The road to recovery from addiction can be difficult. If you or someone you love suffers from addiction problems, the Master Center for Addiction Medicine is here to help. With our Medication-Assisted Treatment programs, we can help those addicted to opioids and alcohol start their journey towards sober living. We provide comprehensive addiction treatment programs of medication and therapy-based treatments.

What Is Medication-Assisted Treatment?

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is a method for treating substance use disorders that combines medication with behavioral therapy. All medications used are FDA-approved, and when administered alongside counseling and behavioral therapies, they provide a well-rounded approach to attaining and maintaining recovery without the unpleasant symptoms.

One of the most common medications is Suboxone, which contains buprenorphine, and which users take orally. Another popular treatment option is Vivitrol, available in injection or pill form. Vivitrol can help to treat both opioid addiction and alcohol dependence. When taking either of these medications, you should always follow the advice and guidance of your healthcare provider. 

It’s important to know that Medication-Assisted Treatment is not merely replacing one addictive substance with another, as critics of MAT have tried to claim. Instead, the MAT program treats the effects of addiction comprehensively, dealing effectively with the physical difficulties of overcoming drug dependence through medication in tandem with other therapies. We believe that by removing the physical and mental side effects caused by opioid withdrawal, patients can make much better progress and maintain sobriety.

Who Benefits from Medication-Assisted Treatment?

MAT can successfully treat a range of different substance issues. These include addictions to alcohol and tobacco, but MAT is more common for treating patients addicted to opioids. Opioid use disorders (OUD) entail patterns of opioid use over a sustained period, leading to severe distress or physical impairment. 

Opioids—also known as narcotics—come in many different forms, and they may be prescription medications (usually prescribed as painkillers) or street drugs such as heroin. Opioids alter the brain’s chemistry, leading to drug tolerance, which in turn means that the user needs to increase the dose over time to achieve the same effect. Taking high doses of opiates over a sustained period leads to dependence and addiction. The body experiences extreme withdrawal when the user ceases to take them. Common opioids include:

  • heroin
  • codeine
  • methadone
  • fentanyl
  • morphine
  • hydromorphone
  • oxycodone

The side effects and cravings that opioid users get when they stop using the substance are incredibly intense and challenging to overcome, which is why so many patients in recovery relapse when proper support is not in place. MAT for opioid use disorders can help control:

  • Withdrawal symptoms: When an opioid user stops using, they feel seriously ill and experience intense withdrawal symptoms. These occur due to the body’s dependence on the drug, without which it can no longer cope.
  • Cravings: Intense cravings occur when those addicted to opioids stop taking them regularly. The cravings make it difficult for the recovering addict to quit, even if they “taper off” by gradually using fewer drugs.
  • Dangerous effects on health: In the most severe cases, withdrawal symptoms can be fatal. Even when they are not, the impacts of withdrawal on the body can be severely damaging.

Medication-Assisted Treatment for people with opioid addictions can prevent both withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Our programs also involve professional monitoring of the detox period to ensure the patient’s life and health are safe. MAT stops users from being in danger when they cease using opioids as a holistic approach.

What Are the Medications Involved in Treatment?

At the Master Center, we offer three forms of medication-assisted treatment. These medications can aid recovery and combat the extreme physical difficulty of resisting cravings and overcoming withdrawal symptoms, which otherwise hamper opioid addiction recovery.

Sublocade

Sublocade is used in medication-assisted treatment for addiction. It is a long-acting form of buprenorphine that helps to reduce cravings and ease or even eliminate withdrawal symptoms. It works by mimicking the opioid while also blocking the effect of narcotics. Sublocade is injected subcutaneously (under the skin) and works for 30 days, eliminating the need for patients to take daily medications. Sublocade is a depot form of buprenorphine – meaning it is injected as a liquid and, once in the body, turns into a gel that releases the medication gradually. It also means controlled substances are not kept in the patient’s home, helping to remove stress and temptations during recovery and reducing the chance of relapse.

Sublocade can offer an alternative approach to tapering off buprenorphine at the right time in a patient’s recovery process.

Suboxone

Suboxone is the brand name of a prescription drug with FDA approval for clinical opioid use disorder treatment. Patients can take this as part of our MAT treatment or detox. Suboxone contains two drugs: buprenorphine and naloxone. When taken orally, it can block the effects of other opioids.

Buprenorphine works by blocking the effects of other narcotics. It mimics opioids’ effects on the body, reducing an individual’s cravings and preventing withdrawal symptoms. Naloxone, the other composite drug, is an opioid antagonist that fights the effects that opioid abuse has on the body.

