Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) involves the use of FDA-approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a "whole-patient" approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. MAT is particularly helpful for people with opioid and alcohol use disorders because specific medications exist to treat both.
Buprenorphine (brand name: Suboxone) is an opioid medication used to treat opioid addiction in the privacy of a physician’s office. Buprenorphine can be dispensed for take home use, by prescription, unlike methadone which must be taken in person at a specially designated clinic. Buprenorphine has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for people addicted to opioids.
Naltrexone is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat opioid use disorders and alcohol use disorders. It comes in a pill form that can be taken daily (brand name: ReVia) or as an long-acting injection (Vivitrol). Naltrexone has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for opioid and alcohol use disorder patients.
Substance used disorders are surprisingly common with roughly 20 million people requiring treatment for addiction every year in the United States. Establishing a substance use disorder diagnosis requires a thorough evaluation by a licensed professional. In this video Dr. Neptune reviews the diagnostic criteria for substance abuse orders and how a diagnosis is made.