Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
A physician authorized to prescribe medical marijuana to patients will soon open a primary-care practice in Plattsburgh.
On Aug. 1, Dr. Richard D'Amico – the first and, currently, only doctor in Clinton County to appear on the state's Public List of Consenting Medical Marijuana Program Practitioners – will launch his family-medicine practice at 74 Margaret St.
"I'm going to do walk-ins (and) urgent care, as well," said the Nova Southeastern University graduate, who recently returned to the area from New York City, where he worked at Cure Urgent Care.
Before that, D'Amico served two years as medical director of Smith House Health Care Center in Willsboro and provided asthma, allergy and immunological medicine in Plattsburgh.
Having witnessed the drawbacks of using opiates to treat chronic pain, he was inspired to begin working with medical marijuana as an alternative.
"One in five people that you prescribe opiates (to) for 10 days will become addicted," D'Amico said.
THREE TYPES
The state has approved the use of medical marijuana in the treatment of chronic pain, as well as cancer, HIV infection or AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal-cord injury with spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathy and Huntington's disease.
"There's three different types of treatment that we can give," D'Amico said. "There's sublingual, capsule and then the vape."
The sublingual treatment is a tincture that is squirted under the tongue, he explained.
"With a tincture, as well as the vape, you'll get a quick peak with the medication," he said.
These forms of treatment last for only two to three hours, and the patient will experience a high, according to the doctor.
The capsule, however, which D'Amico tends to prefer, provides an 11-to-12-hour plateau of symptom relief.
"I'm looking to get relief of pain," he said. "I'm not looking to have drug abuse."
Capsules also come in different ratios of THC to CBD, D'Amico noted.
"THC is the part that is more for pain," he explained. "CBD would be more for your Parkinson's (disease), epilepsy, seizure disorders, tremors."
Currently, however, medical marijuana is not covered by health insurance.
GOOD RESPONSE
So far, the physician, who practiced with Dr. Glenn Schroyer in Plattsburgh after returning from New York City, has used medical marijuana in the treatment of six patients, some of whom had Parkinson's disease.
When they came to him, they had tried every medication and were getting no relief, he said.
But since starting treatment with medical marijuana, D'Amico said, "so far, so good."
As with any drug, he noted, "you want them to test it out at home before they're operating heavy machinery, driving a car."
But as far as side effects, he continued, "the only thing I've seen is maybe a little cloudiness in the head. Other than that, nothing else."
STRICT SCREENING
Still, the doctor will follow strict criteria for prescribing the medication.
If he is not familiar with a patient, that person will have to have documentation from another provider that confirms the presence of a qualifying condition.
"It can't just be subjective," D'Amico said.
Additionally, people with coronary artery disease that's not controlled with medication, as well as individuals with a history of drug abuse, should not be prescribed medical marijuana even if they have a qualifying condition, he said.
The state has a system in place that allows physicians to see all the controlled substances an individual has been recently prescribed.
"And that's our verification to make sure you're not 'doctor shopping,'" D'Amico said.
If an individual qualifies to receive medical marijuana and D'Amico determines it's the right course of treatment, he will enroll that person in the program and provide a certificate.
"I print out a certificate, you'll go home, you'll go online, and you'll create an account for yourself, and then you'll actually get something in the mail, which is a hard-copy card," he explained.
NEW OFFICE
The doctor will be seeing patients ages 12 and up at his new family-medicine practice, which boasts nine exam rooms.
"I'm looking to take on mid-level providers – nursing practitioners, physician assistants," he said.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Plattsburgh doctor able to prescribe medical marijuana | Local News | pressrepublican.com
Author: ASHLEIGH LIVINGSTON
Contact: Contact Us | Site | pressrepublican.com
Photo Credit: ASHLEIGH LIVINGSTON
Website: pressrepublican.com
On Aug. 1, Dr. Richard D'Amico – the first and, currently, only doctor in Clinton County to appear on the state's Public List of Consenting Medical Marijuana Program Practitioners – will launch his family-medicine practice at 74 Margaret St.
"I'm going to do walk-ins (and) urgent care, as well," said the Nova Southeastern University graduate, who recently returned to the area from New York City, where he worked at Cure Urgent Care.
Before that, D'Amico served two years as medical director of Smith House Health Care Center in Willsboro and provided asthma, allergy and immunological medicine in Plattsburgh.
Having witnessed the drawbacks of using opiates to treat chronic pain, he was inspired to begin working with medical marijuana as an alternative.
"One in five people that you prescribe opiates (to) for 10 days will become addicted," D'Amico said.
THREE TYPES
The state has approved the use of medical marijuana in the treatment of chronic pain, as well as cancer, HIV infection or AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal-cord injury with spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathy and Huntington's disease.
"There's three different types of treatment that we can give," D'Amico said. "There's sublingual, capsule and then the vape."
The sublingual treatment is a tincture that is squirted under the tongue, he explained.
"With a tincture, as well as the vape, you'll get a quick peak with the medication," he said.
These forms of treatment last for only two to three hours, and the patient will experience a high, according to the doctor.
The capsule, however, which D'Amico tends to prefer, provides an 11-to-12-hour plateau of symptom relief.
"I'm looking to get relief of pain," he said. "I'm not looking to have drug abuse."
Capsules also come in different ratios of THC to CBD, D'Amico noted.
"THC is the part that is more for pain," he explained. "CBD would be more for your Parkinson's (disease), epilepsy, seizure disorders, tremors."
Currently, however, medical marijuana is not covered by health insurance.
GOOD RESPONSE
So far, the physician, who practiced with Dr. Glenn Schroyer in Plattsburgh after returning from New York City, has used medical marijuana in the treatment of six patients, some of whom had Parkinson's disease.
When they came to him, they had tried every medication and were getting no relief, he said.
But since starting treatment with medical marijuana, D'Amico said, "so far, so good."
As with any drug, he noted, "you want them to test it out at home before they're operating heavy machinery, driving a car."
But as far as side effects, he continued, "the only thing I've seen is maybe a little cloudiness in the head. Other than that, nothing else."
STRICT SCREENING
Still, the doctor will follow strict criteria for prescribing the medication.
If he is not familiar with a patient, that person will have to have documentation from another provider that confirms the presence of a qualifying condition.
"It can't just be subjective," D'Amico said.
Additionally, people with coronary artery disease that's not controlled with medication, as well as individuals with a history of drug abuse, should not be prescribed medical marijuana even if they have a qualifying condition, he said.
The state has a system in place that allows physicians to see all the controlled substances an individual has been recently prescribed.
"And that's our verification to make sure you're not 'doctor shopping,'" D'Amico said.
If an individual qualifies to receive medical marijuana and D'Amico determines it's the right course of treatment, he will enroll that person in the program and provide a certificate.
"I print out a certificate, you'll go home, you'll go online, and you'll create an account for yourself, and then you'll actually get something in the mail, which is a hard-copy card," he explained.
NEW OFFICE
The doctor will be seeing patients ages 12 and up at his new family-medicine practice, which boasts nine exam rooms.
"I'm looking to take on mid-level providers – nursing practitioners, physician assistants," he said.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Plattsburgh doctor able to prescribe medical marijuana | Local News | pressrepublican.com
Author: ASHLEIGH LIVINGSTON
Contact: Contact Us | Site | pressrepublican.com
Photo Credit: ASHLEIGH LIVINGSTON
Website: pressrepublican.com