Unlike other available treatments for opioid abuse, your doctor can prescribe Suboxone. You don’t have to seek an addiction treatment center to access it. However, without an active treatment program that combines other therapies and medication treatment, the prescription alone is unlikely to lead to recovery. The higher rates of successful recovery and sobriety in MAT are why we recommend only taking Suboxone as part of a comprehensive recovery program.

Vivitrol

The other drug we use as part of our MAT programs is Vivitrol, the brand name for the drug naltrexone. When delivered as an injection, it can block the effects of opioids on the body. The dose goes into a muscle and is administered in the office by your physician every 30 days.

The primary purpose of treatment with Vivitrol is to prevent a relapse of drug use. Because it works by blocking the feelings of relief, euphoria, and well-being that users get from taking opioids, the medication stops them from feeling the need to continue taking the opioid. It is also effective in treating alcohol abuse, working similarly to how it does in opioid addiction. It reduces the urge to drink alcohol.

You should note that Vivitrol is not a cure for alcoholism or drug addiction. Still, it is a robust method of reducing urges for these substances and lessening the effects significantly, if not altogether, if the individual happens to attempt to use alcohol or opioids. When used as part of a thorough treatment program, it can aid users on the road to recovery. You should be aware that you cannot receive a Vivitrol injection if you are still using opioids, as this could cause sudden and severe withdrawal symptoms.

The Side Effects of Treatment

All medications pose the risk of side effects, from mild to severe. Before you begin MAT, you must be aware of these and report any more severe or persistent symptoms to a medical practitioner immediately.

Sublocade Side Effects

As with any medication, there is a chance that Sublocade can cause some side effects. Your health care professional will inform you of these before starting your treatment, and if you have any concerns, you should bring them up as soon as possible.

Some common side effects include:

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Pain or itching around the injection site
  • Fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Constipation

More severe side effects include:

  • Respiratory trouble
  • Central nervous system depression
  • Physical dependence
  • Liver problems
  • Damage to the adrenal gland

This is not a complete list of the possible side effects. It is critical to speak to your healthcare provider for further information.

Before starting this treatment, always inform your doctor if you are on any other medications. Sublocade has the potential to interact with other treatments negatively.

Suboxone Side Effects

You may experience some side effects when you start your Suboxone treatment.

Common side effects from Suboxone treatment include:

  • headaches
  • body aches
  • rapid heart rate
  • nausea
  • anxiety
  • sore tongue/redness in the mouth
  • insomnia (trouble sleeping)
  • fatigue
  • back pain

Many of these common side effects will go away within the first few days to a week. If they persist or continue to get more severe, talk to your healthcare provider.

It’s not common to experience severe side effects from Suboxone, but they occur in some cases. You or a loved one should immediately contact a doctor or healthcare professional if you suffer any of the following or call 911 if you feel your symptoms are life-threatening:

  • breathing problems
  • severe allergic reaction
  • severe withdrawal symptoms
  • liver damage
  • dependence on the drug
  • coma

Please note that Suboxone is an addictive substance in itself. Because it has opioid effects, long-term use can lead to dependence on the drug, leading to abuse or misuse. Suboxone abuse can cause overdose and dangerous side effects, primarily if used with alcohol, other opioids, or benzodiazepines. These risks are another reason we only recommend using it as part of a structured program.

Vivitrol Side Effects

When you begin taking Vivitrol, you may experience some side effects. These may last from a few days to a week, but they shouldn’t persist throughout your treatment. These effects include:

  • pain, redness, and swelling at the site of injection
  • nausea
  • muscle cramps
  • drowsiness
  • toothache
  • nasal congestion
  • insomnia
  • appetite changes

Severe side effects from Vivitrol are less common, but it’s essential to know what they are and to bring them to the immediate attention of your doctor or healthcare provider if you experience them. These side effects include:

  • difficulty breathing
  • severe allergic reaction
  • depression
  • pneumonia
  • swelling in the face, lips, tongue, or throat
  • hives

How Master Center Can Help

At the Master Center, we believe that Medication-Assisted Treatment could change your life for the better if you’re struggling with addiction. We understand that overcoming the withdrawal symptoms and side effects of quitting opioids can be extremely challenging, which is why we offer MAT as one of our recovery services.

MAT can help prevent cravings and withdrawal symptoms, making it easier to give them up and avoiding putting your life and body at risk. When combined with counseling and therapy, treatment with Suboxone or Vivitrol substantially increases the likelihood that patients will overcome their addiction for the long term. You don’t have to go through the recovery process alone. Our trained physicians and recovery team are here to make recovery a possibility for everyone.