Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home releases statement regarding opioid treatment article

Note: The following is a press release from the Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home presented as received.

A recent newspaper article regarding opioid treatment at Pearl River Family Clinic has inadvertently created some confusion concerning our medical services.

To be clear, no providers at Pearl River Family Clinic prescribe Methadone or Suboxone. Both special training through the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and a special DEA license are required in order to prescribe either Methadone or Suboxone. None of our providers possess this special training or licensure.

Opioids are a class of drugs that include heroin and prescription pain relievers such as Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Codeine, Morphine, and many others. In many situations, people who use opioids become dependent upon them. One of the most difficult parts of stopping opioids is going through the withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms include nausea, muscle cramps, vomiting, sweats, diarrhea and dehydration.

Our nurse practitioner recently named in the article, Joe Taylor, has for the past four years assisted patients with the discontinuing of opioids. Outpatient Detox is not a newly offered service at Pearl River Family Clinic. Patients seeking to discontinue opioids typically visit our clinic weekly for consultation. No narcotic medications are prescribed or administered at any time.

In fact, our providers strictly monitor weekly urine drug screens to confirm that the patient is free of any controlled drugs (including Methadone and Suboxone). The only medications prescribed are non-narcotics used to combat withdrawal symptoms. Due to the potential health risks associated with side effects, patients are monitored very closely and given contact information for both the clinic and Emergency Services at Pearl River County Hospital.

The Outpatient Detox service provided at Pearl River Family Clinic has proven to be very effective for people participating in the workforce who cannot commit to inpatient treatment.

For more information or for a consultation, please call Pearl River Family Clinic at (601) 403-8284.