Getting medical health care can be a problem for several reasons.  Cost, location, and lack of insurance are all reasons that individuals postpone or neglect health care.  Some may not want to get treatment from their regular physician for some ailments, as well.  The primary medical care clinics at Tarzana Treatment Centers can help in any of these situations.

We have two medical care clinics located in the San Fernando Valley (Northridge) and in the Antelope Valley (Lancaster).  At each clinic we provide health care services to the communities that are affordable and local.  Whether you need drug testing for your employees, treatment for HIV and other STDs, or injury and illness treatments, we can help.

The care we provide is confidential, caring, and convenient.  Our health care services also ensure a continuum of care to our patients in alcohol and drug treatment.  We also staff medical professionals with years of experience with HIV at our clinics to treat individuals utilizing our HIV services.

For more information, please click the link below to view our flyer:


Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides primary medical care at our clinics.  We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

After years of suffering, and finally making the decision to enter alcohol and drug treatment, the last thing alcoholics and drug addicts want to do is wait.  Forms need to be completed, printed and signed, and all of that paper used can’t be good for the environment.  Digital signatures address both of these issues.

When alcohol and drug treatment centers stay current with technology in health care, the main goal is to improve patient outcomes.  Any new technology aims to provide better security, efficiency in treatment, and the ability to store and share information between staff professionals.  But even with efficient systems in place, paperwork can seem overwhelming to patients being admitted to treatment.

Many individuals entering alcohol and drug treatment require medical detoxification to minimize withdrawals.  The decision to enter treatment may have taken months, partially out of fear over alcohol, heroin, or prescription drug withdrawals.  Once they enter the doors of a facility, with no access to their drugs of choice, that fear makes every minute seem like an hour.

Suddenly, they are faced with a stack of paperwork that needs to be read and signed.  Before they are halfway through the stack, physical signs of withdrawal may begin to appear.  No matter how quickly an admissions counselor wants to proceed, this work needs to be done to ensure patient security and proper treatment.

Paper use is a problem in this process, as well.  If two professionals need to see a form at the same time, it means that copies need to be made.  Most of those copies are shredded after use.  Digital creation and storage of many forms minimizes waste, but there are still some that need patient signatures.  This still means that paper is printed, copied and shredded over and over again.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles has addressed this issue by incorporating digital signature capturing into the admissions and counseling process.  Patients can now proceed through the admissions process without waiting for forms to print.  They can simply sign them using a digital signature pad during the admission interview process, effectively cutting the admission time in half.

When patients complete the admissions process, they are walked into a treatment unit with minimal paperwork.  This not only saves paperwork, but also provides better security for patients.  This is because their detailed information is only available on a secure network computer, accessible only to treatment staff.  It also means that two professionals can look at the same information simultaneously, without needing to make copies.

Our goal is to be completely paperless as a health care organization.  The ability to capture digital signatures provided a bridge over a big chasm that prevented us from reaching that goal.  This took some time to accomplish, but it was worth it considering that we made great leaps toward two of our goals.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles uses the latest technology to provide effective alcohol and drug treatment.  We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is a safe and effective method for alcohol and narcotic withdrawal and maintenance.  There is ample evidence suggesting that harm reduction strategies should be more widely available to those suffering from alcohol dependence and drug addiction.  Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles has taken note of these facts, and offers several medication assisted treatment options.

Traditional alcohol and drug treatment services help many individuals to begin a life in recovery and improve their lives.  MAT is utilized in medical detoxification at the start of treatment to minimize withdrawal symptoms from alcohol and other drugs.  This process is important since patients must be medically stable before beginning the process of recovery.

For some, though, relapse commonly follows traditional treatment.  This is generally due to alcohol cravings and opiate cravings that vary greatly from patient to patient.  Medications like Suboxone, Vivitrol, and Methadone help to minimize cravings so these individuals may begin the process of recovery, medically stable and in a receptive state of mind.

For more information, click the link below:


Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles offers many medication assisted treatment options.  We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Methadone Maintenance is a safe and responsible alternative to abstinence for many who suffer from opiate addiction.  Some individuals would like to stop engaging in heroin abuse or prescription drug abuse, but just can’t stay clean long enough to achieve recovery.  So this form of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) often helps them get back to a normal life and even eventual abstinence in many cases.

