New Addiction Drug Treatment Offered For Meth Addicts

With Arizona facing a critical crisis of methamphetamine use, Dr. Gregory Ellison, Director of Advanced Medical Center, has identified a very promising new addiction treatment option that shows high success rates and is performed on an out-patient (versus in-patient) basis in 10 hours over five sessions. As the only doctor in the state of Arizona licensed to administer the new PROMETA treatment program, Ellison is encouraged with results of clinic trials which show more than a 60 percent success rate.

In conjunction with the statewide television simulcast of Crystal Darkness on April 15th to raise awareness about meth, there is a mandate to raise awareness about addiction treatment. Ellison's PROMETA 30-day program targets the imbalances in the brain chemistry associated with substance dependence, cravings, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and relapse with a three-prong treatment of medicine, nutrition and psychology. Patients receiving this treatment experience:

-- Relief from cravings and anxiety

-- Restoration of nutritional balance

-- Improvement of mental capacity

Unlike many in-patient therapies, Ellison's PROMETA program is done on an out-patient basis, allowing individuals to continue their daily lives and removing the stigma of "going to rehab." With the number of Arizonians seeking treatment for meth addiction quintupling between 2000 and 2004, out-patient capabilities not only positively impact individuals and their families, but the community and its resources as well.

More than 60 percent of patients participating in clinical trials successfully kicked their addiction, while 97 percent reported a decrease in frequency of cravings. In a study just published by Community Bridges in Arizona, the findings showed 86 percent of patients in the PROMETA program versus less than 10 percent in other intensive outpatient programs were still actively participating in recovery counseling 16 weeks later.

In 2007, Advanced Medical Center's fully-trained staff became one of only 60 practices nationwide to offer the PROMETA program for treatment of alcohol, cocaine and methamphetamine dependence. This medically-supervised treatment program is designed to address both the neurochemical imbalances in the brain and some of the nutritional deficits caused or worsened by chronic substance abuse.

Ellison's PROMETA program begins with a complete physical exam. The medically-supervised treatment encompasses oral and IV medications administered on three consecutive daily visits of about two hours each, plus two additional treatments approximately three weeks after the initial treatment. At-home prescription medications are also used for approximately one month. Nutritional supplements and counseling, based on nutritional guidelines for patients in recovery, are provided to establish healthy dietary habits designed to support recovery. Initial psychological counseling is offered immediately, based on a comprehensive assessment by Ellison, and may include individual, group or any form of 12-step or faith-based programs.