Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medication Assisted Treatment for Drug & Alcohol Addiction

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Treatment for Opioid Addiction

Active Recovery Care specializes in the treatment of opioid addiction. Opiates include prescription medications such as Oxycontin, Percocet, and Vicodin, as well as heroin and fentanyl.

You may be struggling with an addiction if:

You spend a lot of time thinking about or withdrawing from your medication.
You are taking prescription opiates more often, in larger amounts, or for a longer period of time than what was prescribed by your clinician.
You are having a hard time meeting the obligations of your family, work, and/or school because of the opiates you are taking.
You have taken opiates when it is physically dangerous to do so, such as while driving a car or operating machinery.
You experience strong urges or cravings to use opiates and have tried unsuccessfully to stop taking them.
You continue to use opiates even when you know it is no longer helping your condition and may even be making it worse.
When you stop taking opioids for a prolonged period of time, you have one or more of the following: yawning, sweating, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, difficulty sleeping, muscle aches, anxiety or irritability.
Your prescribed medication no longer has the same effects as it used to.

If one or more of the above apply to you, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine may be right for you. Buprenorphine alone or in combination with naloxone, can help decrease cravings, stop withdrawal symptoms, and block the effects of other opioids.

Contact Active Recovery Care for an Evaluation

What To Expect

Typically, treatment is started when you are in MILD TO MODERATE opioid withdrawal, meaning you have been avoiding heroin or short-acting opioids for 6-12 hours and methadone or long-acting opioids for 24-72 hours.

Expect weekly follow-up visits initially. Random drug screening and pill counts will be performed as part of your care. The length of time between visits may increase as you become more stable on the medication and your cravings for opioids subside.

Counseling

Active Recovery Care will assist you in finding an addiction counselor that is able to address needs you may have, provide support, help family members in supporting your decision to get treatment, and to help with referrals to community services.

Psychosocial treatment is recommended to help you conquer your addiction, in addition to receiving medication-assisted treatment.

Medication Options

There are several different medications that are effective in treating substance abuse. The choice of which medication may be best for you should be a shared decision between you and your provider. Past treatment and medical history, patient preference, and the clinical setting are all considered when deciding between methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Please keep in mind that all of these medications are meant to be used in conjunction with counseling.

Methadone is the most well known medication for treating opioid dependence. Methadone for substance abuse treatment requires daily dosing and close monitoring. It is only available at the specialty licensed Opioid Treatment Program (OTP), more commonly referred to as a Methadone Clinic.
Buprenorphine can be given alone in in combination with naloxone and is often referred to by the brand name of Suboxone. Buprenorphine comes in several different forms; sublingual tablets or films, as an implant lasting 6 months at a time (Probuphine), and will be available as a once a week or once a month injection. Medications containing buprenorphine are available from clinicians who have training and a unique DEA number and can be used in inpatient treatment or in an Office Based Outpatient Treatment (OBOT) center or clinic. To avoid rapid detoxification, mild-moderate withdrawal symptoms much be present before starting on this medication.
Naltrexone is a medication that can be used for opioid or alcohol dependence. It can be taken as a tablet, but more often it is given as a once a month injection. Vivitrol is the brand name for the injectable naltrexone. Naltrexone can be given in any medical setting, but it cannot be given until least 7 days have passed since the last opioid use.

Medication-Assisted Treatment