Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies to provide a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. Medications used in MAT are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and MAT programs are clinically driven and tailored to meet each patient’s needs. At ALANA all Medication Assisted Treatment is overseen by our Medical Director and Nurse Practitioner.

This treatment service approaches addiction recovery by controlling your unhealthy cravings for drugs and alcohol through medicines. When you are addicted to any substance, your body will call for more of that substance because you have become dependent on the false happiness they provide.

Through MAT, you will take medicines instead of the substances you are addicted to. Different medicines work for different kinds of substance addictions. You may wonder if this treatment is simply substituting one drug for another. However, not all drugs are medicines.

Prescribed medicines through MAT services work by blocking your cravings when you attempt to stop taking the drugs you have become dependent on. At the same time, the medicines ease the unpleasant symptoms associated with taking drugs or alcohol.

Buprenorphine & Naloxone

Buprenorphine is a medication approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to combat and treat opioid use disorder (OUD). It is the primary medicine used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT). In an effort to increase access to treatment, the FDA allows Buprenorphine to be prescribed or dispensed in doctor’s offices, upon completion of an education “waiver.”

Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine is combined with Naloxone in MAT. Buprenorphine satisfies the opioid receptors in the brain while naloxone reduces cravings and blocks the feelings of euphoria. Our clients use various brands of buprenorphine/naloxone combinations to treat opioid addiction. This combination has been shown to effectively reduce cravings, increase cognitive clarity, and prevent symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Some brand names are Suboxone, Zubsolv, and Bunavair. Buprenorphine acts on the same receptors in the brain as opiates, but in a decreased magnitude. It can be used for detox, short- or long-term opiate replacement therapies.

Naloxone

Naloxone is a medication approved by the FDA as an opioid antagonist—it binds to opioid receptors and to reverse and block the effects produced by opioids.

Naltrexone

Natrexone is a drug that blocks the effects of opioids and helps to reduce cravings for opioids and/or alcohol. Vivitrol is an injectable form of naltrexone, and shots are given every 30 days.