What The Arizona Prescription Monitoring Program Means to Your Methadone Maintenance Treatment

If you live in Arizona, then your addiction recovery will be directly affected by what’s known as the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program (CSPMP).

While it sounds complicated, the goal of the program is quite simple – to prevent prescription drug abuse. Since 2007, this program has helped doctors and other healthcare providers keep their patients from obtaining multiple prescriptions for legal drugs.

In particular, it has affected the way methadone maintenance treatment works. If you’re about to start on your course of treatment, it’s important to understand how this program might affect your prescriptions.

What Is the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program?

The CSPMP keeps track of all schedule II, III and IV drugs prescribed in Arizona.

The CSPMP uses a state-wide database to accurately record any and all prescribed instances of a Schedule II, III, or IV medication. Since methadone is a Schedule II drug, it is included in this database when prescribed by a doctor. However, because methadone is ultimately dispensed daily at a clinic, it is often not tracked on a long-term basis.

The database includes a lot of different information, such as:

The name and identifying information for the dispenser
The name and identifying information for the patient
Date of prescriptions
Strength and dosage of prescriptions
Number of authorized refills

By keeping track of all this information, doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals can notice when an individual is trying to get a new prescription for a drug they already use.

This will help them put an end to that person’s controlled drug abuse and give them a chance to get the treatment they need.

Still have questions on how the CSPMP works? Don’t worry, because we can answer all of them. Simply call us at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) now.

You Won’t Get Methadone in an Emergency

Unfortunately, this regulation also means that you won’t be able to get a dose of methadone in an emergency. For example, if you happen to miss your regular dose of methadone and go to the emergency room to try and get a replacement, you will be denied.

This is because missing a single dose of methadone is not a medical emergency. In fact, you won’t even start to go into withdrawal until 48 hours after your last dose.

Emergency medical providers won’t want to mess with the schedule of your methadone treatment program, so they’ll simply instruct you to return to the clinic the next day for your routine dose.

What Safeguards Are Used in Methadone Maintenance Treatment to Prevent Methadone Abuse?

Methadone’s use as an opiate addiction treatment continues to draw controversy in terms of how the drug works and whether it offers any real therapeutic benefits. Issues surrounding methadone abuse and dependence bring into question the overall risks involved with methadone maintenance treatment as a long-term treatment approach. According to the Journal of Addiction Medicine, ….

Your Medical History Is Only Available to Individuals

If you’re afraid that the Arizona Prescription Monitoring Program means that every medical professional in the state can access your files, you would be wrong.

Each individual at a provider’s office is given a unique login and password for their account. This way, they are only given access to information the patient’s they are involved with.

Because of this, the likelihood of your methadone maintenance treatment becoming public knowledge is very slim. Only the following personnel are authorized to access confidential patient data in Arizona:

The doctor who prescribes or dispenses your medicine
Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies
Professional licensing boards
Arizona Health Care Cost Containment system administrators
Board staff
Someone following a court order

You Can’t Forge Your Medical History

In many cases, patients try to make up previous injuries or chronic pain issues in order to receive a new prescription of painkillers.

However, with this new system, a doctor will see right through these flimsy excuses.

This means you won’t be able to score extra methadone on the side, which is actually a great benefit for your methadone maintenance treatment. Sticking to the prescribed dose is a great way to prevent relapse and overdose.

As you can see, the CSPMP will do nothing but benefit your methadone maintenance treatment. It prevents the opportunity for relapse and will make sure your treatment is a success.

If you haven’t started on methadone maintenance treatment but want to look into it, give us a call at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) . We can answer your questions and pair you with a nearby doctor.