Medication-Assisted Treatment

What is MAT?

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs are sometimes used to help in the treatment of alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorders, or benzodiazepine addiction to help patients detox safely while reducing withdrawal symptoms, sustaining recovery efforts, and preventing overdose.

An integrated medication-assisted treatment program will use medications alongside behavioral health treatment programs, physical health care, holistic and evidence-based treatments, and other rehabilitation efforts, to provide a holistic approach to treating alcohol or opioid dependence. The medications used are approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and are customized to best suit each patient’s needs, providing the appropriate levels of care. The most common use for a MAT program is for the treatment of alcohol and opioid addiction, including heroin, fentanyl, morphine, and prescription pain medications.

MAT Medications

The FDA has approved several medications for opioid treatment and alcohol addiction treatment. Addiction medicine like methadone, buprenorphine, etc. can help balance brain chemistry while blocking the euphoric effects of these substances. They can take away drug cravings and help return the body to a normal state without creating a new addiction or getting the patient high in any way.

For alcohol addiction treatment programs, acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone are the most commonly utilized addiction medicine. They cannot cure addiction, but they do help block the “good” feelings alcohol provides and stifle withdrawal symptoms. When used within an integrated substance abuse and mental health care program, these alcohol abuse medications can prove very effective.

Medication-assisted treatment for treating opioid addiction often utilizes drugs like buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. These medications, when used inside a treatment facility and provided by medical staff, are safe to be used for months or years, although long-term use of methadone treatment may lead to dependence. Treating opioid dependence takes dedication and perseverance, and medications for opioid drug abuse can make the process easier and safer.

At Sylvan Detox, our MAT program provides safe and slow tapering-off schedules for those addicted to benzodiazepine drugs within a comprehensive addiction treatment plan that incorporates evidence-based and holistic methods to help you quit using benzos without experiencing dangerous withdrawal symptoms. We also have a Subutex program for people who need a MAT program for treating opioid use disorder. Subutex is the brand name of buprenorphine, a medication that blocks other opioids from attaching to opioid receptors while stopping painful and distressing withdrawal symptoms that come with alcohol and opioid substance use disorders (SUDs).

MAT Effectiveness

Medication-assisted treatment has been proven to be effective in significantly helping individuals suffering from substance abuse disorders by providing a combination of therapy, medical care, pain relief and other medication, holistic treatments, case management, and support services. MAT improves patients’ lives by:

• Decreasing the risk of relapse after buprenorphine treatment
• Improving patient survival rates by reducing overdose deaths and including suicide prevention tactics in mental health services administration
• Treating substance abuse and mental health in one integrated dual diagnosis program
• Increase patients’ ability to get and hold a job, living a normal life
• Improve birth outcomes among pregnant women who have a substance use disorder
• Decreasing criminal activity and the spread of infectious disease by decreasing illicit opiate use

At Sylvan Detox, we offer medication-assisted treatments to help in the treatment of drug abuse and alcohol abuse disorders. Using trauma-informed care, medications approved by the FDA (food and drug administration) like buprenorphine treatment and benzodiazepine tapers, 24/7 on-call doctors and 24/7 access to available nurses, mental health care programs with dual diagnosis treatments for co-occurring disorders, holistic substance abuse treatment and more for a whole-patient approach to care. You can detox and rehabilitate inside our inpatient treatment facility, and, if needed, we can refer you to trusted outpatient rehabilitation locations from within our trusted nationwide network of rehab centers.

Addiction is not a life sentence. If you are suffering from an alcohol use disorder, or opioid dependence, or think you could benefit from medication-assisted treatment (MAT) please contact our team. We will provide information to you about how we can help you stop misusing opioid drugs, prescription medications, alcohol, and other harmful substances. We answer our phones 24 hours a day and can help you clarify insurance coverage, answer any questions you may have about behavioral therapy or other treatments for substance use disorders (SUDs), and help you to decide what your next step should be on your personal road to recovery.