TL;DR:
- Take-home doses, known as “carries,” allow you to take your methadone or Kadian at home instead of visiting the clinic every day.
- Eligibility is a collaborative decision based on your stability, trust, and consistent engagement in your treatment plan—not just time.
- Gaining carries is a significant sign of progress and trust, offering you more freedom and flexibility to live your life.
- Our doctors at Arrow Medical work with you to gradually increase carries as you meet your personal recovery goals.
Table of Contents
- What Are Methadone Take-Home Doses (“Carries”)?
- The Benefits of Earning Your Carries
- How Do You Become Eligible for Take-Home Doses?
- The Process: What to Expect at Arrow Medical
- Frequently Asked Questions
When you first start Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT), daily visits to the clinic are a crucial part of ensuring your safety and finding the right dose. But juggling those visits with work, family, and life can be challenging. You might wonder, “Will I have to come here every single day forever?”
The answer is no. As you become more stable in your recovery, you can earn the privilege of take-home doses, often called “carries.” This guide explains what carries are, how they work in Ontario, and how our patient-centred approach at Arrow Medical helps you gain more independence on your recovery journey.
What Are Methadone Take-Home Doses (“Carries”)?
A take-home dose, or “carry,” is a dose of your medication (like methadone or Kadian) that you are allowed to take home with you to consume on a day you don’t visit the clinic. Instead of coming in for “witnessed dosing” every day, you might come in a few times a week and pick up your carries for the other days.
| What is a “Carry”? A carry is a pre-packaged, prescribed dose of your OAT medication that you take home from the clinic. It allows you to take your medication without daily supervision, giving you more freedom. |
Earning carries is a major milestone in recovery. It represents the trust you’ve built with your medical team and the stability you’ve achieved in your life. It’s a transition from needing daily support to managing your treatment more independently.
The Benefits of Earning Your Carries
Gaining take-home doses can have a profound impact on your quality of life. The benefits go far beyond simple convenience.
- More Freedom and Flexibility: You can plan your days, weeks, and even weekends without being tied to daily clinic visits. This makes it easier to manage work schedules, attend family events, or simply enjoy a day off.
- Increased Responsibility and Trust: Successfully managing your carries builds self-confidence. It’s a powerful acknowledgment from your medical team that they trust you, which can be a huge boost to your self-esteem.
- A Return to “Normal” Life: For many, reducing clinic visits is a significant step toward feeling like life is returning to normal. It allows your treatment to integrate seamlessly into your life, rather than your life revolving around your treatment.
- Easier to Travel: Whether it’s for a family visit or a short vacation, having carries makes it possible to travel without disrupting your treatment. As we discuss in our guide to travelling on OAT, carries are a key part of planning ahead.
How Do You Become Eligible for Take-Home Doses?
In Ontario, eligibility for take-home doses is guided by clinical best practices and provincial guidelines. However, at Arrow Medical, the decision is always a collaborative one made between you and your doctor. It’s not a rigid formula but a conversation about your overall stability.
Here are the key factors your doctor will consider:
- Period of Stability: Have you been on a stable dose of your medication without using other non-prescribed substances? Consistency is key.
- Absence of Cravings: Are your cravings well-managed by your current dose?
- Treatment Plan Adherence: Are you attending appointments and engaging positively with the medical team?
- Length of Time on OAT: Is this your first time on OAT, or have you been on OAT previously? Have you been on OAT for days, weeks, months, or years?
- Urine Drug Screens (UDS): Consistent UDS results that align with your treatment plan show that you are taking your medication as prescribed and help build trust.
- Stable Life Situation: Do you have secure housing and a supportive environment? This is why our partnerships with organizations like Homes First in Toronto are so important—stable housing supports stable recovery.
- Overall Well-being: Are you feeling well both physically and mentally? Addressing co-occurring conditions like depression or Hepatitis C is part of achieving overall stability.
The Process: What to Expect at Arrow Medical
If you and your doctor agree that you’re ready to start earning carries, the process is gradual. You won’t go from seven daily visits to one weekly visit overnight.
- The First Step: You might start with one carry for a Sunday or a statutory holiday.
- Gradual Increases: As you continue to demonstrate stability, you may earn more carries over time—for example, non-consecutive carries initially with further increases over time
- Ongoing Conversation: The process is flexible. Your doctor will continue to check in with you. If you’re feeling stressed or unstable, you can always pause the progression or even temporarily go back to more frequent visits. There is no shame in this; it’s about keeping you safe.
- Safe Storage: You will be responsible for storing your medication safely at home, away from children and pets, in a locked box.
Our goal is to support you in a way that promotes both safety and independence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long does it take to get methadone carries in Ontario?
There’s no set timeline. It depends on your individual progress and stability. Some people may be ready for their first carry within a few visits, while for others it might take longer. The focus is on being ready and safe, not on the clock.
Q: Can I lose my take-home doses?
Yes, carries are a privilege based on trust and safety. If there are concerns about your stability—for instance, if you start using other substances or there are issues with your medication—your doctor may need to temporarily reduce your carries. This is a safety measure designed to help you get back on track.
Q: Do Suboxone patients get take-home doses faster?
Suboxone has a different risk profile than methadone, and the guidelines for it are more flexible. Patients on Suboxone may be eligible for take-home doses sooner, but the core principles of stability and trust still apply. We also offer Sublocade, a monthly injection that eliminates the need for daily doses altogether.
Q: What if I have questions about my carries?
Your medical team is always here for you. If you have any questions or concerns about your carries, your dose, or how you’re feeling, please talk to us. You can walk into any Arrow Medical clinic to speak with our team.
Your journey to greater independence starts with a conversation. Walk into any Arrow Medical clinic today—no appointment required—and talk to our team about your recovery goals.