Question: I am not on Medicaid I live between Johnstown and Greensburg Pa. We spend 800$ month for 12 mili a day due to the fact they don't take private insurance. I do not think this is fair while others get paid for their fuel and meds by the state on Medicaid and guzzle over 100 mili a day. Please help I just want someone to take my insurance for 5-6 weeks while I dose rest way out thanks

Anna Deeds Says...:

Thank you for your question. Your question did not make it clear what you are taking 12 milligrams of but I am assuming it is methadone from the price you mentioned. You are correct that a lot of people on methadone are on Medicaid which pays for methadone as well as travel expenses. I am unaware of any methadone clinics in your area that take private insurance. I agree that this is not fair. It puts people who work at a disadvantage. It almost encourages people on methadone to not work because most of your salary ends up paying for your medication. 

However, there are a couple options you can try. First, call your insurance company. There should be a number on the back of your insurance card. Ask your insurance company if they cover methadone for addiction. Methadone can be used for addiction or pain management. You need to know if they cover it for addiction if you go to a methadone clinic. If you get methadone from a doctor for pain, then you need to know if they cover it for pain. I'm assuming that you go to a clinic. If you go to a methadone clinic and your insurance does cover methadone for addiction, ask them if there are any other methadone clinics in your area that take your insurance. If there aren't, ask how you can be reimbursed for your costs.

Some private insurances do cover methadone. Your methadone clinic may not take the insurance but if your insurance covers methadone you can be reimbursed for some or all of your costs. For a provider to take any insurance, they have to go through a complicated credentialing process. Many of the methadone clinics aren't credentialed but this doesn't mean your insurance doesn't pay for methadone, only that the clinic doesn't take your insurance. So, you would have to send your receipts and fill out some forms to get your insurance to reimburse you for what you pay to the clinic. It is possible that they cover all of your costs or a percentage. For example, they may pay 80% and you pay 20%. Even if they only pay a percentage, this would save you a lot of money.

Second, consider switching to Suboxone. If your insurance doesn't cover methadone, it may cover Suboxone. If you need to do this, be sure the Suboxone doctor is aware you were on methadone. They may need to give you Subutex for the first few days or they may ask you to wait three to five days after your last dose of methadone to begin the Suboxone. Suboxone has a blocker in it that will cause withdrawal symptoms if you take it while there is methadone in your system.

Just to review, here is what yo need to do:

• Call your insurance company
• Ask your insurance company if they cover methadone for addiction
• Ask if there are any clinics who take your insurance
• Ask if they can reimburse you
• Ask if they cover Suboxone

my profile and give me a call if you need more help.

Question: I had really painful loneliness in middle school and early high school. I remember constantly roaming the halls at lunch because I didn’t have any friends to sit with and to sit somewhere alone seemed too pathetic. Better to at least look like I was on my way to someone or somewhere (don’t think I was fooling anyone). Anyway, later in high school I found drugs and booze and I loved them and with them I fell into the ‘druggy’ group and that was priceless to me and that just made me love getting high more. Getting high literally solved all of my problems in one fell swoop. OK now fast forward 20 years. Now I am married and with kids and I am 19 months clean and sober. The problem is I never learned how to make friends or have relationships other than by getting high and getting rejected socially is so painful to me I have a really hard time with putting myself out there. Honestly I can’t even talk about this with my wife. I feel like I have to deal with this pain of my past and I have to learn how to make friends and I have to overcome my social problems that caused my life-long social problems and I have to do all of this very painful and difficult stuff without relapsing. How should I do this?

Anna Deeds Says...:

Thank you for your question. First, you don't have to do all this alone. Try talking to your wife about the problems you are facing. Your wife is there to support you. Second, consider getting into counseling. A counselor can help you develop the social skills that you didn't develop at an early age. Third, consider a support group for people with social anxiety. This kind of group is designed to help people who have trouble with social situations get comfortable by practicing their social skills in a safe setting. Fourth, consider going to AA or NA meetings. You will be surprised how many people at meetings would relate if you told them how uncomfortable you are with making friends. If you think about your "druggy" friends from school, I bet they were all socially awkward and didn't fit in most social groups. These are the same types of people who will be in AA and NA meetings, only they will be 20 years older too. Also, check out this article for some other ideas about how to make friends in recovery.