Something needs to be done regarding health services here at USP Atwater. The BOP is trying to save money and so is taking everyone off the Sublocade injection (for addiction treatment) and placing us back on the sublingual strips. That’s fine with me, if I could at least get the strips in a timely fashion. The problem is that now we can’t see the doctor to get the strips on a timely basis, and so everyone is going without the medication.
For example, this morning I was on the callout to see the MAT provider, but it was very foggy outside so they didn’t have any inmate movement. Why can’t they do a count, pull us all out who are on the schedule and get us to our appointment with the doctor? It’s foggy here all the time, so this happens a lot! Fog should NEVER stop us from getting health care, but that is exactly what’s happening. We are all going days without our medication and thus going through withdrawals. My meds help me cope and keep me grounded. I’m starting to feel withdrawal effects, including sleepless nights, loss of appetite, and hot and cold sweats. Plus my anxiety is through the roof!
In addition, the days when we can see the doctor are limited. For example, if I was due to get my injection today, I wouldn’t get the strips until at least Thursday (since the doctor only sees people on Wednesdays).
And then there is a supply problem. There’s about 80 guys who just started the MAT program and are right now going without their strips for the second week in a row because they are not keeping enough inventory in the pharmacy, There are guys who were due for their injection 10 days ago!! If they decided to change our medication BOP-wide then it should have been planned a lot better.
Update (1/15/25): I finally saw the doctor today. I had been on the highest-milligram shot and she started me on the lowest milligram strip. After being on the injection for awhile, I have a higher tolerance than someone just starting the program. A 2 mg strip is nothing compared to what my body has been getting the past two years. Are these people trying to make me flip out and start cutting my wrists? Because that’s what’s about to happen. I’m not eating or sleeping.