Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Medication Assisted Treatment is the future of recovery. And the future is now, at Revive.
What is Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)?
MAT combines medications specifically prescribed by trained Medical Doctors to assist with the negative effects of withdrawal from drug and alcohol abuse.
MATs, widely considered the best approach to detoxification and withdrawal, are a much more realistic and desirable option for clients who desperately want to get sober, but fear they can’t handle withdrawal and the suffering that goes along with it. Our skilled Medical Team employs certain medications to make the recovery process less uncomfortable and ultimately much more successful.
MATs reduce the impact of substance abuse’s short and long-term effects on the body and brain to ensure the best possible outcomes from detox through lasting sobriety.
Moving beyond the initial relief of a successful and much more comfortable detox, some of these medications can actually help reduce or even eliminate cravings altogether, making the probable intermittent desire to return to drug use or alcohol after treatment all the more manageable.
What Kinds of Medication Assisted Treatment Might my Doctor Prescribe at Revive?
There are several types of MATs that are currently approved for use, directed by our experienced Medical team, depending on their thorough evaluation of your specific needs*:
Opioid Dependency: Our Addiction Specialists may use different types of Medically Assisted Treatments for Opioid Dependency including:
Buprenorphine – a semi-synthetic opioid that helps suppress the effects of detoxification from opioid dependency. Buprenorphine comes in the easy-to-use forms of pills, sublingual tablets, and sublingual films.
Naltrexone – An opiate antagonist, it works on the brain to prevent or block the positive feelings associated with using opioids, taking away the incentive to abuse these drugs again.
Sublocade – Sublocade is a crucial advancement in the treatment of opioid dependency. It is a once-monthly extended-release injection that contains buprenorphine, a medication that helps individuals manage their opioid addiction. This innovative approach offers several benefits over traditional daily medication regimens. Sublocade provides a consistent and controlled release of buprenorphine, which eliminates the need for daily dosing, reducing the risk of diversion and misuse. This reliable, long-acting formulation helps stabilize opioid-dependent individuals by curbing cravings and withdrawal symptoms, thereby enhancing treatment adherence and the chances of long-term recovery. Sublocade is administered by a healthcare professional, ensuring medication compliance and reducing the burden on patients struggling with opioid addiction, making it an effective tool in the comprehensive approach to managing opioid dependency.
Vivitrol – A once-monthly injectable extended-release form of Naltrexone. Many individuals prefer Vivitrol due its ease of use. Rather than relying upon a consistent daily dose of a pill, this long-acting version means that a dose will never be missed or forgotten, and individuals and their loved ones may breathe easier knowing that oversight is a non-issue with Vivitrol.
In order to begin Vivitrol, your body must be free of opioids or synthetic opioids for a minimum of 7-14 days. Revive’s Medical Team provides expert assistance for those who desire to make this transition and will assist with every aspect of this process from detox to appointment setting with a Vivitrol provider for ongoing care and management, as is our protocol with clients who make the decision with their doctor to begin any Medically prescribed maintenance plan.
Maintenance Plans: For many, MAT maintenance plans have proven more effective than any other method at promoting long-term sobriety. Should our clients and medical team decide that a maintenance program is appropriate, clients are provided with medical education and assistance in continuing medical management at their next level of care. Revive will ensure we assist you in confirming an appointment with a doctor who will provide ongoing medical support and management. This is our commitment to ensuring your greatest opportunity for success. We go the extra mile with you on this journey because, at Revive, YOU matter.
Alcohol Dependency: The FDA has cleared the use of three different drugs for use in MATs in instances of Alcohol Abuse
Disulfiram – Also commonly known as Antabuse, Disulfiram produces extremely unpleasant sensations when it comes in contact with even the smallest amount of alcohol. These effects are so severe that even severe alcoholics resist the urge to drink.
Acamprosate – Helps to restore the balance of certain neurotransmitters in the brain so that substance abusers will not experience the same severity of craving to return to abusing alcohol.
Naltrexone – Just as it eliminates the euphoric effect of taking opioids, Naltrexone also reduces the pleasurable effects of alcohol. It is used as an anti-craving medication because the brain no longer receives any of the positive effects from alcohol, thus, alcohol is no longer associated with any positive experience and desire can be reduced.
