Methadone Treatment in Serbia

Methadone in my country start in 1980th in ex YU. Program was perfect and competitive not with best but with most European Clinics.
In that time whole Yugoslavia drink Heptanon(Methadone) manufacturer Pliva, Zagreb. That was perfect medication and today is same but unreachable for Serbs.
Than ex YU fall apart and Serbia is one side and Croatia continue to give to their patients same medication and today they drink same quality.
But Serbia choose different, bad way. In First time, because no Methadone producer in Serbia, short time we import Methadone(early 1990th), than our Serbian producer Hemofarm Concern start to make Methadone and medication is very good more than 20 years. Until 2011.
I must say all time in Serbia and in Yugoslavia Methadone Treatment is free, no options to pay your medication or private clinics.
No options to import medications. That is big minus because it's very hard to start Treatment and Methadone on Serbian market is not substitutable.
I mean that is not good and for pharmaceutical laboratories from west because in this situation they can't earning money and save our lives because Serbian politics against addicts. I give Roxanne Methadone like example. I was ready to pay more than thousand euros every year for their medication Serbia is barrier. That's only me, I know many people and 70% will continue to use heroin until some better days.
Serbia can lie world about their fight against Narco mafia but this movement like this it's same like they do nothing.
Soon after Yugoslavia fall apart I think 1993-1994 year Serbia decide to stop Methadone Treatment. I mean completly. Only people with HIV+ diagnose could start program and nobody else and same behavior continue many years with no respect for human life and no responsiveness for suffering. In that time our uncivilized countrie force many patients, normal people, some of them was doctors, advocates, profesors to stop with Methadone and most of them die, first finished on heroin than die. Very small number of people from that period is live today.
But same doctors from that period heal and today and politic is not much difference, only more lies and working behind our backs because they must pretend and cheat to became EU Membership and confrontation with WHO, UN and EU because bad Treatment is not good.
Something more serious influence on lack of Methadone Therapy...That was time and period of Slobodan Milosevic regime...Serbia lead few wars and many criminals born in that day and country sell drug to own people and on that way we pay wars of Slobodan Milosevic.
We buy heroin from Serbian criminals, they import heroin and drugs from Kosovo and Albanian mafia... and Albanian mafia support Kosovan people to kill Serbian military and police. That is Serbian wisdom.

Many years my friends and girls die because no chance to start Methadone Treatment in period 1993-2007. Mafia earn millions only because Serbian doctors who lead program and Serbian Ministry of Health. We are today worse in our region and we have biggest number of people who back on heroin because bad diagnose and reapting inefficient treatments.
Before few years politic change little under pressure of Europe, Serbia get some donations to start good Treatment. But than suddenly things change again Serbian soul come to the fore. Ministry of Health force our only Methadone producers to change production way of Methadone and import cheapest Methadone in our region with less active substance than medication before. People protest because they non-stop change our therapy, non stop spoil Treatment and we can't heal like rest of the world. I mean no option for second Methadone, no MST Continus, no Substitol, Buprenorphine is most expensive in whole world. 15 times more than in region and very hard to get. But that is not for everybody.
People used to live straight life on previous version on Methadone(more than 20 years same composition and way of production) suddenly in problems without opportunities to explain how life is bad and worse now than before. Nobody care.
If I need to rate Methadone Treatment in Serbia from 0-10 I give 3. Always feal some abstinence, dosage are not same every day, doctors are indifferent, unreasonable, give medication with angry face... change dosage without patient permission..think only on their ass and reputation and make many deads for one success..
For some little things doctors give half of dosage and no back on previous soon. Many injustice, neglect, lies, stealing medications, everything worse. In simple word like nation are unable to see human suffering and we see that in many things and crimes what Serbs do to other nations.
I live in 3 million town and Serbia have between 50-70.000 heroin addicts. We have two Methadone Clinics for Methadone Therapy in whole capital city. One clinic have about 200 patients and other about 210. That's it. Everybody drink inferion Methadone (example Methadone vs Methadose) plus that give anti methadone nation and all kind of manipulation is present and doctors but only in 4 eyes confess they try to give less medication until patients start to feel bad. Sometimes in most case patients go on heroin that continue. We have and some suicides, people in Methadone Treatment commit suicide because abstinence syndrome in treatment. Unthinkable. Condition of Serian addicts are worse in Europe but that is not strange, years and years contra civilized working... and we are very poor people and only maybe 5 people have PC and internet connection in my clinic.