Harm reduction is a form of treatment for drug addiction that seeks to do what the term suggests.  When individuals cannot or will not cease drug abuse, we can reduce the amount of harm the activity does to them or others.  Granted, this is not the ideal.  But heroin addiction, for example, can place them in such a stranglehold that they become unaware or agnostic about the harm issue.

Opiates such as heroin and pain killers are tough to quit for any addict, mainly due to the associated cravings.  Even with effective treatment, multiple relapses are possible unless motivation for recovery is very high.  It’s not that drug addicts don’t understand that recovery is better than using drugs.  It is that they can’t get past the cravings to reach recovery.

These individuals generally feel a sense of hopelessness and have a “what’s the use” attitude.  Multiple treatment attempts and relapses only fuel these feelings.  So in order to gently lead them to a place where recovery is possible they need to be given a sense of hope.  Methadone Maintenance does this over a long-term or short-term period.

For Narcotic Replacement Therapy, Methadone has been proven safe and effective.  Doses are tracked and clients are constantly tested before receiving them.  It reduces opiate cravings because it is fast-acting and remains in the body for a day or two.  At proper doses, individuals can resume productive lives and work toward a life in recovery.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles offers Methadone Maintenance in a Narcotic Treatment Program that includes addiction counseling.  It is part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare.  If you or a loved one needs help for opiate addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Alcohol and drug treatment centers are generally abstinence based.  While it is most popular to promote abstinence in treatment, there are many who reason that harm reduction strategies should be used more often than they currently are.  Although abstinence is the goal in treatment for those suffering from drug addiction, harm reduction is a viable, short-term solution for severe cases.

Treatment modalities usually follow the principles of recovery from 12 Step and similar programs.  They commonly believe that recovery begins with abstinence, meaning that use of all drugs stops.  The premise is that individuals must be clear-headed when they embark on the road to recovery.  Otherwise they will not be honest and thorough in times of self-evaluation.

Harm reduction strategies generally allow individuals to continue using their drug of choice, or a replacement drug like Methadone.  For heroin users, as an example, needle exchanges are meant to reduce transmission of diseases between users.  And Methadone maintenance provides them with the opiate relief the body craves at a safe level.  

Both abstinence and harm reduction have positive and negative results.  Each approach benefits the lives drug addicts whether they achieve full recovery or simply avoid disease.  Sadly, the nature of addiction leads many who enter treatment into relapse, and compels many addicts using harm reduction to further abuse.  But both approaches can lead drug addicts to recovery when they want it.

Medication Assisted Treatment is a third solution.  The use of non-narcotic medications like Vivitrol to reduce opiate cravings may be a solution for individuals who use heroin, prescription drugs, or Methadone and are unable to achieve long-term abstinence.  This form of treatment has the promise of bringing together the abstinence and harm reduction advocates.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides medication assisted treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

The finale to the holiday season includes the societal ritual of New Year’s resolutions.  Most resolutions revolve around the correction of negative behaviors such as overeating and financial habits.  At this time of renewal, those with alcohol dependence or drug addiction are looking for answers to their seemingly hopeless problems.

One plausible answer is Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT).  MAT is used for medical detoxification, alcohol and opiate craving reduction, and as a harm reduction strategy.  These medications minimize physical withdrawals, improve treatment outcomes, and help to ensure long-term recovery.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides residential or outpatient medical detoxification to patients who have a physical dependence to alcohol or drugs.  MAT is important at this stage of treatment due to high risk of relapse during physical withdrawal.  Each patient is assessed prior to admission to alcohol or drug detox for the level of care they will receive.

Since opiate and alcohol cravings are major reasons for relapse, we assess patients with those addictions for Vivitrol injections.  Craving reduction removes the distraction during treatment, and makes it less likely that patients will relapse.  Patients with alcoholism have reported positive results with Vivitrol, and we expect similar results with heroin and prescription drug addiction patients.

We also offer outpatient Methadone treatment as a harm reduction strategy for individuals who have struggled with multiple relapses.  Methadone maintenance has proven to help individuals return to productive lives, without the need chase after their drugs of choice.  It is a safe and effective way to stop the use of dangerous mixtures and amounts of opiates.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides medication assisted treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help for alcohol dependence or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Heroin addiction treatment can include Vivitrol as a form of medication assisted treatment.  It is a safe, non-narcotic solution to heroin cravings.  And it works for individuals whether they have used heroin for a short time or for many years.