Vivitrol – A once-monthly injectable extended-release form of Naltrexone. Helping prepare clients for long-term recovery, Vivitrol can provide a crucial aid by switching them from having to take a daily oral medication. Rather, a Vivitrol injection allows for a continual steady dose throughout the entire month. Accountability and responsibility concerns can be eliminated altogether with a monthly appointment at Revive to receive the injection.
*While MATs may be prescribed upon individual medical evaluation, these medications are not provided in lieu of other medications and are not representative of other medications your doctor may prescribe after evaluation your specific needs.
Why Does Revive Offer Medically Assisted Treatments?
Simply stated, we believe our clients deserve the best care available to them.
Medically Assisted Treatment, when appropriately prescribed, is the most evidence-based, scientifically proven method of helping clients detoxify, maintain sobriety, and create meaningful changes in the way they understand and manage their addiction.
Medication Assisted Treatments May be Prescribed to:
- diminish withdrawal symptoms
- reduce the severity of ongoing cravings
- help normalize brain chemistry
- ensure long-term success in sobriety with a maintenance plan
Revive Recovery subscribes to a holistic model of treatment. Our Medical experts approach treatment by addressing the physical components of Substance Use Disorder, while our Clinical Team works from a spiritual, motivational and social model. In other words, we recognize that addiction has physical and psychological components. Rather than relying solely on behavioral modalities that widely underserve those suffering with addiction and offer little support in managing their ongoing struggles, we combine empathy and introspective work alongside the relief and long-term benefits that pharmacology can offer.
Revive believes that Substance Abuse Disorders need to be treated as more than an acute problem. Our clients deserve continual support and medical management to receive immediate assistance and prevent relapse should a slip occur. We are your advocates from Detox through aftercare and we will be here to treat you with the same medical expertise, care and compassion we have always been known for providing.
The Research:
MATs Are Successfully Combating the Biggest Drug Epidemic the U.S. Has Ever Seen
The impressive results of MATs are proving to be instrumental in fighting against the deadliest and most widespread Substance Abuse epidemic in our nation’s history.
In a situation as dire as this, time is obviously of the essence. Incorporating evidence-based treatment methods (like MATs) into rehabilitation facilities such as Revive as soon as possible is absolutely essential to mitigating the harm of extensive and deadly addiction.
While more antiquated beliefs surrounding recovery may have once suggested otherwise, medical science has now fully recognized the need for ongoing medical management and treatment, just as with any disease.
Addicts and the recovery community understand that this drug epidemic requires ongoing medical care and is not simply a moral failure or character flaw. These organizations include:
- The American Board of Preventative Medicine (ABPM)
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- MedlinePlus (a division of the National Institutes of Health)
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), for instance, reports that when MATs were implemented in Baltimore, heroin overdoses dropped by 37%. Furthermore, overall opioid use, criminal activity, and the transmission of infectious diseases decreased as a result of Medically Assisted Treatments as well.
When used to treat Alcohol Dependency, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that:
There is clear and consistent evidence that naltrexone is significantly beneficial in helping those patients who cannot remain abstinent to reduce their drinking behaviors. They drink less often and in lower quantities, avoiding full-blown relapse.
Medication Assisted Treatments in addiction have had their effectiveness backed up by hard science
In order to gain approval for use, a medication first needs to go through rigorous testing to prove its effectiveness in the field. Rather than relying on anecdotal evidence, then, these treatment methods necessarily must have adequate data behind them before they can be used.
The resulting treatment methods not only surpass the traditional approach to addiction treatment in terms of effectiveness, but methods that are also actually backed up by the numbers. And when the lives and livelihoods of individuals are on the line, proven treatment methods are more important than ever.
The Severity of the Problem:
From 2000 to 2015, over half a million U.S. citizens have died from drug overdoses, with opioid-related overdose numbers quadrupling since 1999.
- Every single day, 91 Americans die from overdosing on opioids.
- In 2015, drug overdoses accounted for more deaths than cars accidents or gun violence.
- In 2016 alone, overdoses have killed more Americans than both the Vietnam and Iraq wars combined.
In a situation as dire as this, it is critical that we incorporate evidence- based treatment modalities like Medication Assisted Treatment, because every single life matters.
