Doctor Maddex is medical director of the detox unit at doctor’s hospital West Covina. It is a small private hospital that accepts most insurance (not med-I-cal) and has a cash price under $3000 for most detoxes (that’s cheap). Dr. Maddex has also been doing outpatient detox for appropriate patients in his office in diamond bar for 25 years –he supervised his first heroin detox in 1968.
Suboxone.
Suboxone is an opiate partial agonist at the mu receptor. This means it is a low dose narcotic that completely floods the opiate receptors responsible for pain, craving and withdrawal when given at an adequate dose. Once that dose is reached it stays constant. There is no craving. You can’t get high. It binds tightly enough so that no other opiates have any effect; there is no withdrawal unless you stop the medicine. It’s moderately effective for pain but very strong in people who have no narcotic tolerance. It always leaves you physically dependent on the narcotic. You will have to withdraw at a later date and it will take one to 2 weeks. That withdrawal however can be medically treated to limit the symptoms.
Why would you want to do that? To use it for withdrawal you wouldn’t. It stretches a 3-5 day process out to 10-14 days. It doesn’t fix any receptors. What it does is buy you enough time to do the work you need to do to stay clean and sober. It allows you to create enough stability to hold your life together and function while you do it.
Suboxone has added Naltrexone a narcotic blocker to prevent shooting the drug. It is an addition for safety and has no effect if you take it as prescribed. This drug is for maintenance .You take it for at least 1 year while you do program and recover your life.
Suboxone Maintenence Program.
First consultation is $175 subsequent visits $96. Medicare and PPO insurances are accepted if verified and deductibles are paid up front. No HMOs are accepted but they usually will pay for the medication and labs. You need to be seen for evaluation with a follow up within one week. Second visit is within 2 weeks. Ongoing visits are monthly. We drug test infrequently but tests are not optional. They cost $25 unless your insurance covers them-- most do (even HMO’s). We run CURES reports which tell us any controlled scripts you have filled anywhere else and require a contract that says you will follow the rules , not take other psychoactive drugs not prescribed or endorsed by Dr. Maddex and pursue some type of psychosocial program of recovery.
Other Chemical Dependence
Dr Maddex also provides treatment for detox and craving in a broad spectrum of Addiction. He was one of the first presenters of protocols for safe withdrawal from Benzodiazepines (tranquilizers) at the American society of addiction medicine meetings 25 years ago, and is familiar with stimulant craving protocols popularized as pro Meta, As well as oral and injectable alternatives (visitor) for alcohol craving.
Holistic Medicine.
Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathic medicine made the radical statement that “If we make the body healthier it will be able to fight disease”. This is the origin of the Concept of mind-body medicine.This is such a new concept in medicine that Dr Still and Dr. Maddex has actually treated the same patient. Dr Maddex has directed multiple Dual-diagnosis units and had an undergraduate degree in psychology.
Dr. Maddex has trained as a Unity and Religious Science prayer practitioner, in Acupuncture, in energy healing and hypnosis. These disciplines ARE NOT part of his Medical practice but the understanding of the holistic concept of pain is. Dr Maddex does a significant amount of osteopathic manipulation including cranial Manipulation, and is an expert in management of pain without narcotics once opiate Dependence and opiate induced hypersensitivity to pain has become problematic.
Dr Maddex also works with alternative medicine including IV vitamins, supplements, Food intolerances such as gluten and high fructose corn sugar. He performs Allergy Desensitization. He has prescribed natural bio-identical hormones and nutritional Supplements for 30 years. We have a nutritionist in the office on a regular basis. He is well versed in preventive medicine as it relates to cardiovascular risk and chronic disease.
