conclusion, the new regulations for methadone treatment are a step towards modernizing patient care standards and increasing access to this life-saving medication. However, there are still concerns about how much these regulations will benefit patients and the broader debate about the future of methadone treatment.
