Actually US Sup Ct precedent says doctors can maintain addictions without any special license, and the Controlled Substances Act does not say it is illegal to do so without special permission.

I am an opiate addict and suffer from chronic back and leg pain that at times I just want to die because the pain is white, blinding and never stops. What to do to stop the pain?? I have many times wanted to give up, no one will listen, no one understands. I have gone to dr's for the last 5 years, one minor back surgery did not stop the pain, made it worse in fact. Then I am left with the pain, I have to beg doctors for pain medicine, sometimes I will get 30 vicoden, if I am lucky. Well, the vicoden does not last and the pain comes back. Try to refill my prescription, treated as a freak, treated like I am trying to get a fix. Try to tell them the vicoden doesnt work. I beg for answers, I beg and cry for someone to fix my pain, fix the problem, make the pain stop, please... Sent away with no answers, no pain pills......what am I to do??? Kill myself to make it stop, that seems the only answer. Or go to the streets, the internet pharmacies......Well I did both, can you explain to me why I have to pay $60.00 for an 80 mg Oxycontin, for one pill, or $10.00 for one percocet...... So what happens when I cannot find pills to kill my pain, someone says I cannot find you pills, but here, try this, next thing I know, I am a 42 year old, with a pretty good middle income job in the suburbs, smoking crack for the first time of my life. Does it make the pain go away, yes.......however, big problems come then, 4 months of more hell, addicted to crack cocaine and all I wanted is for a Dr. to listen to me and help me fix my pain. Can I get a prescription of Oxycontin, percocets, something a little stronger than vicoden, hell no.....where do these criminal drug dealers get these more potenant opiates. It is a miracle I never tried herion, I am sure that would fix my pain. I have never stuck a needle in my arm, however I reduced myself to 2 years of buying illigal pain pills off the street, 4 months in a hell of a crack addiction... Almost lost my husband, who also likes his opiates for his pain issues. Almost lost my home because I am so in debt in buying these illigal drugs that cost $60.00 a pill.... Or $400.00 for a supply of vicoden over the internet. If only a doctor would help me I would not have gotten $30,000 in debt to the drug dealers of the USA. Would it not be better to buy my medication I NEED through legal ways instead of being forced to buy from the criminals. So now I am on Suboxone, it helps my pain somewhat, not as good as the real opiates do. But it dulls it to where I might not commit suicide. Thank God my health insurance pays for my medication, however to start me and my husband into the Suboxone program cost us a good $2500.00. $250.00 the first visit, then $100.00 a week, a peice for the next several weeks, now, thank God again, we only have to go to the "Suboxone" doctor once a month, at $100.00 a piece. We still have to pay a pretty high copay for the medication, but it beats the drug dealers prices by far. I could easily either be dead from suicide, crack od, drug dealer violence and in very risky areas to seek drugs or in jail. And I am a very good American citizen in very bad physical pain. I am only 44 years old, I am still trying to find out what is wrong with me and seeking doctors to help fix my never ending leg pain. Why is it so hard to get the help I need??? I do not know. The depression that goes along with all of this is overwhelming, but I am a strong woman and I will continue to seek the truth and the answers. We need to legalize drugs to keep all this money away from the dealers and put it where it can help people like me. I am a Christian, tax paying American, that needs some decent medical care, is that too much to ask??? I just want the pain to stop, I want answers, I want medication when I need it. It is not my fault that I suffer physically and it is not my fault that I am addicted to opiates, I need them to survive, does that make me a bad person, I think not, I just don't want to hurt from the time I wake up, until I go to bed and then can't sleep because of the pain, it makes life kind of hard to live, but I do my best, one day at a time.

My Name is Timothy Lepak. I am President of The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment (naabt.org) and was quoted in the article above. Buprenorphine is the greatest leap forward in opioid addiction treatment in the last 40 years, however too few people are aware of it. Part of the reason is the terrible stigma that plagues patients with addiction disorders. Right now we have 245 people on our matching system who can’t find a doctor to treat them. These are people who want to change their lives but cannot find a doctor certified to prescribe near them. Only 9,089 (as of Dec 6th) doctors are certified to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction. Of that number an estimated 40% are actually treating patients.