If some ask me how is best way to help Serbian people to live without heroin on Substitution Therapy I would say. Open international debate and discussion about influence of some people on national health, both addicts and healthy straight people. Control of Substituon Medications under attention of WHO. People need options to buy Methadone and pay their treatment with some good known medication, like we buy sometimes from black market from Croatia, France, Italy. Internation debate about violated human rights because different behave of our doctors and directors of clinics than in Europe in time when we beg for Europe Union Membership. Discussion about influence of everything on criminal, infections and everything else because we are country with more HIV and HCV positive people than any country on Balkan and we are hardest on Methadone.
People who organize that need to correspond because of that. Victims are young people because post communism thinking and because main voice lead doctors from period communism. Today they are alpha and omega for Methadone Treatment in Serbia.
We need private clinics, and registration of some other Methadone in pills, waffer or...
Therapy start every day and people get Medication 10:30-12:00h. 10 minutes later no medications.
In other center 08:12h.
Serbia have few more centers all over country but most for 10, 12, 30 patients.
I get Methadone in Special Hospital for Addicts in Belgrade Hospital look good, conditions inside are OK, hospital is clean, enough place only people on substitution therapy are in danger and their human rights are violated. Quality of medication is problem and how doctors behave. No smile, nothing... like they give medication from their pocket...

Methadone Maintenance Treatment in Belgrade, Serbia after 2010, Score: 3 Mark: Very Bad
Short effect, weakness, unable to stop crawing, syndrome of abstinence present during most time, after 15 hours completly, nightmares very ofthen different dosage different days, quality of live worse than on medications from other markets, therapy is unable to give positive aspect like substitution therapy all over the world.
Methadone Treatment before change composition of medication, Score 10. Very good, 24h cover, good life clean life, intresting for different things, normal eating, normal sleep.
Only problem often shortage, problem to start Treatment.
Maybe in world doctors offer to addicts to start therapy because that is better for both, but Serbia is unable to see that. Serbia cry in pablic because many addicts and heroin abuse and how young people start to use heroin but people who need to help us are repulsive and addicts run away and sometime don't ask for help years and years. In Serbia you can beg to stop suffering and because of that we have title Worse in Regione, Worse in Europe.
Doctors who lead Treatments in Serbia(they work in Special Hospital Belgrade but know everything what happen in Serbia and everybody ask them) are: Dr. Jasna Daragan Saveljic, Aleksandar Vujosevic, Mira Kovacevic and Dr. Nikola Vuckovic in Novi Sad.
If you ask me I can say freely again this whole thing in Serbia need internation discussion about knowledge and humanity of this people. Becuase they don't want to accept proven things about Methadone Therapy and force their own story and Treatment is only cover because strong voice for Methadone came from Europe.
Example I every day give signatures for 10ml...that is nothing...inside can be everything... In that signatures they have cover to give and 20mg and 30mg of Methadone but that say inside is 100mg...They say, people who ban Methadone twice and start program for non HIV positive only because EU donations and EU pressure... I don't give signature on 100mg, on court than can say something else. That must change.
Someone need to ask for control of substance inside patients bottles, that is legal request and nothing bad if we want to know quantity of active substance and Methadone Hydrochloride. We need international help about that.
Than Serbian 10ml of Methadone is worse than 50mg of Roxanne, weaker, shorter effect, aversion to food, bad dreams sometimes, nightmares, depression, no effect on endorphine in brain, you feel cold over day, and the night you fell hot in one word bad medication not enough to full the task and give full effect of Methadone Substitution Therapy. I can say organizam and body and brain of that people and me are probably in worse condition than under drug. If you feel 40-45% of abstinence syndrome every day that is poison for body and because of that Substitution Treatment in Serbia need International Disscusion.
Doctors hide very important things and hide behind new patients who now start program and don't know for better. If they drink same dosage from black market of normal Methadone they will die. One day came later in Clinic, no medication, they buy from black market, criminals non-stop steal medication from clinics all over Europe because this situation make huge black market in Serbia and they will buy Methadone and drink same dosage and die.
I only can say persistance of Methadone Treatment is nothing if you choose cheapest and weakest medication in region and don't allow bigger dosage.
That is cheating of people and cheating UN, cheationg of WHO and knife in the back of Methadone Treatment and on that way came out only bad things from Methadone Treatment, maybe is exactly that someone wish.
Again maybe doctors ask patients to start programs and encourige patients and addicts to start Substitution Treatment and offer that on many ways and on many place.
In Serbia you need to be close to dead and beg for your medication and than you get 3-5ml and after 1-2 years 8ml or 10ml. What is inside only god know but nothing similar to Substitution Therapy from West, Croatia. If I drink 60mg of Methadone in real life that is under big questions ??? and doctors fight for smaller dosage better than for human life. Like less medication is more important than life itself. People ask for bigger dosage and than wait months for 5ml more. What is in 5ml that is god will. We give signature on ml.
Last I hear my friend ask to drink more than 7ml my doctors say "Only After New Year, Nothing Before"... that was in September, October
Can you imagine "After New Year"...
Strongly for discussion about human rights, about Methadone quality, about Substitution Therapy, about patients conditions, about doctros knowledge for everything what happen as consequence of such behavior. And who allowed suffering of 30 people to separate one man and pull him from drug without medication and looking on that like success.
Serbia need International help again and international monitoring because people die years and can get proper medical help like in civilized society.
I hear something good once from one Dr no bigger or smaller dose, only enough or not enough. That smart words are not applied in Serbia.
Serbian body and organizam not deserve same as people from west.

Wow, that was an interesting story. I'm going to thank God I'm in the US and have a good clinic with doctors that care. Also, they understand that the dose does matter. God bless you my friend.