No more mandatory training required for B.C. doctors to prescribe methadone for pain

Physicians in British Columbia no longer need special training to prescribe methadone for analgesia, according to new practice standards from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC). The mandatory training was seen as a barrier to accessing methadone for pain management, the CPSBC told the Medical Post. “It has become increasingly difficult to find a primary care provider in B.C. and even more difficult to find one willing to write prescriptions for methadone. This has only gotten worse with the pandemic, the rise of opioid use disorder, and increasing numbers of patients with both pain and addiction issues.” The college reviewed regulations in other jurisdictions and found that B.C. was one of only two regions still requiring training. Manitoba is now the sole jurisdiction where physicians must take mandatory training to prescribe methadone for pain. Physicians in B.C. are still encouraged to take training, especially if they have not prescribed methadone in three years or do not have a section 56(1) exemption under Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Physicians can take CPSBC’s online course on methadone for pain in palliative care and read the college’s methadone for analgesia guidelines. “Regulating methadone has always been a question of balancing risks,” a statement from the college said. “Methadone is not a 'safe drug' and yet in relation to the risks, it is a fact that it is a very effective pain medication that so many people can and do benefit from.” The decision to remove mandatory training was reviewed and approved by the province’s Prescription Review Panel (PRP), which is made up of “a wide range of clinicians with experience in management of chronic pain, psychiatry, addiction medicine, palliative care, and family practice—and all have extensive experience with methadone prescribing,” the CPSBC said. The college still requires physicians to take training if they are prescribing methadone for opioid use disorder. Another change in the practice standard is that the college no longer requires a special prescription pad. Previously, there were two duplicate prescription pads in used in B.C., one for prescribing other controlled prescriptions and one for prescribing methadone. Now physicians use only one duplicate prescription pad. Read: Researchers say alternative to methadone shows promise for those addicted to opioids

No more mandatory training required for B.C. doctors to prescribe methadone for pain

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