One thing that makes buprenorphine different is that it can be prescribed in a doctor’s office, like with other diseases. This is a big step forward that will ultimately help fight the stigma. Now that doctors can treat addiction as they do diabetes or depression the perception of who the addicted patient is will change for the better.

Most people still don’t see addiction as a disease despite recent medical proof of physical changes to key structures of the brain. Understanding addiction and being able to explain to skeptics why it is a disease and why treatment must be available will lay the groundwork for changing the views of many in this country. It is one thing to call addiction a disease, it’s quite another to actually treat it as one. The outdated tactics of the 35 year old drug war of demonizing drugs and the people who use them has caused undue stigma for people who use drugs (medications) appropriately to treat their legitimate medical conditions, addiction included.

A nurse told me that some of her terminally ill patients refused opioid pain meds, because they didn’t want to die an “addict”. This medical condition is so stigmatized and misunderstood that someone would actually choose excruciating pain in their last hours rather than the thought of being addicted, as if it were somehow worse.

The stigma associate with this disease is deep. Even physicians that treat addiction are sometimes treated differently by colleges because of it. Changing people’s perceptions about what addiction is, through education is the only thing that will reduce that stigma. Scientists and doctors know addiction is a treatable chronic medical condition, not a moral failing or something that can be cured with good advice or tough love.

Using appropriate respectful language when speaking or writing about this condition is one thing we all can do. Slang words like “junkie, addict, clean, dirty” have no more place in the medical lexicon than “retarded or crippled”. People with addiction disorders are patients. Teaching the public why addiction is a disease, showing them how the brain is altered by addiction, and explaining how the treatments work will reduce the stigma and along with it, much of the suffering.

Educating is the only thing that can erode the stigma, which has been cited as the biggest barrier to treatment.

Timothy Lepak
President, NAABT.org

hi, I was once an opiate addict too. Still am I guess, but only addicted to bupe. I used to do heroin, oxy, morphine, etc. No needles or abcesses, no pockmarked gaunt face, but still a junkie nonetheless. A middle class kid, addicted by age 17 to diluadid and oxycodone, and it progressed. I have a horrible stomach problem, so when I'd try to kick my nausea and cramping would be so goddamn awful that even when I wanted to quit I couldn't. I'd be so sick I'd have to go to the ER to get fluids so I wouldn't die from dehydration, and the only thing that made me be able to reclaim my life was a stupid ass fix. Mentally I've been ready to get off for years(at least I think so, I hope so), but the physical consequences are so severe I don't know how I could get past them. Suboxone has stabilized my condition for the past year and a half- for the 1st year I had to get them on the street, because I wanted to be normal and couldn't find another way. Now I get them thru my doc, and its great to be legit. I just wish that I could get off this shit forever, it sucks to be a slave to chemicals. However, suboxone is WAYYYYYYYY better than methadone, because at least its possible to get off suboxone. Methadone makes you its slave for life. Anyways, buprenorphine helps junkies become responsible, good citizens again, and for that I'm forever thankful. I just wish that I could eventually detox for good, but at least bupe got me away from my old friends and habits, and thats 98% of quitting anyways. I'm forever grateful.

As far as i know back than supporters of the new limit said it may encourage more physicians to offer the treatment because the higher limit would increase their experience with it and make them more comfortable treating addictions.
Ada Addiction Treatment

I AM LOOKING FOR A DR IN THE CHARLESTON WV AREA WHO WILL PROVIDE MAINTENANCE TREATMENT FOR SUBOXONE INSTEAD OF DETOX. MY BOYFRIEND HAS BEEN TRYING TO DO THE DETOX FROM SUBOXONE BUT IS HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH THE DECREASE. HE IS DOWN TO 2 MGS A DAY AND IS DUE TO BE WEANED OFF THIS MONTH. HE HAS EXPRESSED TO ME THAT HE DOES NOT THINK IT IS GOING TO BE POSSIBLE FOR HIM AND IS ALREADY HAVING CRAVINGS. HE HAS BEEN ADDICTED TO OXYCONTIN FOR 7 YEARS NOW. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THE SUBOXONE SHOULD BE USED FOR MAINTENANCE. THE DR'S HE HAS GONE TO DON'T SEEM TO AGREE. WE DON'T WANT HIM TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO DOING/BUYING OXY'S FROM THE STREET. IF WE CAN JUST FIND A DR IN THE AREA THAT WILL PROVIDE MAINTENANCE WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY AND HE COULD LIVE A PRODUCTIVE LIFE AGAIN. PLEASE HELP! IF ANYONE KNOWS A DR THAT WILL PROVIDE MAINT. INSTEAD OF DETOX YOU WOULD ANSWER OUR PRAYERS.

