How quickly does your clinic give out take homes?

[Tainted (OP)]

I just started methadone two weeks ago so my experience is with the only clinic in my area, so I'm wondering what things are like Inm general at other clinics. I thought I've heard people say normally you can get a week take homes after a year of clean UAs and doing all your supposed to.

My clinic gives one take home after 3 months, then slowly bumps you up, at 18 months you get 4 take homes, at two years you get 5 and at 3 years you get 6 take homes, which to me seems fucking a INSANE. I was under the impression It would take a year to get a week in take homes. My clinic doesn't ever close either, so like holidays and Sundays I got to come between 7 and 8am.

So I'm curious what it's like at other clinics. I'm in Florida, I don't know if that has any relevancy like if it's state law or just my clinics policy. IIknew that it takes a while to get take homes, but 3 years for 6 days of take homes is insane (6 is the max)

[Opus]

Mine wasn't in any hurry to give me takehomes, but I was + for benzos there without a script, so that probably didn't help.

They hooked me up once I got hurt tho. If all else fails, get hit by a car -- good chance you'll get yer takehomes then..

[Griffin]

You have to come in every Sunday for the first 3 months and they are only open from 7-8? That sucks, is it the same on Saturdays and holidays only between 7-8? My clinic is open 5:30-11:45 Mon.-Fri. with a no-dosing break from 9-930 and they're open 6-9 on Sat. I think we have 350 people dosing at my clinic and one dosing window. There is a 3+ month waiting list for every clinic in Denver and Colorado Springs right now. My clinic uses the methasoft computer program does anyone else's use it?

However for the first 30 minutes of each day only people who are on the working list can dose. To get on the list you have to bring in your work schedule that shows you work in the morning before noon I think. If you aren't on that list you have to wait 30 minutes after they open to dose every day.

Your clinic gives out take-homes slower than mine. My clinic is closed on Sunday's and holidays so you automatically get your Sunday take-home every week. After 3 months you get Take-homes for Sat. and Sun. After 4 months you get Sat. Sun. Wed. After 6 months you get on Tues. Thurs. Sat. and Sun. 9 months you get one week, 12 months is 2 weeks worth of take-homes.

They call each step up a phase. I am currently on phase 2 so I go 4 days a week on Mon. Tues. Thurs. and Fri and get 3 take-homes weekly. In 2 weeks I will be on phase 3 where I only have to go 3 days a week on Mon. Wed. and Fri. so I'll get 4 take homes each week.

My clinic is closed the 24th and 25th this month for Christmas so anyone who is on phase one or higher will get 4 take-homes this Wednesday. If you are on dailies you get 2 take-homes on Wednesday and 2 on Saturday. It was the same for Thanksgiving everyone except people on dailies got 4 take homes.

To get your phases you can't miss any appointments or doses and have all clean UAs. If you miss anything or have a dirty UA you are dropped down one phase for 60 days. The first 3 phases you have to goto one counseling session and one group a month. After that you have to goto either a counseling session or group once a month.

[Tainted (OP)]

Holidays are 7-8, but Saturday is 7-9.
It takes longer than 3 months to get Sunday take homes I think cause they give you your take homes on Thursday, so you need 3 take homes to not have to come in on Sunday.

What you described is what I thought was normal for clinic take homes and is what I expected. They call them phases here too, phase 6 being the highest and is 6 take homes which you reach at 3 years.

[Griffin]

That seems weird to me, that they would be able to dose every one in an hour or even 2. I know on Saturday's at my clinic it is usually about a 30 minute wait, even though less than 50% of the clinic has to go on Saturday, but because everyone on Saturday has to get a take-home for Sunday it takes a while to get every one in.

On holidays the wait at my clinic is between 30 minutes to an hour and a half because everyone who is on phase 1 or higher gets 4 take homes and the people on dailies get 2. I got there right when they opened the day before they closed for thanksgiving when everyone was getting 2 or 4 take-homes and my wait was only 30 minutes. There was only 10 people in front of me when I got there and by the time I dosed there was 30 behind me.

They give you a ticket with a number that's why I remember how many people were in front and behind me that day. 30 people is a lot since the clinic isn't very big. I saw 2 people go to work without dosing because of how long the wait was, so they would be out at least 3 days without dosing. I am not sure if they would let them dose on Saturday if they missed if they were supposed to get 4 take-outs because they were telling one person they wouldn't get to dose until Monday which was 5 days away. 

I wouldn't be surprised at all if they got some gear so they could work or get through the weekend. I felt awful, if they still allowed people to sell their tickets I probably would of. Before we got the methasoft computer software some people would get there at the beginning of the day and sell people their ticket until the end of the day because people would pay $20-$50 to get ahead in line so they wouldn't miss work or were impatient. The longest I have had to wait was a little under 2 hours so it might of been worth $20 to a lot of people.

