Medication-Assisted Treatment
Being centered in what has widely been called the “epicenter of the opioid crisis,” OVP HEALTH and its large network of outpatient centers across Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and South Carolina, has developed a unique expertise and skill set in the treatment of addiction through a process known as medication-assisted treatment, or MAT.
Medication-assisted treatment 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.
Research shows that a combination of medication and therapy can successfully treat these disorders, and for some people struggling with addiction, MAT can help sustain recovery. MAT is also used to prevent or reduce opioid overdose.
MAT is primarily used for the treatment of addiction to opioids such as heroin and prescription pain relievers that contain opiates. The prescribed medication operates to normalize brain chemistry, block the euphoric effects of alcohol and opioids, relieve physiological cravings and normalize body functions without the negative and euphoric effects of the substance used.
In OVP HEALTH’s experience, the use of these prescribed medications often enhances a patient’s receptivity to counseling and behavioral therapies, which can provide healthier coping mechanisms to drug use, and address the root causes of the addiction.
Learn more about medication-assisted treatment at OVP HEALTH in this video.
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