Methadone and More: Understanding Medication-Assisted Treatment

Seeking treatment for a substance use disorder can be overwhelming–especially if you don’t have accurate or credible information. There are so many questions to consider:

• What kind of treatment is available to help me?   
• Are there medications that can help?  
• Do I have a choice of the type of medication available?  
• How does it work?  
• What are withdrawal symptoms?   

Making the decision to seek help is always the hardest part, but being unsure of what is available can also make it difficult to make informed decisions.   

Here are some of the most common questions and answers to help you make plans to begin your recovery.  

Q: Do I have to go cold turkey and suffer through withdrawal symptoms?   

The fear of withdrawal symptoms is often one of the largest barriers to treatment. People are hesitant to engage in treatment because they don’t want to go through withdrawal symptoms which can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, chills, sweats etc. etc. The list goes on and on. Fortunately, for several substances, there is medication-assisted treatment to help reduce withdraw and cravings. 

Q: What is Medication-Assisted Treatment?  

MAT is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapy, to provide treatment of substance use disorders. 

 (MAT) is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapy to provide treatment of substance use disorders. 

Q: What types of substance use disorders can be treated by medication-assisted treatment?   

Several medications are available to help with Alcohol Use Disorder and Opioid Use Disorder.  There is some exciting research that is looking into different medications that can be used to treat stimulant use disorder as well, but it is still in development. In addition, there are medications to help stop smoking. This supports the state’s goal for all treatment facilities to be 100% smoke/Tobacco-free by Dec. 2022.  

Q: What medications are commonly used to treat alcohol use disorder? 

There are a couple of choices when seeking medication-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder. Your counselor and provider will prescribe the best treatment to fit your individual needs.

There are a couple of choices when seeking medication-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder. Your counselor and provider will prescribe the best treatment to fit your individual needs.   Medications include Campral, Antabuse, and Naltrexone. Campral helps rebalance chemicals in the brain that may be changed by drinking too much.  Antabuse causes unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, vomiting and headaches when used with alcohol.  Naltrexone works by decreasing cravings for alcohol. 

Q: What medications are commonly used to treat opioid use disorder?   

There are 3 primary medications used to treat opioid use disorder. Methadone, Buprenorphine products, and Naltrexone. 

Q: What is Methadone? 

Methadone is a medication used to treat Opioid Use Disorder. It is a long-acting full opioid agonist.  When taken as prescribed, Methadone is safe and effective, and can assist people in their recovery efforts.  

Methadone is a medication used to treat Opioid Use Disorder. It is a long-acting full opioid agonist.  When taken as prescribed, Methadone is safe and effective, and can assist people in their recovery efforts.  

Q: What is Buprenorphine?    

This medication is commonly known as Subutex.  Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist and is the first medically assisted treatment medication that was allowed to be prescribed in a physician’s office, increasing access to treatment for many people.  

Q: What is Buprenorphine with Naloxone?    

Together, these two medications are commonly known as Suboxone.  This combination pairs a partial opioid agonist with an opioid antagonist.  It is used to assist in the treatment of opioid use disorder.  

Q: What does agonist mean? 

An agonist is a drug that mimics the drug it is intending to replace.   When we say “full agonist” like Methadone, it activates the opioid receptors in the brain and produces the same effects for individuals preventing them from suffering from withdraw symptoms and reducing cravings for Opioids like Heroin.  A partial agonist like Buprenorphine activates opioid receptors in the brain as well, but at a much smaller degree than a full agonist.  

Q: What does antagonist mean? 

An antagonist, Naloxone, is a drug that blocks opioids by attaching to the opioid receptors without activating them. Antagonists cause no opioid effect and block full agonist opioids. Examples are naltrexone and naloxone.  When we block these receptors, we prevent them from being activated.  

Q: What medications do you prescribe at SouthLight? 

In our OTP (Opioid Treatment Program), which is a program where clients come each day to receive a monitored dose of medication, we prescribe Methadone and Subutex.  In our OBOT (Office Based Opioid Treatment) we prescribe Suboxone to our patients on a weekly basis. Our psychiatry program prescribes Naltrexone/Vivitrol for Opioid Use Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder and other indications. 

Q: Which one is right for me? 

There are a number of factors that go into deciding which medication is best suited for an individual. You should talk to your medical provider, discuss your primary drug of choice, length of time in active use, and amount of use each day.

There are a number of factors that go into deciding which medication is best suited for an individual. You should talk to your medical provider, discuss your primary drug of choice, length of time in active use, and amount of use each day.

Be sure to discuss withdraw symptoms you have experienced when trying to stop or not being able to use for a period of time. Be honest with your provider; they are here to help you find the best possible medication-assisted treatment that will give you the best possible outcome in your recovery efforts.  

About SouthLight Healthcare:

Founded in 1970, SouthLight Healthcare is one of the area’s largest nonprofit providers of substance use treatment and mental health services. SouthLight partners with individuals and communities to provide innovative treatment solutions delivered with compassion and dignity. With outpatient and community-based programs, SouthLight provides prevention, education, and treatment services in the Triangle and beyond. Call 919-787-6131 for help or more information or visit www.southlight.org.