Addiction Medicine Consult Service

Addiction Medicine Consult Service (AMCS) provides rapid Addiction Medicine consultant advice to community pharmacists as well as physicians and nurse practitioners working in Mental Health and Addictions (including Correctional Health Services), Primary Care, Emergency Departments, Long Term Care, and Acute Care in Nova Scotia.

AMCS provides verbal evidence-informed clinical advice and guidance to:

• Support clinicians so they can better diagnose and manage substance use disorders.
• Coach clinicians on medication management related to substance use.

AMCS is available Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by calling 1-855-970-0234. Voicemail only on evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Resources for pharmacists and health care providers:

Assessment Tools:

• Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM)
• Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS)
• Prediction of Alcohol Withdrawal Severity Scale (PAWSS)
• Prescription Opioid Misuse Index (POMI)
• Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS)

Medavie Prescriber Bulletins:

• FFS Billing Codes for Telephone Advice
• Pharmacare Bulletin Naltrextone and Acamprosate

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Prescribing Guide:

• Medication for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder: A Brief Guide
• Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) Tool
• Practical Approach to Substance Use Disorders for the Family Physician Toolkit
• Gabapentin Treatment for Alcohol Dependence
• Provincial Guideline for the Clinical Management of High-Risk Drinking and Alcohol Use Disorder
• Managing Substance Use in Primary Care