Medication-Assisted Treatment
If you’ve been thinking of trying out medication-assisted treatment (MAT), first, you need to learn what MAT is. Then, you need to find a health care facility that offers it. TruHealing Riverbend Addiction Treatment can help you, especially if you’re from Indiana or Kentucky. Our location is in Jeffersonville, IN, but it is right near the border of KY.
MAT is exactly what it sounds like — it’s a treatment approach that involves medications. MAT has been proven to help treat opioid and alcohol addiction cases and its use has become more prominent recently due to the U.S. opioid crisis. However, MAT must always be paired with behavioral therapy sessions. Searching for medication-assisted treatment near Indianapolis? Reach out to TruHealing Riverbend Addiction Treatment today by calling [Direct] or contacting our team online.
What Is Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)?
As mentioned earlier, MAT should combine medications and behavioral therapy sessions — especially when used to treat substance use disorders (SUDs). On top of helping to treat addiction, MAT can also prevent relapses and can therefore support long-term addiction recovery by helping to maintain sobriety.
The involved medications are all FDA-approved drugs, and while there may be a chance of developing a dependence on these medications, it’s rare for that to happen. The prescribed medication during MAT normalizes brain chemistry and body functions, block the euphoric effects of alcohol and opioids, and relieves physiological cravings. Overall, MAT can:
- Decrease illicit addictive substance use and instances of other criminal activities
- Improve birth outcomes among pregnant women with SUDs
- Improve patient survival
- Increase ability to gain and then maintain employment
- Increase retention in treatment
Medications such as buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone, and naloxone could be prescribed in different cases.
How Does MAT for Addiction Work?
Now that you know what medication-assisted treatment is, it may be easier to understand how it works for clients struggling with addiction.
MAT has proved to be clinically effective for clients like this. It significantly reduces the need for inpatient detoxification services and provides a more comprehensive and customized treatment plan for clients in recovery. In general, MAT can help clients struggling with withdrawal symptoms during the initial stage of recovery — but, in some cases, it can also coincide with other forms of care throughout a client’s primary addiction treatment program.
Clients may safely take medications used in MAT for months, years, or even a lifetime — as long as a qualified medical professional supervises MAT. The ultimate goal of MAT is the client’s full recovery, which can be a lifelong process for some.
When Should You Consider MAT?
If — after examining the benefits and disadvantages of MAT — you determine that it may be the treatment choice that makes the most sense for you or someone you love, you should seek the input of a trained addiction treatment professional. Look for a health care facility that offers MAT for addiction and learn about all the options. Be ready to ask questions and share any concerns.
MAT has emerged as a more effective way to address SUD issues and has significant backing from medical and public health authorities. If you or your loved one are unfit to undergo MAT, it won’t be recommended for you.
Ready To Learn More About TruHealing Riverbend’s Medication-Assisted Treatment in Jeffersonville, IN?
MAT is an evidence-based approach to treating SUDs that’s strongly endorsed as an effective treatment modality by the American Medical Association (AMA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other agencies in public health care. If you’re looking for medication-assisted treatment near Indianapolis, contact TruHealing Riverbend Addiction Treatment today. Reach out to our team online or call [Direct].