MAINE, USA — New federal rules are set to take effect next week in Maine and across the country that will make a life-saving drug more accessible to those in recovery.
Under the relaxed rules, patients can take the opioid use disorder drug known as methadone at home for 28 days rather than having to travel to a designated clinic. Supporters say removing barriers to methadone patients is long overdue.
Joshua Wentworth is a peer recovery coach and the house manager for Courage House, a transition living program for men in recovery.
Wentworth said the program and medication-assisted therapy of methadone have been nothing short of life-changing.
"It's allowed me to get back to my family, and I have a professional job," Wentworth said.
Before the pandemic, strict regulations required methadone patients to line up at a designated clinic as early as 5 a.m. to sip their daily dose of the liquid medicine while being watched.
During COVID-19, patients were allowed to take methadone at home. The research found overdoses didn't rise, and people stayed in treatment longer. Wentworth can take home medication every 13 days but said getting it is still a hassle.
"Waiting in line for a long time, the parking lot is always full, no matter what time you go there, it's very frustrating," Wentworth added.
On Oct. 2, Maine's 15 methadone clinics will have to comply with new federal rules, allowing stable patients to take home 28 days' worth of methadone. Tom Doherty is the executive director of Milestone Recovery, which helps refer patients to methadone clinics. He said the relaxed regulations send a powerful message.
"It's a compassionate way to say to people, 'We trust you, and here is how we are going to trust you,'" Doherty proclaimed.
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala is the president-elect of the American Medical Association and chairs a task force on substance use and pain care. He said the AMA fully supports the new rules.
"When you need an antibiotic, you don't need to go somewhere and get that antibiotic and have someone watch you take it. In the same sense as substance use disorder, to have it de-stigmatized is very welcome," Dr. Mukkamala explained.
For Ryan Paige, methadone was not a good option because he didn't have reliable transportation to get to a clinic. Now in recovery, he and his wife, Cynthia, run the nonprofit AccessDirect Recovery Network, connecting people to a network of resources from residential treatment beds to self-help meetings.
"Having something to connect to when they are ready to connect to it without as many barriers is always beneficial," Paige gushed.
As part of National Recovery Month, on Monday, Sept. 30, the nonprofit is holding a softball game and barbeque to celebrate the gains made by those in recovery from substance use disorder and changes that put patients at the center of potentially life-saving care.
The event will take place at Martel Field in Biddeford from 6-9 p.m. Several organizations that help people with substance use disorder treatment and recovery will display information, including Savida Health, Groups Recover, Milestone Recovery, Grace House, Maine Access Points, Recover Maine, and Spurwink. For more information, contact Ryan Paige at rpaige816@gmail.com