Letter: Meth clinic may not be necessary (May 15, 2008)
Posted by Register Editor at 5/19/2008 9:26 AM and is filed under Opinion,Letters to the Editor,Zoning and Planning,Sanford,Council News 
Editor:
Now that the doctors are able to prescribe Bupernorphine instead of having methadone clinics it seems that opening a Methadone clinic in Sanford will not be necessary. This new medication will solve a lot of problems. The clients will no longer have to make a daily trip to the clinic and try to get transportation. They only have to see their doctor.
Pat Floyd
Sanford
Now that the doctors are able to prescribe Bupernorphine instead of having methadone clinics it seems that opening a Methadone clinic in Sanford will not be necessary. This new medication will solve a lot of problems. The clients will no longer have to make a daily trip to the clinic and try to get transportation. They only have to see their doctor.
Pat Floyd
Sanford
Buprenorphine (Suboxone)is a wonderful medication for opiate addiction. However, it works best in younger, shorter term addicts with less tolerance.
Just like we have numerous antidepressants, high cholestrol or diabetes medications, we now have two types of meds to treat opiate addiction. Neither one is better than the other, it's just which one is better for the individual taking it.
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Kristan is right--both medications are needed. One is not a substitute for the other--they treat different patient populations, with some overlap. Also, please do not use the slang term "meth" when referring to methadone. People usually associate this term with methamphetamine, a street drug that is a very harmful stimulant drug, and often people get confused when the term "meth clinics" is used and thing the clinics give out methamphetamine, etc. The term is negative and stigmatizes even further an already stigmatized and misunderstood medication that has helped thousands worlwide return to a normal life.
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