Reina Cunningham

Staff Writer

SelfRefind, a group of privately owned addiction recovery clinics, is scheduled to open its newest clinic in downtown Middlesboro, just after the new year.

SelfRefind currently has eleven other clinics throughout Kentucky and one in Ohio. The Middlesboro clinic will be located at 808 North 19th Street.

SelfRefind clinics are staffed by medical doctors who have special training in the use of Suboxone, a treatment drug for patients with opiate addiction. SelfRefind uses Suboxone to help patients recover from addiction to OxyContin, Lortab, morphine, heroin, and Percocet.

According to SelfRefind, Suboxone is the first opioid medication approved for the treatment of opioid dependence in an office-based setting. When Suboxone is used at the appropriate dose it can help reduce illicit opioid use, eliminate cravings for opioids and help patients stay in treatment by suppressing symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

Medication guidelines state the average time span for the use of Suboxone is generally between 18 months and two years. However, SelfRefind treats every addicted person on an individual basis and believes there is no cookie-cutter approach to addiction treatment in their practice so they do not like to put a time span on how long the patient will be treated at their clinic.

The amount of time a person will need to take Suboxone to recover from their addiction often coincides with the amount of time the patient has been addicted to the drug. The longer a person has been addicted to the drug, the longer they will likely have to take Suboxone to recover from the addiction.

Suboxone works by fooling the same receptors in the brain that are affected by opiate drugs. In doing so, Suboxone allows the patient to enjoy a normal life without the withdrawal symptoms and cravings that come from other methods of quiting addictive substances.

SelfRefind begins treatment in office on the day of the patient’s first visit. In order to begin treatment, the patient must already be in mild to moderate withdrawal when they show up for the initial visit. This means the patient should have not had any opiates for about 12 hours.

The patient’s driver leaves to get the prescription filled, while the patient gets registered, evaluated and completes necessary paperwork.

Once the medication arrives, the patient is immediately started on Suboxone. The clinic tries to provide the patient with the comforts of home during the visit, and have amenities ranging from flat screen televisions and leather sofas to candy, snacks and soft drinks.

The patient’s induction process is monitored for up to two hours to document their improvement. By the time the patient leaves on the first day, they should be experiencing the impact of the Suboxone on their opiate addiction withdrawal.

SelfRefind obtains random urine drug screens and pill counts to aid the recovering addict from an accountability standpoint. Patients visit the clinic once a month throughout the period of treatment. The physicians and intake coordinators review the patient’s case file, discuss successes and difficulties the patient experiences, and help to plan the patients continuing recovery.

SelfRefind clinics do not require patients to have a doctor referral. The clinics are not affiliated with any government agency and do not collect from insurance companies. Acceptable methods of payment include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, money orders and certified checks.

Although SelfRefind does not collect from insurance companies, they will help patients determine if their insurance will provide reimbursement for the cost of treatment. If the patient’s insurance will reimburse, the staff will assist patients with the necessary paperwork to file an insurance claim.

Patients initial physical evaluations, intake planning and first physician visit are all included in a flat monthly fee. Drug screens and lab evaluations are also included in the flat fee.

For more information about SelfRefind, please call 866-755-4258 or visit their website at www.selfrefind.com.

Reina Cunningham is a staff writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. She can be contacted via email at rpcunningham@heartlandpublications.com or by phone at 606-248-1010, ext. 205.