Anthony Raynes, M.D., a psychiatrist and director of Arbour Health Systems in Boston, MA, formerly ran a methadone clinic and is now is a certified prescriber of Suboxone.

Note: The following anecdote is not a part of this month’s ACCME-accredited continuing medical education material.

“I have found Suboxone to be a tremendous breakthrough in the treatment of individuals addicted to opiates. My patients who were on methadone were essentially glued to the clinic, giving them what I call a “methadone maintenance life.” Patients on Suboxone can finally have a normal life–they can work, go on vacation, go out of town, and so forth. They also feel better than patients on methadone because they have fewer cravings. In my practice, I require that all of my patients on Suboxone start work within four weeks of beginning treatment. I have them bring their address books and cell phones into the office and ritualistically delete all of the phone numbers of drug dealers whom they used to contact. In these ways, I encourage patients to use the initiation of Suboxone as a vehicle for major life change. Out of the 30 patients that I initially started on Suboxone, about 10 have successfully detoxed from heroin and no longer use Suboxone, 15 are on stable maintenance treatment, and only about five have left treatment, presumably having relapsed.”