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Simply put, Medication-Assisted Treatment, or MAT, is the inclusion of medications into the addiction treatment process. There have long been addiction treatments that add medication into the addiction treatment process, but only recently has Medication-Assisted Treatment become part of the standard of care. This is due to several advances in science that have made much more efficacious addiction replacement medications or “MAT” medications, and “blockers”, that have few side effects and significant benefits, without getting the user high.
So, if Medication-Assisted Treatment is the inclusion of medications into the treatment of addiction, then Medication-Assisted Treatment Programs are advanced and specialized addiction treatment programs that combine medicine, psychodynamic and behavioral therapies, case management and peer support tools, to treat addiction. It essentially combines all of the evidence-based outpatient addiction treatment approaches under one roof, offering individuals a truly individualized addiction treatment program. The combination of medical, clinical (addiction therapy, mental health therapy, individual, group, and family therapy), case management, and peer-support departments together, make up the single most effective model for overcoming addiction available. This integrated addiction treatment approach leads to fewer relapses, better quality of life measurement scores (meaning better recovery experiences), and stronger lifelong prognoses. MAT itself reduces the experience of withdrawal symptoms, decreases cravings, and even protects against the symptoms of Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome or “PAWS”. Some “MAT” medicines can also counteract overdoses, which has and continues to save lives.
At Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, we are committed to long-term recovery, and therefore ensure that our patients have access to the best available treatments. To learn more about medication-assisted treatment, our opioid addiction treatment program in Thornton, CO, our alcohol addiction treatment program in Denver, CO, our Medication Assisted Treatment Program in Metro Denver, CO, or our general addiction treatment center in Thornton, CO, contact Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery today.
One medication used at CMAR to treat opioid addiction is buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is an opioid with partial agonist and antagonist properties. Buprenorphine is an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder. Unlike other opioids, buprenorphine is safe to take for extended periods of time, because it lacks the ability to provide the user with a “euphoric” experience, otherwise known as a “high”. Research has proven that buprenorphine is an effective medication in the treatment of opioid dependency. It has been shown to improve recovery rates, treatment outcomes, treatment retention, as well as reduce the chances an individual experiences an overdose or infectious disease related to substance use.
Our medical providers, all of whom are addiction specialists, may recommend that you take this medicine alone (which is called Subutex) or in combination with naloxone (which is a combination known as “Suboxone” or “Zobsolv”, among other commercial names). In either case, buprenorphine can relieve the opioid withdrawal symptoms that appear when someone abruptly decreases their opioid intake or stops using opioids altogether.
Suboxone is a medicine used at CMAR’s medication-assisted treatment program in Colorado to treat opioid dependence as well as chronic pain. Suboxone is a brand-name drug that combines the aforementioned Buprenorphine with the drug Naloxone. The Naloxone in Suboxone is inactive when taken orally. That said, Naloxone is active when snorted or injected, thereby canceling the potential high of the partial opioid agonist, Buprenorphine. In other words, Naloxone is in Suboxone to prevent the medication from being abused. Therefore, Suboxone is an effective medication in treating opioid addiction at our addiction treatment center. Suboxone comes in a pill form, as well as a suboxone strip form, both of which are dissolved under the tongue (sublingual). That said, at CMAR, we also prescribe injectable Suboxone, called Sublocade. In fact, we are one of only a few drug addiction rehab centers in Colorado that prescribes Sublocade and we are one of just a few qualified Sublocade injection locations in Colorado. Sublocade is hugely beneficial for certain individuals because it lasts weeks and even months, as opposed to days like regular Suboxone. To learn about Suboxone inductions, and the suboxone treatment process at CMAR, please call us today!
Similar but not quite as involved as Buprenorphine induction, is the Naltrexone induction or Vivitrol induction. Naltrexone is an opioid receptor blocker that is typically provided orally. However, there’s also Vivitrol, which is the injectable version of Naltrexone, like how Sublocade is the injectable version of Suboxone. Similar to Sublocade, Vivitrol stays in the system for much longer than oral Naltrexone, typically lasting one month. Naltrexone is great because it is proven to reduce and even prevent relapse, in part by decreasing and even completely neutralizing the “high” one gets from drug use when not on Naltrexone. It’s truly an amazing drug, and because it doesn’t have the partial opioid agonist that Suboxone has, it’s very easy to start, stay on, and stop without physical side effects.
Methadone, unlike Buprenorphine, Naltrexone and other Medication-Assisted Treatment medications, is a full agonist opioid, just like heroin, morphine, or Oxycontin. The difference is that it is long-acting and doesn’t build up tolerance the way other opioids do. Methadone is not a medication that we use here at CMAR, as it is an inherently dangerous and risky drug to prescribe when other medications such as Buprenorphine and Naltrexone are so readily available. Certainly, Methadone is better than heroin, in that the doses are equal, it reduces the use of needles which decreases the passing of disease between people, and is even shown to decrease criminal behavior and increase lifespan and quality of life. However, at CMAR, our goals are not simply to help people get off of heroin and onto something that’ll make them more stable. Our goal is to help our patients reach and maintain their maximum potential!
At CMAR, we understand that recovery demands so much more than a mere medication prescription. Recovery is a challenging personal journey of incremental change that, if one is lucky, lasts as long as we do. That’s why, unlike methadone clinics, suboxone clinics, suboxone doctors and other addiction medicine prescribers, medication is not central to everything we do. Rather, Addiction Medicine at Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery is equal to our addiction therapy, mental health therapy, individual therapy for addiction & mental health disorders, addiction treatment groups, mental health groups, family therapy, and even our peer support and comprehensive case management for addiction recovery.
One of the most valuable parts of our opioid addiction treatment program is the co-occurring addiction and mental health programs we offer. At our addiction treatment program, patients aren’t just educated on the tools that can be used both in treatment and at home. We guide you in processing experiences that continue to negatively impact you, we look at your family system and identify dynamics that contribute to unhealthy behavior, we help you find the causes of anger, fear, sadness, loneliness, and other trigger emotions and give you tools so they don’t cause relapse, and so much more. Some of the addiction treatment therapy programs and services that we provide include:
This is just the beginning of a very long list. Perhaps you have difficulty processing in a linear fashion, in which case we may provide you with narrative therapy. Whatever works for you, we will do virtually everything possible to provide it for you.
At Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, we use research and science to treat opioid addiction, alcoholism, and other forms of drug addiction. We also use research and science to treat your mental health concerns. Whether you’re suffering from co-occurring addiction and mental health issues, co-occurring addiction and chronic pain, or you have a straightforward opioid addiction, we have the evidence-based tools and resources to help you recover. We are dedicated to our patient’s personal recovery journeys and are completely focused on long-term recovery as defined by the patient. To learn more about CMAR’s Medication-Assisted outpatient treatment program in Thorton, CO, contact us today at 833.448.0127.
COVID-19 Update: All of our treatment staff is fully vaccinated, however, we continue to take considerable measures to ensure the security of our patients.
