The American Medical Association, in August 2018 had released a statement urging the policymakers to assist people with opioid addiction in an unconventional way. The call for assistance came after the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) had shared thought-provoking statistics about the addiction crisis. It comprised 72,000 fatal drug overdoses and 88,000 annual deaths because of excessive alcohol use in 2017.
The AMA recommended a treatment that's known as the MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment). Between 2017-2018 more than 15,000 patients got certified to treat patients with opioid addiction using this approach. The chairman of AMA Opioid Task Force said that they couldn't point at the state where access to MAT ((Medication Assisted Treatment) was considered a priority. The CDC provisional numbers underscore that this epidemic won't get reversed till people deal with the access problems and stigma linked with opioid misuse. Here it is necessary to understand everything about MAT.
What is Medication-Assisted Treatment?
The medication-assisted treatment includes medications and behavioral therapy for treating people who are addicted to substance abuse. It means that the cure for people with opioid addictions could comprise FDA sanctioned drugs, along with behavioral therapies and counseling. It helps to offer a “complete patient” approach to treating the issue of substance abuse. You will get to know more about it in the methadone clinics in Alabama.
People diagnosed with opioid use disorders can use medications to save lives by assisting them in avert relapses. Based on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the approach helps to:
- Enhance patient survival
- Maximize retention in treatment
- Minimize illicit opiate use and various other criminal activity amongst people who are into substance abuse
- Maximize the patient’s capacity to gain and retain employment
- Enhance the birth outcomes amongst women who have been diagnosed with substance abuse and are pregnant
What are the medications used for MAT?
The medications like methadone, naloxone, Naltrexone, and Buprenorphine gets prescribed for various situations. It needs to get used in an accountable fashion to someone who has an opioid addiction. The medications are useful for managing addiction dependence to short-acting opioids such as codeine, morphine, heroin, and semi-synthetic opioids such as hydrocodone and oxycodone. Usually, drugs like Naltrexone, Acamprosate, and Disulfiram get used for treating people with alcohol addiction. To know more, you can search for a methadone clinic near me.
Is MAT known to replace one addiction for another?
It is one of the popular misconceptions about MAT. MAT helps relieve the withdrawal symptoms and the psychological cravings that result in chemical imbalances inside the body. It also provides a secure and managed medication level that can help someone overcome using the abused opioid. Furthermore, research shows that when offered in the correct dose, the medications used in MAT don't have any adverse impact on the concerned person's mental capacities, intelligence, employability, and physical functioning.
How long does someone need to make use of MAT?
People can securely take the medications used for MAT for several months, years, and many years. At times, it can get used for a lifetime as well. It’s the doctor who sets up the plan for an individual. If you plan to pause the medication, they need to discuss the same with the doctor before making any changes to the treatment and prescription.
Who can treat a person with MAT for addiction?
Methadone used in treating opioid addiction needs to get prescribed and dispensed only by a certified medical professional. The drugs that contain Buprenorphine, for instance, Suboxone, can get prescribed by physicians who can attain a waiver from the DEA after getting specified training in using the drug. Also, Naltrexone, injectable or oral, can get prescribed by any licensed physician.
Why are fewer people opting in for MAT?
The lesser adoption of these evidence-based treatment choices for opioid and alcohol dependence is because of the misconceptions about replacing one drug for another one. The discrimination against the MAT patients is another aspect, despite the federal and state laws prohibiting it. The other elements comprise of lack of trained physicians to manage this treatment. Also, there is a negative bias towards MAT in various communities along with health care professionals.
When you look at it closely MAT comprises the managed use of FDA sanctioned medications as a part of a person's addiction treatment plan. All these medications work in a way to minimize the cravings and avert overdoses. It also helps to block the impact of specific substances on the body. The drug is an effective treatment for addiction to tobacco, opioids, and alcohol. People addicted to prescription painkillers and heroin can also use MAT, which has shown long-term recovery. These are a few aspects of MAT that you need to know.
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