Now they have methasoft so when you get checked in at the front it automatically puts you in queue for the line at the nurses dosing window. I like it that way because no can cut in line, and your name and picture pop up and it has your dose amount in your profile which controls the automatic dose dispenser. I was always sketched about one nurse when they pumped our dose by hand, you can see it through the window and it always looked and tasted like she shorted me.

Also with methasoft if you have a UA or appointment it comes up when they check you in, just in case you forgot or weren't paying attention to the UA colors and numbers on the board. I have seen people lose phases because they left after dosing and didn't take their UA or goto an appointment because they weren't paying attention. I think it is all around easier, all though I don't like the treatment plans that my counselor has to update every 90 days for every patient. They are boring and have repetitive questions that are not helpful in anyway.

On a scale of 1 to 10 did you feel tired at all this past 30 days, on a scale of 1 to 10 were you upset or sad in the last 30 days, on a scale of 1 to 10 were you anxious in the past 30 days, on a scale of 1 to 10 do you feeling like throwing this computer out of the window? They are seriously 30 minutes straight of questions like that and you have to go through it every 90 days. It's really not that bad I guess it just annoys me, I have done a lot more boring and worse things for money to score so I suppose it is better than the alternative.

Maybe I should look this methasoft company up and see if they will hire me to go across the country to clinics and sell their product. This post seems kind of like an advertisement.. Would you like to have your clinic running on our quick and easy top of the line methasoftware?? I have some ugly shirts that I could wear and put on way too much cheap cologne and after shave. I may have found my niche.  If i can sell comcast door to door for 10 months I can pretty much do anything.

[Lolleedee]

My clinic is pretty slow with the take homes, too.  They are closed on sunday, so everyone gets a sunday bottle right away.  You have to have 90 days of clean urines and program compliance to get your first non-sunday takehome.  Then it is another 3 months for the second bottle.  I can't remember exactly how the next few were given out, but you can get 6 takehomes atb18 months..which is where I am at the moment.

From here, I have to go ANOTHER 18 months and then I will get 13, which is the most you can get at my clinic.( they say it is 2 weeks because they ciunt the day you pick up as a day).

So, 18 months for 6 bottles and then 36 months (3 yrs) for 13 bottles.  There are no phases between 6 and 13 bottles.  They don't give out 7, then 8 etc.  It is 6 or 13..that's it.

I know that our clinic goes way slower than the federal guidelines recommend.  I can understand it though..But I am a person who has a bit of trouble not over doing it with the takehomes.  At least when i was going every day, I was never short.

I just try to remember when I ger frustrated with clinic policy, that it is WAAAYYYY better then the shitstorm I was in a bit over two years ago.  A small price to pay, imo.

[Griffin]

I thought my clinic was slow when they moved the first phase to 90 days instead of 30 to get your Saturday and Sunday take-homes. I can't believe how long you have to wait for 2 weeks. 2 weeks is the highest you can get at my clinic as well. My counselor said he has only seen one person get 4 weeks at at a time since he has been a counselor which is almost 20 years. You have to petition the state and get it approved directly from the state and they won't allow it unless you have a pretty damn good reason you can't come to the clinic twice in one month.

The one guy he said who had gotten approval from the state for 4 weeks of take-outs at a time was disabled in a wheel-chair and he lived in Wyoming and they didn't allow methadone clinics in Wyoming so he had to drive all the way to Denver to be on MMT. I don't know if Wyoming is still like that I remember me and my counselor talking about it and I am pretty sure it was Wyoming.

It was a state that bordered Colorado and didn't allow methadone clinics. That would suck for the first 12-18 months driving to another state every morning to dose I can't even imagine that guy must've really wanted to get clean or had the only dealer die.

I guess I am glad I have my clinic, I am hoping that if I move to Oklahoma that the clinic there doesn't suck because my clinic is pretty cool. it has a few things that suck but that is all clinics and it could be much worse. A lot of people there complain but I think they don't realize how good they have it comparatively. Sure if it was the way it is supposed to be we wouldn't have to deal with any bs but it is what it is.

The only thing I don't like about my clinic is that they are very by the book. Whatever the regulations are that is how they do it. If you can't get your phase till 90 days they won't ask for it to be approved on day 89 they wait till day 90 before they ask. They have a weekly meeting on Mondays with all the staff there and when you are able to go up they make sure everyone in staff gives it the green light before you can get it. So you can't be a dick to the nurse or lady who signs you in because they can't black ball you and make you not get your phase.

