Can Internists In Georgia Prescribe Methadone

I have been going to a methadone clinic in Ga for 7 years. It costs me $4,032 a year. At the clinic they get you on a particular dose & that is the amount you are supposed to do every day. My body easily adjusts to whatever amount I take & it doesn't help me with the chronic pain I have.

So I have also been going to a doctor & he prescribes me methadone so that on some days I can take more so it will help with pain. He knows that I also go to the clinic & the amount of methadone they give me.

My doctor (who is a good guy & well respected) has decided (to save me $4,000) to prescribe me what he usually gives me plus the amount I was getting from the methadone clinic so I could quit the clinic and save a bundle.

I only went to the clinic twice a month (I got 2 weeks of take homes) & never once had a dirty urine. When I informed my counselor at the clinic that I was quitting there and that my family doctor was going to take care of me....this counselor got all worked up (because I had paid them over $28,000 in the time that I went there I'm sure) and said to me "It is against the law for your doctor to prescribe you methadone"!!!!

I said I wasn't sure how he was going to handle this but that I needed my records from the clinic for my doctor.

They said I would have to fax them the request from my doctors office and wanted to know exactly when my next doctors appointment was so they would know when to expect the fax. So I told them.

I have a feeling that they are somehow going to try to stop me from getting these meds from my doctor so that I have to keep going to the clinic and paying them 4 grand + per year. Can they somehow try to threaten my doctor. It is legal for him to prescribe methadone for me isn't it?

If it isn't, he has been doing it for 6 years & the pharmacy always fills my prescription with 10 mg. tabs (which is the only way the pharmacies dispense it here).

I've read some in these forums that my doctor might only be able to prescribe it for pain & might have to be some kind of special doctor. My doctor is an internist which I think they used to describe as a family doctor.

Also, he is no quack doctor that writes pain scripts for everybody. I think he only has a few patients that he prescribes pain meds to & he has a big, well respected practice with another doctor and two PA's.

When I originally went to this clinic I went because I had to have methadone because I had taken so many pain drugs over the years from a bad car accident that I was in that I had to have opiates in my system or I would get very sick.

So I don't know if I would be classified as taking methadone for chronic pain (which I do), or for addiction....which I have become addicted over the years.

They seemed so upset when I told them I was leaving the clinic for good that I'm wondering if when they have to fax him my records....that they will warn him not to prescribe me methadone or something.

Am I just being paranoid or is this possible?

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It is illegal for him to prescribe methadone for addiction. There are strict regulations on this. He could actually get in alot of trouble. Please tell him to check it out. I do agree with you that most of these clinics are just concerned about making money and not really about helping the patient. Why don't you detox off the methadone? I personally believe methadone should only be used for end of life issues. It is way more dangerous than other opiates. Please be very careful. Doctors do not recieve education on prescribing opiates while in school. Please do your own research and know the interactions and signs of overdose. Also please educate your family so they will recognize the red flags. stopmethadonedeaths.com

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For addiction treatment it can only be given by the approved clinics/doctors, but for pain yes, it can be prescribed by any doctor that has a license to prescribe medications.

As to what they may tell your doctor, when they send him your records, there is really nothing you can do about it and it will all depend on whether or not he believes them and chooses to follow their advice.

The problem that may arise, however, would be if they reported some type of problem to the government. That could create very real problems for you, such as your being flagged at pharmacies and unable to get the medications.

Have you talked to your doctor about it and their reaction?

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Methadone/­

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