This program is designed specifically for clinical staff working in OTPs.
While methadone is recognized as a safe and effective medication, it is important that it be prescribed/dispensed and taken properly. Clinical staff must appreciate its idiosyncrasies and be able to identify potentially dangerous drug interactions, misuse, and abuse. Patients' lives depend on it. The recent rise in methadone mortality has brought additional scrutiny to the use of methadone and although the increase in deaths appears to be linked to the increased use of the medication in treatment of pain, rather than in OTPs, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is proactive in developing and delivering targeted clinical training to providers in OTPs to assure that they apply best practice and the most current information on methadone use in the OTP setting.