Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
MAT is a proven pharmacological treatment for opioid use disorder. The backbone of this treatment is FDA approved medications. Agonist drugs, methadone and buprenorphine, activate opioid receptors in the brain, preventing painful opioid withdrawal symptoms without causing euphoria; naltrexone blocks the effects of opioids. MAT is effective at reducing use and helping people to lead normal lives.
Why this strategy works |
MAT works best when: |
The World Health Organization has called MAT “one of the most effective types of pharmacological therapy of opioid dependence.” Numerous studies have shown that MAT contributes to significant reductions in opioid use, criminal activity, overdose, and other risky behaviors. MAT quells cravings and allows patients receiving it to stabilize their physical dependency. This stability allows MAT patients to achieve healthy social, psychological, and lifestyle changes.
A note about the three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder:
While all three medications (methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone) can be effective in the treatment of opioid use disorder, decades of research support the efficacy of opioid agonist medications (methadone and buprenorphine) in preventing overdose. We are now learning about the overdose prevention capabilities of long-acting, injectable naltrexone. Early research indicates that long acting naltrexone may share methadone and buprenorphine’s overdose prevention effects. Though naltrexone has also proven effective, research has shown that this medication is harder to initiate in some patients and that less effective attenuation of withdrawal symptoms during the first days of treatment may predict treatment drop out. Differences in treatment response and outcomes with naltrexone are actively being researched. Medications, therefore, should be selected carefully and tailored to the needs of each individual patient. |
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Medication-assisted treatment-What the research says
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