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Can Medication-Assisted Treatment Help Patients with Addiction?

Opioid and alcohol addiction can cause health complications in many ways, making sustained recovery a major challenge. But it’s possible with the help of the medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program. MAT has been very helpful in helping addicts with long-term recovery.   While the effects of medication-assisted treatment depend largely on the type of substance abuse being treated, there still is significant hope for all. Here’s everything you need to know about this treatment.

What is Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)?

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a treatment modal for substance addiction that consists of counseling and medication. MAT is a common approach as it’s the most effective opioid addiction treatment. It may seem counterintuitive as most medicines used to treat addiction are sometimes the substances people are addicted to, such as naltrexone and methadone. However, how they’re used is what makes this treatment effective.

Benefits of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

MAT has become one of the premier approaches for treating opioid addiction since it closely monitors the patient’s progress. However, there are three other reasons why MAT is the right addiction treatment.

A Number of Medications Used in MAT Treatment are FDA Approved

Three common medications used in medication-assisted treatment for addiction are methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. All three of these medications have been approved by FDA for addiction treatment. Here are some ways how these medicines can help patients recover from addiction:

  • Methadone– This helps reduce any withdrawal symptoms and cravings one might experience when quitting drug use, blocking the effects of opioids.
  • Buprenorphine– This helps reduce the overall cravings and withdrawal symptoms of the drug one is addicted to.
  • Naltrexone– This helps block the “euphoric” effects that lead to opioid addiction.

MAT Helps Patients Deal with Addiction-Related Health Issues

Besides causing major changes in the brain and behavior, drug addiction also results in other significant health-related issues that become a problem when treating addiction. Using medication-assisted treatment for addiction recovery has proven to be very effective in decreasing the adverse effects of addiction, such as elevated levels of liver enzymes or respiratory depression. Similarly, excessive alcohol use can cause memory loss, cancer, heart issues, and brain damage. By using MAT to treat alcohol addiction, you’re able to reduce the monthly number of days one spends consuming alcohol, improving overall health.

MAT Increases Chances of Long-Term Success

An important part of addiction treatment is detoxification which helps remove the substance from your body. This is the most important part of addiction treatment, whether it’s opioid or alcohol addiction. While some believe that MAT treatment merely replaces one drug with another, it does a lot more. There is scientific evidence supporting that medication-assisted treatment can improve the outcome of drug addiction recovery during detox and long-term recovery.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Baltimore

If you or someone you know needs MAT treatment in Baltimore, get in touch with us today. MD M.A.T.T is a suboxone clinic in Owings Mills that provides a wide range of addiction treatments for teenagers and adults. Our addiction doctors are trained to help with various types of substance addictions. Contact us now to learn more.