Heroin detox is necessary for nearly every new patient entering heroin treatment.  Medical detoxification minimizes heroin withdrawal symptoms.  But even though the body has been safely cleansed of the opiate, cravings remain.  Whether a patient continues with residential or outpatient treatment these cravings can be a distraction and possibly lead them to relapse.

For decades the only solution to heroin cravings was to place patients on Methadone maintenance or just have them “tough it out”.  While Methadone maintenance is a good harm reduction strategy, the option is not always acceptable to the patient since they consider themselves to still be addicted.  And while it is suggested that toughing it out builds character, the risk of relapse is much too high to be acceptable.

Vivitrol is an opiate blocker that works with chemicals in the brain to reduce heroin cravings.  Patients must complete heroin detox before the first injection can be administered.  Additionally, each patient must be assessed and fully counseled on the medication and possible side effects.  If a patient uses heroin after receiving a Vivitrol injection, there will be no adverse effects but there will be no euphoria either.

Some individuals turn to heroin after they become addicted to prescription drugs, and can no longer afford them.  Others feel hopeless after many years of attempting heroin addiction treatment, only to return to the drug after short periods of abstinence.  Vivitrol can work for any of these individuals because it blocks the brain’s need for opiates, in simplified terms.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles is actively evaluating patients with opiate addiction, cases by case, and prescribing Vivitrol where appropriate.  We have already seen positive results with opiate craving reduction with patients who present with alcohol dependence and also use opiates.  As testing has shown to date, we can expect the same result with heroin dependence.

Tarzana Treatment Centers provides alcohol and drug detox as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one has a problem with alcohol dependence or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Vivitrol, or injectable Naltrexone, has been in use for some time now as medication assisted treatment for alcohol cravings.  Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles has done so and noted the beneficial side effect of craving reduction for those with opiate addiction in addition to alcohol dependence.  So we will now prescribe Vivitrol for patients with opiate dependence.

Vivitrol has proven to be effective in alcohol craving reduction.  During internal interviews, patients have reported higher motivation for recovery with some reporting minor side effects.  Those who also suffer from heroin addiction or prescription drug addiction noted a reduction in opiate cravings as well as for alcohol.

In light of this, Tarzana Treatment Centers is actively evaluating patients with opiate addiction for the purpose of prescribing them Vivitrol.  This is being done on a case by case basis.  Between our own experience with the benefits of Vivitrol for opiate addiction, along with the successful phases of testing Alkermes has done in this area, we feel that it is now a safe, non-narcotic alternative for opiate craving reduction.

The excerpt below is from an Associated Press article about Vivitrol tests on opiate dependence.  

-- Begin external content --

Alkermes Inc. said a late stage clinical trial shows its drug Vivitrol, which is used to help alcoholics quit drinking, also helped opioid addicts stay off drugs.

Subjects who were injected with Vivitrol once per month were more likely to pass a urine test than patients who received a placebo injection, Alkermes said. The drug also met secondary goals, as subjects reported a lower craving for drugs, and half of the subjects were clean in at least 90 percent of their drug tests.

-- Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Alkermes-Vivitrol-succeeds-in-apf-4264308824.html?x=0&.v=2 –

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles uses Vivitrol for medication assisted treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help for alcohol dependence or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Those who suffer from opiate addiction may want to learn a few things about Vivitrol, or injectable Naltrexone, which reduces alcohol cravings for those with alcohol dependence.  This may be of interest because phase 3 trials have been successfully completed on Naltrexone for opiate dependence, and it is going through the process for FDA approval.

So far it appears that Alkermes has produced a drug that passes all trial phases to the point that it should be approved.  But we will not pre-determine the outcome at this time.  While remaining prudent until final FDA approval comes, the potential for this type of medication assisted treatment provides us an opportunity to discuss different scenarios where it will be of use.

Heroin cravings are a major reason that individuals remain trapped in an opiate addiction.  They can take control of the brain as early as the first use, and last for a lifetime.  But, to date, there is not a non-narcotic solution to this problem.

The opiate potency in heroin is so strong that the brain sends signals that the body needs more upon first use.  These cravings lead individuals to be more open minded to using it a second time, and are reinforced with each use.  Once heroin addiction takes hold there is seemingly no defense against them.

If treatment is sought, heroin detox is typically where it begins.  Even the best motivated patients can decide to leave treatment due to the manifestation of cravings.  Reminders of heroin use, during a conversation as an example, can take mere minutes to change the motivation from recovery to obtaining and using heroin.

