Medication-Assisted Treatment Improves Outcome for Opioid Use Disorder October 13, 2018 0 0 Bowie MD
Every single day in America, hundreds if not thousands of people die from an opioid overdose. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) uses the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drugs for treating people with opiate addiction. A sad fact remains, MAT is often not available to those who need it most because of inadequate funding for treatment programs and a genuine lack of providers who are trained to offer these services.
What is Opioid Use Disorder?
Opioid use disorder is a brain disease caused by uncontrolled use of opiates, including heroin and prescription medications such as Oxycontin, oxycodone, and Vicodin. The brain of an opiate dependent person will be unable to stop using opiates, no matter what the person tries to do. Because opiate addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder, it’s important to consider MAT and how it can be beneficial, especially when other treatments have failed in the past.
What is Medication-assisted Treatment?
Medication-assisted treatment is the use of FDA approved medication to treat opiate dependence. The medications used are available in various formulations and doses. Because MAT uses controlled substances for treatment, it’s very important for a person to only take it, if it has been prescribed by a physician trained in MAT protocols. Medication-assisted treatment saves lives while increasing the chances a person will remain in treatment to learn the skills needed to sustain long-term recovery.
Our Program Believes in MAT
Because we have seen the benefits and effectiveness of medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction, we fully endorse it for our patients. If you have tried other treatments to become clean from opiate dependence and it didn’t work, MAT offers something different, it has helped many people get clean and stay that way. If you’re ready to give up your addiction to opiates and want a clean start in life, contact our program now to find out more information about MAT.
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