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"Weaning addicts costs the taxpayer"
Methadone prescribed to wean drug addicts off heroin could make them seriously ill - and in the future may cost taxpayers a fortune, says Peter McCann, Chairman at Borders-based addiction treatment centre Castle Craig. Long-term use of methadone can lead to side effects such as osteoporosis and cognitive impairment.
“Many people have been on methadone for several years, some decades, because it’s cheaper for NHS than residential rehabilitation,” he said. “The concern is patients on the drug long-term are at high risk. In a few years they could be fracturing bones, have memory problems and prematurely admitted to care homes for the elderly."
Researches in Austria and in the US suggest methadone-treated patients often show cognitive deficits in attention, working memory and verbal memory.
McCann also branded the NHS “negligent” because he says it isn’t warning patients of these risks.
In 2011 it was revealed that £500,000 is spent by the Scottish Government every week to keep drug addicts on methadone.
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Wolfe Murray
Jan 23, 2012 at 5:17 pmIt's a shame that this story isn't a national scandal...I guess it will be when the full bill of the NHS' addiction "treatment" becomes clear.
Anonymous
Jan 25, 2012 at 9:44 amThat's great news for all those in Calderdale where evidence shows "that the majority of individuals receiving treatment continue to use heroin and crack cocaine anyway. For each additional 3 years on a treatment programme heroin use is only reduced by an average of one day in a 28-day period.
Every additional year on a treatment programme raises the odds of recovery by 7%.
Hence an additional 10 years on the programme would be required before the odds
of recovery are even doubled".
Source: Huddersfield University: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/12580/1/Microsoft_Word_-_FINAL_REPORT_19_01_201...
ONE year on from the new Government Drug Strategy, Calderdale still only allocates less than 4% of it's budget to the Recovery Community. A recovery community that shows concrete evidence of success.
Wolfe Murray
Jan 26, 2012 at 9:58 amThe real scandal here is that they call the prescription of methadone addiction "treatment"
Patrick Pedersen
Jan 27, 2012 at 3:36 pmAnd why`s that, Wolfe??
Methadone is and always will be a lifesaver. And those who gets Methadone can get their life back if they want. Nothing comes free, at least not if you were a addict of Heroin/Morphine in the past. Not even with such a medicine as Methadone, things come free, not if they want order in their life.
And for MANY Methadone saves life, MANY thousands of people got their life back, thanks to Methadone and a little determination!
Have a nice weekend! :-)
Patrick
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