Medically Assisted Treatment(MAT), what is it, and who is it for? Can anyone sign up for medically assisted treatment or MAT therapy? These questions get commonly asked when someone finds out about MAT. They realize that this may be the right treatment option for their substance abuse recovery. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration summarizes MAT therapy as a treatment that uses medication, counseling, and behavioral therapy to fight substance abuse. It also works very well against opioid addiction and a variety of other drug detoxes.
What is Medically Assisted Treatment?
MAT therapy uses medication to helps people with substance use disorder overcome their addiction. It uses medication to decrease their cravings for their specific substance of choice. Medically Assisted Treatment does not replace one drug problem with another drug.
Medically Assisted Treatment therapy helps people learn how to live a clean and sober life. There is a mix of counseling and behavioral therapy to help determine the root of the addiction and avoid relapsing. The medication makes up a portion of this treatment plan to help make it easier to deal with withdrawal and other symptoms.
It is important to remember that each person has a treatment that works best for them. Medically Assisted Treatment may be one of many options for you. If you are unsure the best thing to do is to reach out to a medical professional and see what choices work best for you or someone else dealing with substance abuse.
Drugs Used In Medically Assisted Treatment Therapy
Medically Assisted Treatment uses three main drugs, and can be seen below:
- Vivitrol
- Naltrexone
- Methadone
All three of these drugs have a specific purpose and addiction to help with during the MAT Therapy process. They are FDA approved and have variations and different forms to cater to each individual’s needs. The drugs used for medically assisted treatment are also not limited to these. People conduct new tests for research to find new drugs and medicines. MAT Therapy is one of the most advanced fighting methods for addiction. Further studies and new drugs are being created and discovered to help people with addiction.
Am I eligible for MAT Therapy?
The best way to determine if you or someone in need of assistance is eligible for medically assisted treatment therapy is to talk to a doctor or professional from a rehabilitation facility. If your doctor is not available to you during unforeseen circumstances, please reach out to a drug treatment center to see what the best option is for you. For those who live locally in New Jersey, Pinelands Recovery Center in Medford has professionals who can help you find the best solution for you.
Where can I get Medically Assisted Treatment Therapy?
Talking to a medical professional confirm if MAT Therapy may be an option for you. Once you do that, the next step proves to be finding a facility. Here are a few tips to do that:
- Find a location that deals with your type of addiction. If you or someone you know deals with opioid or alcohol addiction, then locate a rehab center that has experience with that disorder.
- Make sure the center you pick has the treatment options you would like to do. If you want to have Medically Assisted Treatment, make sure that your treatment center offers that specific one.
- Read reviews and get a feel for the location. It needs to be a place that you can feel comfortable going to frequently.
These are just a few helpful things to look out for when trying to find the correct location. Talking to your doctor will help you get started in this process.
What does MAT Therapy work for?
There is a variety of therapies that use MAT. Each option targets and focuses on various substance abuse. Some of the main ones are Alcohol, Stimulant, and Opioid abuse. Medically Assisted Treatment can work with these substance abuse disorders in unique ways. Below are some of the benefits of using MAT therapy with specific substance abuse disorders.
Alcohol Detox
Using MAT therapy with alcohol use disorder can help fight the typical withdrawal symptoms associated with alcohol addiction. This can include typical nausea, vomiting, insomnia, sweating, shivering, anxiety, and slow movements or thoughts. While these are not fatal, that can be very inconvenient for anyone trying to overcome addiction. The Medically Assisted Treatment therapy specifically developed for alcohol addiction, will help patients with these symptoms. They deal with withdrawal and the symptoms of detoxing.
Stimulant Detox
Detoxing from stimulants has a different type of experience. The body is dealing with a chemical imbalance, and this can send mixed messages to the brain. There are some side effects from stimulant detoxing that can affect you physically. However, the more severe ones effect your mental health.
Stimulant detox patients can experience depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. This can to a lot of mental discomforts and can be helped with Medically Assisted Treatment. Another thing to note for stimulant addiction is that it can come on quickly due to the drug’s fast-acting nature. It is crucial to reach out for help right away.
Opioid Detox
One of the more popular uses for Medically Assisted Treatment is for opioid abuse disorder. Due to the rising use of opioids in the country, there have been more overdoses and fatalities.
There are a lot of withdrawal symptoms when fighting opioid abuse disorder. Some of them include muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, rapid heart rate, insomnia, and tremors. Medically Assisted Treatment drugs help prevent and fight these non-fatal side effects.
Opioid MAT Therapy involves using medication to wean patients off their opioid of choice and fight the cravings. This helps people fight off relapses and make the experience a bit more comfortable in this challenging experience.
I’m Ready to Start; Now What?
Awareness of Medically Assisted Treatment creates a new opportunity. It allows for you or your loved one to pick your treatment center of choice and talk to a medical professional. Several treatment centers across the United States can help you fight your addiction. If you are in New Jersey, Pinelands Recovery Center in Medford might be the right place for you. Its never too late to fight addiction.