Medication Assisted Treatment

Opioid Use Disorders and Overdoses have turned into a national health crisis, and more effective and life-saving public health responses are imperative to curb this growing epidemic. Medication-Assisted Treatment has a profound role in the battle of the OUD epidemic. It is important to learn how to maximize MATs like Vivitrol, Narcan, Naltrexone, etc. and their efficacy in the context of an all-encompassing treatment approach.

Dr. Mark Gold & Dr. Brian Fuerhlein Discuss Medication-Assisted Treatment in Opiate Use Disorder & Substance Use Disorder

Opioid use and addiction have quickly transformed into a national health crisis of epidemic proportions, and the epidemic demands innovative scientific strategies and interventions.

The United States is the world’s largest consumer of opioids. The non-medicinal use of and addiction to opioids, particularly prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl, have escalated into a national epidemic adversely affecting public health, social welfare, and economic progress.

Every day, more than 115 people in the United States die due to overdosing on opioids. In 2016, 42,249 Americans fatally overdosed on an opioid. Of the 20.5 million Americans 12 or older who had a substance use disorder in 2015, 2 million had a substance use disorder involving prescription pain relievers, and 591,000 had a substance use disorder involving heroin.

In addition to Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), office-based opioid treatments and ambulatory detoxification, timely identification and treatment of co-existing trauma, sexually transmitted diseases, infections, cardiovascular and other common psychological co-occurring disorders have to take its due position in recovery.

While we often focus on reducing overdose and reversing those overdoses that occur, many overdoses are patients with OUDs who are not in treatment. Medication Addiction Treatment like Buprenorphine, Suboxone, Naloxone, and opioid use disorder treatment programs are essential parts of our response to overdose initiatives.

Deaths from overdose are increasing during the COVID-19 crisis as EMTs, Emergency Rooms, and General Hospitals are inundated with COVID cases, and people with OUDs are staying away. 47,600 people died from drug overdoses involving opioids in 2017.

Buprenorphine/Naloxone Diversion Continues Amid the Opioid Crisis

Naltrexone badge for Naloxone Diversion Dr. Mark Gold’s Research You Can Use Opioid agonists like buprenorphine/naloxone have proven to be highly effective, evidence-based treatments for treating opioid use disorders. Yet, these are sometimes diverted for non-medical use, indicating a significant shortage in treatment capacity and inaccessibility of existing services. This was found in a recent study aimed at answering the [...]
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Opioid System a Critical Factor in Underpinning Alcohol Dependence

Brain Neurons and the Opioid System Dr. Mark Gold’s Research You Can Use As more evidential support builds up for the key role played by the dysregulation in the opioid system in underpinning addiction, a recent study investigated the endogenous opioid tone in alcohol dependence for the first time. Comparable to results from previous research based upon the blunted dexamphetamine-induced opioid [...]
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Naltrexone: What Does the Future Hold?

Naltrexone badge for Naloxone Diversion Dr. Mark Gold’s Research You Can Use Opioid addiction has become America’s leading public health crisis of epidemic proportions. Stanford University’s recent analysis of the present treatment, prevention, and public health viewpoint suggested that almost 510,000 deaths resulting from prescription opioids and street heroin are to be expected from 2016 to 2025 in the US [...]
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What Should We Do Now to Counter the OUD Epidemic? – Interventions and the Role of Drug Courts and Enforcement – Article 4

Courtroom in Drug Courts Dr. Mark Gold’s Research You Can Use Description- Law enforcement and drug courts play a fundamental role in the battle against opioid addiction and overdoses. The last article of the series discusses in detail the effectiveness of court-mandated treatment, the importance of initiating timely treatment for the offenders while they are still in prison, the [...]
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Assessing Public Policy Responses to the US Opioid Epidemic

US Opioid Epidemic Policies Dr. Mark Gold’s Research You Can Use The US Opioid Epidemic continues to grow. To counter the opioid use disorder, several policy responses have been initiated that focus on mitigation and prevention. This article discusses an important study that assesses various policy responses to combat the opioid crisis and their short-term and long-term pros and [...]
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