Category Archives: Medication Assisted Treatment

Longer Duration Opioid Treatment Improves Outcomes

Posted on June 30, 2022 | Comments Off on Longer Duration Opioid Treatment Improves Outcomes

A new study by the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin found that a patient’s length of treatment is directly tied to lower risk of overdose.

In particular, treating opioid addiction with medication for at least 60 days generated a 61% reduction in the incidence of overdose.

Numerous other studies over the last two decades have shown that positive outcomes are tied to longer duration in outpatient addiction treatment. Not only does greater length of time in treatment allow for physical stabilization with methadone or buprenorphine, but it provides each patient with time to develop improved coping skills and relapse prevention capability.

Higher levels of functioning are able to be achieved, such as gainful employment and improved parenting, when a patient is able to remain in addiction treatment for longer periods of time.

Marguerite Burns, who led the Wisconsin study, found that recovery success and overdose prevention are enhanced the longer that patients take medication over a 12 month period. Medication-assistance plays a key role in helping opioid addicted patients find long lasting recovery.

Impressively, the study was based on treatment outcomes recorded for 293,160 Medicaid patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder.

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Posted in Addiction Treatment, Buprenorphine, Harm Reduction, Medication Assisted Treatment, Methadone, Methadone Clinics, Opioid Treatment, Overdose Prevention, Suboxone, Suboxone Doctors

Overdose Fatalities Beginning to Decrease

Posted on December 17, 2019 | Comments Off on Overdose Fatalities Beginning to Decrease

Various news outlets are reporting new statistics which indicate deaths from opioid overdose are beginning to go down.

The Associated Press reports that for the first time in a decade overdoses among New York residents (outside of NYC) have declined 15.9%. Government officials are quoted as saying that about 80% of the overdose deaths were attributable to heroin or fentanyl.

The AP cited a new CDC (Centers For Disease Control) July 2019 study which showed overdose deaths in 2018 fell for the first time in nearly three decades.

Various public education efforts and New York’s Opioid Task Force are thought to be significant catalysts for the slowdown in opioid overdoses. The availability of naloxone has also been highly instrumental in impacting overdoses nationwide with many communities across the country now providing naloxone kits for free.

A number of metro areas in the U.S. are also examining the feasibility of mobile opioid treatment since transportation to clinics or physicians is often an impediment to accessing medication-assisted treatment resources.

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Posted in Addiction Counseling, Heroin Overdose, Medication Assisted Treatment, Methadone, Methadone Clinics, Naloxone, Suboxone, Suboxone Doctors

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Comprehensive Opioid Treatment at Behavioral Health Group

Posted on July 23, 2019 | Comments Off on Comprehensive Opioid Treatment at Behavioral Health Group

Behavioral Health Group (BHG) currently provides 58 top flight opioid addiction treatment centers in the United States. The company specializes in medication-assisted treatment using methadone, buprenorphine, and buprenorphine/naloxone.

BHG takes a patient-centered approach to treating addictive disorders offering counseling as a fundamental component of the overall treatment model. Because of this individualized treatment approach, 97% of patients surveyed indicate they would recommend BHG Recovery to a friend or family member suffering from opioid addiction.

Additionally, 99% of patients report that their mental health and quality of life improved since their BHG admission. 60% of unemployed patients were able to obtain employment after one year of treatment.

Hope, Respect, and Caring are tenets of BHG’s treatment program, and their staff strive to provide this from the moment a patient first walks in to receive help. All of BHG’s treatment centers provide care in an outpatient setting.

In 2019 and 2020, BHG Recovery added (10) additional U.S. clinics to the Methadone.US national directory list …

1. Franklin, VA – BHG Franklin Treatment Center
2. Chesapeake, VA – BHG Chesapeake South Treatment Center
3. Glen Allen, VA – BHG Glen Allen Treatment Center
4. Mobile, AL – BHG Mobile Treatment Center
5. Cullman, AL – BHG Cullman Treatment Center
6. Washington, DC – BHG Washington DC Treatment Center
7. Colorado Springs, CO – BHG Colorado Springs Treatment Center
8. Grand Bay, AL – BHG Grand Bay Treatment Center
9. North Little Rock, AR – BHG North Little Rock Treatment Center
10. Savannah, TN – BHG Savannah Treatment Center

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Posted in BHG Recovery, Buprenorphine, Medication Assisted Treatment, Methadone, Methadone Clinics, Opioid Treatment, Suboxone, Suboxone Doctors

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Subutex and Methadone in Treatment of Opioid Addiction

Posted on June 24, 2019 | Comments Off on Subutex and Methadone in Treatment of Opioid Addiction

Recovery from opioid addiction initially centers around physical stabilization: specifically the management of opioid withdrawal. This is an essential step for the vast majority of opioid addicted people seeking help. Research has shown a 90% failure rate for opioid treatment programs that do not offer medication assistance.

Methadone was the original medication FDA-approved for treating opioid addiction although Subutex has been recently introduced into opioid treatment programs around the country as a viable alternative. Subutex is effective especially for milder levels of opioid dependency.

Subutex is a brand name version of buprenorphine, the partial opioid agonist that reduces withdrawal symptom sickness. Most patients are familiar with “Suboxone” which is a popular buprenorphine-based film that is dissolved under the tongue and is taken once per day. It differs from Subutex in that it contains naloxone so that it cannot be easily abused intravenously.

A number of methadone clinics began offering subutex in the past few years in an effort to expand treatment options for patients. Because subutex can be abused, it is typically administered daily in the clinic by a nurse where it can be supervised.

If you are considering entering a treatment program for opioid misuse, you may want to ask about the variety of medications utilized by the clinic or physician. Some patients have successfully transitioned from methadone to subutex while others enter the program starting with subutex. This is a decision best made in conjunction with your treating doctor who can formulate a treatment plan based on your history of opioid use.

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Posted in Addiction Recovery, Buprenorphine, Medication Assisted Treatment, Methadone, Methadone Clinics, Suboxone, Subutex

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Opioid Treatment Making A Difference

Posted on January 26, 2018 | Comments Off on Opioid Treatment Making A Difference

There is a great article in the Bismarck Tribune about the expansion of methadone services in Fargo, North Dakota. Fargo, like most other areas of the country, was impacted in recent years by numerous opioid-related overdose deaths.

The article reports that Cass County had 31 overdose deaths in 2016, but that number was reduced to 15 in 2017, due in part to the increased availability of naloxone (the medication that reverses opioid overdose).

While local ambulance calls have decreased in relation to opioid overdoses, the problem of opioid addiction remains a widespread and primary concern in the community.

The Tribune story reveals that more local residents are now enrolled in opioid treatment and are receiving the life-saving medication, methadone. Treatment that combines medication-assistance and counseling is the industry standard in quality care for those addicted to opioids.

The new Fargo-based clinic is reported to have 164 active patients currently enrolled in the methadone program. The clinic director, Mark Schaefer, is quoted as saying that while enrollment has been rapid, there remain many people in the local area with untreated opioid addiction.

The availability of treatment is making a difference. And medications like methadone, buprenorphine, and naloxone are providing a much needed solution to America’s opioid crisis.

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Posted in Addiction Recovery, Buprenorphine, Medication Assisted Treatment, Methadone, Methadone Clinics, Methadone Maintenance, Naloxone, Suboxone

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