LONG WAITING LIST FOR P.E.I.'S METHADONE TREATMENT

Methadone treatment is growing in popularity as a method to treat
prescription drug addiction on Prince Edward Island. Prior to 2004, the only
way to receive methadone was by finding one of a handful of Island doctors
with the certification required to administer it.

In September, 2004 a methadone treatment pilot program was established at
the Provincial Addictions Treatment Facility in Mount Herbert.

Health Minister Chester Gillian said the program started with 12 patients.

Today, the program has expanded to close to 50 patients with 27 on a waiting
list.

Gillian said there were some struggles in the beginning to convince those in
the field of alcohol addiction, which preaches abstinence, that methadone
treatment was a effective method to treat narcotic addiction.

"I think it's now regarded as a very valid treatment program," Gillian said.

Taken once a day, methadone can suppress narcotic withdrawal for between 24
and 36 hours. Because methadone is effective in eliminating withdrawal
symptoms, it is used to detoxify opioid addicts.

Jean Walsh, chair of the Methadone Maintenance Treatment Committee at Mount
Herbert said the treatment is growing in popularity as word spreads about
its success rate.

She said a review in May of the first 13 people enrolled in the program
found all 13 were opioid free.

"It's the best treatment for opioid addiction," Walsh said. "There's no
question about that."

When a patient is enrolled in the program, they are assessed to see whether
methadone would be the best treatment for their addiction.

If that is deemed to be the case, the patient is then admitted at Mount
Herbert usually for a period of 7 to 14 days to withdraw them from other
drugs they may be taking and get them started on methadone.

Patients are then released and must return to Mount Herbert daily, for two
week, to be assessed and receive their methadone.

For another six weeks, the patient returns to Mount Herbert two-four times a
week for assessment and their methadone. They can now get a three-day
prescription for methadone at their community pharmacy for the days they're
not traveling to Mount Herbert.

"It's not an easy treatment program," Walsh said. "With the challenge comes
a great incentive to stick with it to gain back your independence and not
have to travel to Mount Herbert every day."

She said the length of each phase can be expanded depending on the needs of
the patient. She said counseling plays an important part role in the
methadone treatment program.

By the end of the program, patients can get longer prescriptions of
methadone and continue to seek counseling.

Andy Lou Somers, director of the East Prince Woman's Information Centre, is
part of a group called the P.E.I. Prescription Drug Awareness Group.

The group recently made a presentation to Gillian and P.E.I.'s government
caucus in June calling a number of improvements to recovery and drugs
treatment programs on P.E.I.

Somers said there the treatment in Mount Herbert needs to be expanded.

"Methadone works for a lot of people," Sumers said. They're able to function
and go to work. In justice, you see a lot of people who commit crime because
of narcotics.

Gillian was given a wish list from the PEI Prescription Drug Awareness
Group.

It asked for a proper detox for drug addiction (28-30 days minimum) in each
of the health regions.

She said each region should have access to a methadone treatment program.

"People up west are just crying for it," Somers said. "They can't drive two
hours to Mount Herbert every day for it."

The wish list also asked for education of doctors and addiction workers in
harm reduction methods and a proper methadone maintenance treatment program
for narcotics and opioid addictions.

Somers said according to statistics from Heath Canada, methadone treatment
saves taxpayers $38,900 for each person treated successfully.

Legal Aid lawyer Trish Cheverie, also a member of the P.E.I. Prescription
Drug Awareness Group, said the waiting list at Mount Herbert shows that some
people are not getting the help they need immediately.

"Methadone treatment needs to be accessible to people who need it. They
should be able to get the help they're looking for. That way there's less
need to lock people up for crimes committed to feed their addictions."

Gillian said he does see a need for expanding addiction services, but he
said funding to do that in the near future may be difficult to find.

Walsh said it would be great at have two other methadone treatment sites to
help cover P.E.I. three health regions.

She said the Mount Herbert facility does work with addiction services across
the province to help addict receive counseling in their local area.

Gillian did say with the opening of the racino, many addiction counselors
across the province received additional training in how to counsel gambling
addicts.

He said similar cross-training could be done for prescription drug
addiction.

Years ago, a terminal cancer patient could be given morphine to ease their
pain. The drug was effective but with side effects which would make it
difficult to say the patient was being allowed to die with grace and
dignity.

Advances in palliative care, with drugs such as OxyContin, today, make that
possible.

The downside, says P.E.I.'s Health Minister Chester Gillian, is those same
drugs that are of such importance in palliative care, are ending up on the
streets.

"Those patients are now dying with the care and dignity they deserve that
morphine could not provide. But now, some of those drugs are ending up on
the street. It's because of the availability of these drugs through
legitimate means that they're being used for non-legitimate and criminal
means."

Gillian said the province is still trying to determine the extend of the
problem prescription drugs pose in P.E.I.

In 2003, pharmacists dispensed 2.8 million prescriptions for oxycodone drugs
in Canada.

After a number of deaths in Newfoundland were linked to OxyContin and other
related narcotics abuse a task force was established in that province to
examine the issue.

In its interim report in 2004 the task force noted in the United States,
abuse of OxyContin was first reported in rural and industrial regions along
the Eastern Seaboard that rely on labor intensive industries that are
generally located in economically poor areas. Individuals may have started
off with prescriptions for OxyContin but soon discovered that they could
sell it for profit. In some parts of the United States, the nonmedical use
of OxyContin has replaced the use of heroin. Prevalence studies in the
United States estimate that over 300 people have died of OxyContin overdoses
between 2002-2004 in 31 states.

No scientific data is currently available on prescription drug abuse in
Prince Edward Island.

Initial data gathered by the task force indicated the quantity of OxyContin
tablets prescribed and dispensed in Newfoundland increased by 400 per cent
from 2000 to 2003.

Recently, Canada's premiers called for a national strategy to deal with
those who fall victim to illegal drugs like crystal meth.

Gillian remarked that Premier Pat Binns was much more interested in
examining the problem of prescription drug abuse.

Gillian said he'd like to know which drugs are most prevalent among users
and what the average age of a user is.

Gillian is concerned about prescription drugs, like OxyContin, being used by
school-aged youth.