After being in an accident, my sister needed counseling and her shrink considered she should take antidepressants. She listened to him and after two years she had to follow a drug treatment because her body was dying from the pills her doctor prescribed.

Suboxone is a good addiction suppressor, but it isn't a permanent solution - in the end, the only way to become drug-free is an efficient session in a residential drug treatment center

Im a former heroin-opiate addict.Ialso had a very bad crack and iv coc habbit.No one but another junky knows what sheer HELL your life becomes once u cross the line from beeing a"weekend warrior" to full blown heroin addict.Not only was my life DESTROYD,it effects every aspect and angle of your existince.I lost everything,my family,the women i loved,my freedom,and,"i dont know how," allmost my life".I od 8 times in 1 year.thank GOD i found a doctor that does suboxone maintanance,Im now just turned 32 and been clean for 18 months i live in greenville sc if any one out there in my area is strungout and ready to"through the towel in" and is seriouse about getting-andSTAYING clean with suboxone maintanance email me you dont ever have to keep living in hell just give it a chance jolson

i would like to know why i was able to be introduced to suboxone by my psychiatrist that i had been seeing before suboxone became so popular. and although i saw her every month she would even give me refills which is absolutely legal. i still saw her every month for 30-45 min. she closed her practice in my town and went to a clinic where she works full time. she shut her office down because she didn't agree with all these drs. popping up and dispensing bupe u have to sign a waiver saying ur insurance will not be charged. the program consist of a 5 minute office visit and 200, a month just to get that piece of paper.that's what they r calling a program a piece of paper. is that legal ? last month i was out of town (my mother passed away) and i had a refill left from my old dr. and got it filled. just got back in town and went for a visit and told them i didn't need the suboxone that i had a refill and got it filled in WV and they told me at the new drs. office that it was still going to be 200. plus my reg,visit charge and he probably wouldn't be giving me suboxone script because i had just got that refill? this is the part ur going to love she also informed me that he waived my 200.last month because of my situation, i told her how could he waive it when sh ii didn't even make an appt. c him. she said i was on the suboxone program so it's 200. a month even if i don't see the dr. the"program" is a piece of paper. is all this legal? kp1153

Our economy growing very fast every youth has huge amount of money , they are not understand that where we should invest our money .Residential drug rehab center
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Anonymous, I don’t really know if suboxone will be indicated for your friend, though. Suboxone is considered as a miracle drug when it comes to treating opiate dependence. But as in all other drugs, Suboxone comes with side effects too. Suboxone induction could cause nausea, headache, vomiting and drowsiness. Hazardous activities like operating machineries and driving must be avoided. Patients may also experience decrease in libido and ejaculation difficulties. These are the more common side effects of a detoxifying treatment using Suboxone. Hepatitis and liver necrosis were also reported although these are very rare cases. A very serious reaction to this drug is respiratory depression that can result to the death of the patient as unlike morphine Suboxone has no known effective antidote. These are things that everyone should know before starting a drug addiction treatment with Suboxone. These side effects are not jokes!

Crack mainly affects on the brain part of addict and cause there dangerous side effects . It creates increase in dopamine level in brain which stimulates the adrenal gland and cause very harm. This creates much harm to pregnant women.
http://www.addiction-treatments.com/

The 12 step program is also helpful to teenagers’ patient. It provides solution for abuse, depression and other behavioral problems. > Drug treatment center offers excellent facility for patients. This is become more popular these days for high level of >Abuse Recovery.

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