So if day 89 is on Monday you have to wait until the next Monday for them to present you to go up to be approved. If they all say yes then on Tuesday you will be awarded the phase increase. I am just glad that I can get to 2 weeks at a time in 18 months instead of 3 years! Not that going once a week is that tasking it is just nice. Even though I only live 15 minutes away, if my car breaks down it takes an hour an half each way to get to the clinic and back.

The nurse can be a little mean. Like when I was getting my 4 take homes for thanksgiving I asked to go up, and she said I wasn't able to go up until the next day and if I wasn't trying to trick her she would of made all of my take-homes the raised dose. But didn't because I was "trying to trick her". She didn't need to tell me she could of let me go up if she wasn't going to do it, and the way I asked wasn't mischievous in any way I simply asked I would like to go up 10 if I can.

She probably puts up with a ton of shit from a lot of people so I give her slack. A lot of people are dicks and blame her for stupid shit or the lady who checks you in even though she is extremely nice. I hear people bitch at the nurse when they are fee-toxed or if they forget their take home bottle and have to pay $10 for one or if it's slow or if they can't pee for a UA they aren't allowed to dose. None of that is their fault but she has to deal with it.

[Chip]

IME, it's less about clinic policy and more about if the doctor feels that they can trust you.

i kept on getting parking tickets at my clinic and i remember whinging to my doctor about parking and he totally agreed ... funnily enough, he just gave me increases in takeaway doses without even telling me ... how cool was he ?!

it's often a case of if you don't ask or hassle the doctor, they may just give you a nice surprise.

it is considered a huge privilege to get the maximum of 6 per week here but my doctor is a really great guy and we get on well, sharing similiar interests but i still treat him as the professional he is and never call him by his first name; he's always "doctor" to me.

[candy]

Getting take homes and how fast they are produced depends on who the nurse is.
On holidays, my clinic is only open for an hour and it is a giant clusterfuck.
"Who is next?" Who am I after?" "Do you know who is the next to dose?"
You would think these idiots who run these clinics would come up with a better solution for getting people dosed and on their way.
I get 2 weeks of take homes and pick up on Fridays. The worst possible day to pick up on a holiday.

I would just give those who come in everyday a take home on a holiday, especially on Friday when everyone is picking up their take homes.
Whether they are clean or not is not going to make a difference for one day. It would make it easier on everyone.

[Griffin]

I think my clinic has a pretty good way of dealing with all of the craziness I wish they had another window sometime for the days where everyone gets take-homes. They also let you pick what day you want to come in when you get on weeklies and bi-weeklies which makes it easier on everyone I think. 

[Anti-hero]

This is the biggest draw back
I think it should be just the opposite
If you fail a u/a then cut you back
Or maybe  A week at a time to start

It's not like you were forced go there
You are asking for help
Yet get. treated untrustworthy from the start.

I have always been a give them enough rope
Type of guyhn

I know a lot of people who go to subs
Just because of this
Subs do a lot less
For mental/physical pain

I hope this will change
If it does
I might  be tempted to try

[Z]

I think I had to wait two months, and then every month he added on another takehome.  I'm pretty lucky with my doctor and pharmacy.  My work schedule varies, and I work long ass shifts, so my doctor wrote my prescription as once weekly whenever I wanted to go.


I do feel lucky with being able to dose at the pharmacy around the corner.  I show up whenever and they pass me before their other patients.  It definitely takes the craziness away from it.

[Anti-hero]

Yea the U.K and Canadian
Models are different then here
Can any doctor prescribe you?
Or do they have to be addiction specialist.

Would even try it if that was the case here
Just a 30 min drive for me each way.
I did know this one girl
Who use to drive a hour each way
She got 2weeks in no time
Then they opened up a clinic closer

[Tainted (OP)]

In the USA are all methadone clinics the same? Like, today I was talking with ppl while waiting and they were going on about how this place is a treatment center and isn't straight up for profit private place so they're under different regulations which is why you can only get 6 take homes and why it takes 3 years and few other things they seem to do differently.
But this place is private for profit, as far as I know, which is why I'm thinking that person doesn't know what they're talking about.

So my question is are all methadone clinics in the US under the same regulations? I know that CPP docs don't follow those regulations, but is there more than one type of outpatient methadone clinic?

[Lolleedee]

All the U.S. clinics have to follow the federal guidelines...which are the MINIMUM requirements that clinic must follow.  However, each state (and each clinic) can make up rules that take longer than what the federal guidelines say.  For example, the federal guidelines may say 30 days for the first take home, but the individual clinic can make up their own rule such as 90 days for the first bottle.

They have to obey the minimum requirements.  Unfortunately, each clinic can tack on as much time to requirements as they want.  It can't be less time..but more time, no problem! And, that, my child, sucks balls!!!!