'We’re going to have more bodies piling up': Sask. plan to alter methadone formula is risky, user says
The Saskatchewan government plans on changing its methadone formula for patients being treated for opioid addiction — something frontline workers warn could cause people to resort back to taking illicit drugs.
Rob McCarroll says he became addicted to opioids in his late teens while he was treated for two separate brain tumours.
He’s been working to overcome it through methadone treatment for the past three decades.
In 2014, while McCarroll was living in Vernon, B.C., the province changed its methadone formula, which he says pushed him back to street drugs as he began feeling withdrawal symptoms.
“It’s horrible to have to go back to sticking needles in your arm, getting up in the morning and the first thing you do is having to go out searching for drugs,” he told CTV News
Drug users and experts in B.C. say the methadone formula switch in 2014 contributed to the province’s opioid crisis.
McCarroll left B.C. to move to Saskatchewan in 2017 to continue his methadone treatment.
“I didn’t want to become a statistic,” he said.
However, Saskatchewan plans on making a similar change to its formula.
The Ministry of Health said Methadose, a pre-mixed formulation, and Metadol-D will eventually replace the compounded methadone currently available at pharmacies.
McCarroll is asking the province to reconsider.
“We’re going to have more bodies piling up because this stuff, it doesn’t do what they promise it will, it doesn’t take away the cravings,” he said.
McCarroll said on methadone he would be able to take one dose in the morning and wouldn’t need to take a second dose until the next night, whereas, on Methadose, he would start getting antsy after 14 hours.
In 2020-2021, 3,534 people received methadone for opioid agonist therapy, according to the Ministry of Health.
It said the new formulations are safer.
TIMING 'COULDN'T BE WORSE'
However, Prairie Harm Reduction Executive Director Jason Mercredi said it will put extra pressure on agencies like his.
“If their cravings are going up and they’re going to relapse, that’ll likely mean they’re going to turn back to street drugs and that could mean a death sentence at this point in time,” he said.
Mercredi also questions the timing of the formula change.
“I think the timing couldn’t be worse to be honest. We’re still in the middle of COVID-19, but then on top of that, the overdose crisis is ramping up month over month,” he said, adding that local street drugs are becoming more contaminated and deadly.
Peter Butt, a consultant in addiction medicine at the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), said while having a consistent formula makes sense from a quality assurance and cost perspective, people who are already on the methadone treatment should be given the option to stay on it.
“It can destabilize people when the medication that frankly their life has become reliant upon to avoid relapse and all the problems that go with that that they’ve experienced in the past, they do not want to go back there,” Butt said.
“This leads to anxiety when there’s a change and really the whole ritual of receiving the medication and being on it and having the same bottle, the same type of medication on a consistent basis.”
Butt said the transition needs to be carefully thought out as Methadose and Metadol-D can have different effects on people.
He said people who depend on these treatments also need to be consulted.
“We want to feel comfortable and medicated properly, and I don’t think that’s too much to ask,” McCarroll said.
METHADOSE USED ACROSS CANADA
The Ministry of Health said compounded methadone will be available to patients who are severely allergic to Methadose or Metadol-D.
It said all Canadian provinces have introduced Methadose and that it will be working with other jurisdictions to learn from their experiences.
“As part of the transition, patient and prescriber education is being developed to provide some guidance on how to address these potential concerns. We will monitor the transition to identify and respond to any issues,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement to CTV News.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Torchbearers in Marseille kick off the Olympic flame's journey across France
Torchbearers carried the Olympic flame through the streets of France's southern port city of Marseille on Thursday, a day after it arrived on a majestic three-mast ship for a welcoming ceremony.
Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Court to hear about search for remains as Winnipeg murder trial enters second day
A courtroom in Winnipeg is expected to hear testimony today about the search for the remains of the four victims of Jeremy Skibicki.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.