Many who have made multiple treatment attempts resort to Methadone maintenance as a defense against heroin cravings.  Methadone for harm reduction works, but it is still a narcotic.  While individuals can re-enter society and stop using heroin, they are still addicted to an opiate.

In drug treatment the goal is to help patients remove drugs from their lives completely when they want it.  A non-narcotic answer to heroin cravings would be welcome as an option to meet this goal.  Not only would it be effective in relapse prevention, but also a healthy alternative to using narcotics for harm reduction.

The excerpt of an article below is from the National Institute on Drug Abuse website.  The full article describes current treatments for heroin abuse and addiction.

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A variety of effective treatments are available for heroin addiction. Treatment tends to be more effective when heroin abuse is identified early. The treatments that follow vary depending on the individual, but methadone, a synthetic opiate that blocks the effects of heroin and eliminates withdrawal symptoms, has a proven record of success for people addicted to heroin. Other pharmaceutical approaches, such as buprenorphine, and many behavioral therapies also are used for treating heroin addiction. Buprenorphine is a recent addition to the array of medications now available for treating addiction to heroin and other opiates. This medication is different from methadone in that it offers less risk of addiction and can be prescribed in the privacy of a doctor's office. Buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) is a combination drug product formulated to minimize abuse.

-- Source: http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/heroin/heroin5.html --

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides medical detoxification and medication assisted treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one has a problem with drug addiction or alcohol dependence, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles uses Vivitrol for patients with alcohol dependence to reduce alcohol cravings during treatment.  Using this form of medication assisted treatment in alcohol treatment has proven to improve outcomes.  Alkermes, the company that produces Vivitrol, has now completed testing and is in the process of getting FDA approval on an equivalent treatment for opiate dependence.

Considering the success we’ve seen with Vivitrol in alcohol treatment, we look forward to the day we can offer the same treatment for drug addiction.  Opiate addiction covers a wide spectrum of drugs that include heroin and prescription drugs, so this new drug could help a lot of people.

Long time sufferers of heroin addiction who have trouble quitting could finally be relieved of the opiate cravings that lead them to immediate relapse after opiate detox or treatment.  For some patients in heroin treatment there is a feeling of hopelessness due to the strong draw they feel to the drug.  Cravings are the major reason for relapse with this group, leaving treatment impotent to some degree.

Methadone maintenance patients will have an alternate opportunity to finally quit drugs completely.  While this type of medication assisted treatment is effective for many opiate addicts, most of them would like to be free from the bondage of any drug.  They would welcome the chance to try a non-narcotic alternative in opiate treatment.

Those who become addicted to pain medications due to a need for relief after a tragic accident or during a bout with major illness can have this drug built into their treatment.  Once the associated pain is gone and the addiction remains, they could enter medical detoxification and continue on to drug treatment with reduced cravings.  

The scenarios above are only a few examples of the benefits that can come from a non-addictive alternative to harm reduction in opiate addiction treatment.  As we have seen success with Vivitrol, we have every reason to believe this new drug is safe and hope FDA approval comes soon.

A portion of an article posted on Drugs.com is below.  The full article gives more information about the status of the opiate craving reduction medication discussed above.  

-- Begin external content –

Alkermes, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS) today announced positive preliminary results from a phase 3 clinical trial of naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension (XR-NTX) for the treatment of opioid dependence. The six-month phase 3 study met its primary efficacy endpoint and data showed that patients treated once-monthly with XR-NTX demonstrated statistically significant higher rates of clean (opioid-free) urine screens, compared to patients treated with placebo, as measured by the cumulative distribution of clean urine screens (p<0.0002). Based on the positive results of this phase 3 study, Alkermes plans to file a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the first half of calendar 2010. XR-NTX, marketed by Alkermes as VIVITROL®, is an opioid antagonist administered once-monthly by intramuscular injection and is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of alcohol dependence. If approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid dependence, XR-NTX has the potential to be the first and only non-narcotic, non-addictive drug agent available in a once-monthly formulation.

-- Source: http://www.drugs.com/clinical_trials/alkermes-announces-positive-results-phase-3-clinical-study-naltrexone-extended-release-injectable-8443.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Drugscom-ClinicalTrials+%28Drugs.com+-+Clinical+Trials%29 –

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles offers medication assisted treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help for alcohol dependence or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.