Withdrawal Management (Detox)
V-RAAM Nurses and Addiction Medicine Physicians work as a team to determine whether someone requires withdrawal management, and whether it is safe to provide this at home.
Alcohol withdrawal can result in serious negative health consequences including seizures, confusion and rarely, death. It is not safe to withdraw “cold turkey” from alcohol without medical assessment. Other substances that may require withdrawal management including benzodiazepines, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and sometimes stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine.
Eligibility for safe home withdrawal management requires:
- a sober support person,
- ability to complete daily follow up assessments, and
- stable housing.
Severe withdrawal cannot be managed safely at home, and if someone has had severe withdrawal in the past or is at risk of severe withdrawal, facility-based withdrawal is recommended.
Ongoing Care Services
Each individual’s needs and goals are different. V-RAAM assigns each client a Case Manager and Addiction Medicine Physician to help with care planning. Appointments are done via secure Zoom video. If someone is already connected to community resources such as a counsellor, Family Physician, or Psychiatrist, V-RAAM does not duplicate these services. Examples of services provided by V-RAAM include:
- Case management, including systems navigation and connection to local supports,
- Counselling if not already connected to a counsellor or therapist, while assisting with connection to a community counsellor,
- Prescription coverage information,
- Residential treatment information and application assistance,
- Anti-craving medications,
- Assessment of concurrent mental health conditions, and
- Transition from V-RAAM to community providers.
Addiction Prescriber-to-Prescriber Consultations
Doctor-to-doctor phone consultations for addiction medicine concerns are done via RAAPID North and RAAPID South 24/7. Ask for the physician on call for the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP) who can also provide advice on other addiction management.
For written consultation, prescribers can send a referral to V-RAAM.