Richard Mestayer, MD

Dr. Richard Mestayer, III, earned his M.D. at Louisiana State University Medical Center in 1974 and completed an internship in medicine at Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation, New Orleans, LA, in 1975, where he was named medical “Intern of the Year.” He completed his residency in psychiatry at the University of Virginia Department of Psychiatry in Charlottesville in 1978 and is board certified in psychiatry and neurology. Dr. Mestayer was co-Chief Resident of Psychiatry at University of Virginia Medical School.

In his 39-year career as a practicing physician, Dr. Mestayer has helped countless men and women overcome chemical dependencies, traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, panic, and affective personality disorders. For 27 years he directed the behavioral medicine and stress treatment units at Ochsner Foundation Hospital, taught courses in psychosomatic medicine and personality disorders to residents accepted into Ochsner’s Psychiatric Residency program, where he was named “Teacher of the Year” in 1996. Other awards include “Best Doctor in New Orleans” by New Orleans magazine and the Ochsner Department of Psychiatry’s “Outstanding and Dedicated Service Award” in 2005.

Since his retirement in 2005 he has focused his efforts on addiction recovery, serving as Executive Director of Fernwood House and Magnolia Treatment Center, a residential addiction treatment program in Fernwood, MS, and since 2008 as Chief Psychiatric Consultant at Springfield Wellness Center, a non-residential mental health clinic pioneering a proprietary formula of NAD (nicotine adenine dinucleotide) for the treatment of alcoholism, addiction, chronic and post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Since February 2012 he has also served as President and Medical Director, NAD, LLC, and, since April 2014, as the sole proprietor of BR+ M.D. Consultants, LLC.

Dr. Mestayer’s papers and presentations include “Stress-Related Disorders: Recent Developments in Hospital Treatment,” Journal of Applied Medicine for the Primary Care Physician, May 1, 1985; “Amino Acid-based Nutritional Supplementation Facilitates Abrupt Cessation (‘Stopping Cold Turkey’) of Substance Use by Addiction Patients. Reduction of Withdrawal Symptoms with Minimal Abuse Potential,” Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C., November 2008; invited panelist on “Clinical Trials of Neurotransmission Restoration” by the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Educators (CAADE), Costa Mesa, CA, April 2008; “Compounding products for pain control,” interview in International Journal of Compounding, 2010; and “Intravenous Administration of NAD Significantly Reduces Self-Reported Cravings Routinely Associated with Opiate and Alcohol Withdrawal” at the Society of Neuroscience meeting in Washington, D.C., November 2014.

Throughout his tenure as a practicing physician, Dr. Mestayer was a member of the American Medical Association, the Southern Medical Association, the Orleans Parish Medical Society, and the Southern Psychiatric Association.