MAT
If you are on suboxone or methadone, you’re not clean! Um…what? Let’s take a look at this!
MAT stands for medication assisted treatment. Let me say it again…medication assisted TREATMENT. I hear the opinion often that those who are on suboxone or methadone are not truly clean. I disagree!
Let me start by defining what MAT drugs are, for those who don’t know. Suboxone and methadone are drugs used to alleviate symptoms of opioid withdraw. So let’s say we have a person addicted to fentanyl, who is unable to quit due to the severe withdraw symptoms they experience. These drugs would allow them to stop the use of fentanyl and use their prescription in its place, thereby avoiding the undesirable detox phase.
A common question then is; what is the point of substituting drugs? When you have a legal prescription to an MAT drug, you no longer have to hustle for drug money, drive two hours to the city, lie, steal, etc. These drugs also do not get you intoxicated to unsafe levels like street drugs, therefore reducing the risk of overdose, DUIs, HIV, and hepatitis C.
The definition of recovery is the return to your normal state of health, mind, or strength. When a person is no longer dependent upon street drugs to function everyday, they are free to regain a normal life. Things like goals, dreams, and friends have priority again. They can work, attend school, or parent. In my opinion, a person who devotes their time to activities like that should indeed be deemed recovered.
Of course, there will be people who are not ready to change and they will use these prescriptions in different ways or continue to get high in addition to MAT. Recovery is dependent upon the person in question which is why I cannot agree with the opinion that people utilizing medication assisted treatment are not clean.
If you are interested in medication assisted treatment to help with your addiction, check out the summary of your options:
Suboxone/Subutex: Suboxone is a combination of a synthetic opioid and naloxone (the drug used to revive people from overdose). It can help alleviate symptoms of opiate withdrawal and decrease cravings. It is generally prescribed in an outpatient setting by a doctor. Doctors will typically require you to come in for regular drug tests, doctor visits, and outpatient treatment such as group or individual therapy. You must be in thorough withdrawal to begin taking suboxone. If you take suboxone while opiates are still in your system it can induce severe withdrawal immediately. When you are ready to stop taking the medication, a physician supervised wein down is recommended. Suboxone is still an opioid and can cause withdrawal as well. If you use suboxone while addicted to opioids, you are not likely to experience a high. Those who are not addicted and use suboxone may feel its effects. Subutex is very similar, except it does not contain naloxone therefore you may be able to begin taking the medication sooner.
Methadone: Methadone is a very strong opiate. It is typically provided in an outpatient clinic and requires daily, on-site dosing . After establishing a period of clean time, the clinic may begin to provide you with “take-homes.” Methadone will eliminate symptoms of withdrawal thoroughly and is a popular choice because there is no waiting period necessary after opioid use to begin taking it. Methadone clinics usually require frequent drug screens, outpatient groups, and meetings with support counselors and physicians. A very slow, supervised, wein down is recommended when stopping methadone as it can cause severe withdrawal. Methadone can cause an intoxicated effect in high doses.
Vivitrol: Vivitrol comes in both oral and vaccine form. Opioids must be thoroughly depleted from your system prior to beginning vivitrol, or extreme withdrawal can be induced. Vivitrol can decrease cravings and can be beneficial for those who use opioids or methamphetamines. The vaccine is administered monthly.
Most health insurance plans cover the costs of these medications at 100%.
My Experience:
I have utilized MAT multiple times with the exception of vivitrol. My first experience with suboxone was prior to my being ready to change. I obtained it solely to avoid being dopesick. Between the wait necessary to start suboxone and its meager effects on withdrawal, I didn’t feel that it worked well for that purpose.
At a later date, after having significant clean time under my belt, I became VERY triggered by someone close to me using. At that time, I pursued to suboxone to avoid making a bad decision and it absolutely allowed me to do just that. It helped me avoid relapse and I continued to live a normal life on suboxone.
I attended a methadone clinic for a brief time during one of the worst stages of my addiction. At that time, medical insurance did not pay for the medication, and cash payments were required each day. Jumping through the hoops of clinic regulations, coming up with daily cash, and driving almost to my usual pick up spot was a bit much and I ended up relapsing within a couple of weeks.
My experience with MAT proves that the effectiveness of MAT is fully dependent upon what stage in recovery the individual is at. If they are not ready, it’s not going to work a miracle for them. If they are, MAT can absolutely save lives, families, and provide true recovery.