Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Substance Use Disorders
MAT care that is compassionate and based on evidence is available in-person at our psychiatric clinics or through telehealth in Texas, Iowa, Washington, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.
Overview
For people with substance use disorders, what is medication-assisted treatment (MAT)?
MAT is a way to treat substance use disorders (SUDs) that is based on scientific data and combines counseling and behavioral therapies with FDA-approved medications. It’s meant to help the whole person by dealing with withdrawal, lowering cravings, stopping relapse, and promoting long-term healing.
MAT is mostly used for treating opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD), but it can also be used for other drug addictions. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) says that MAT raises the chances of patients surviving, keeping them in treatment, lowering their drug use, and lowering their criminal behavior.
MAT helps both the neurological and behavioral aspects of addiction at the same time, unlike detox alone. Addiction to drugs is not a moral flaw or a lack of willpower. It’s a complicated brain disorder that gets better with the right kind of integrated care.
Our experienced psychiatric providers at My Psychiatry Care offer personalized MAT evaluation and treatment through telehealth in Texas, Iowa, Washington, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.
Symptoms
Symptoms and Signs of Substance Use Disorder
There is a range of severity for substance use disorder. According to the DSM-5, SUD is a habit of drug use that makes things very hard or makes you feel very bad. Symptoms must last for at least a year and get in the way of daily life in a real way in order to get a clinical diagnosis.
Using more than planned
Despite plans to limit use, using a drug in larger amounts or for longer periods of time than planned.
Extraordinary Time Spent on Drug Use
A lot of the day is spent getting drugs, using drugs, or getting over the effects of drugs.
Not Taking Care of Important Duties
Not meeting your responsibilities at work, school, or home because you are using drugs or trying to recover from them.
Pulling out of activities
Giving up hobbies, social activities, or important things that used to mean a lot in order to use...
Tolerance
Eventually needing a lot more of a drug to get the same effect, or having less of an effect when you take the same amount.
Tried and failed to cut down
Strong desire to cut down on or stop using, along with multiple failed attempts to do so.
Strong Cravings
Strong feelings or compulsive wants to use the drug that are hard to control or ignore.
Use That Continues Despite Consequences
Continuing to use despite continuing social, interpersonal, occupational, or health problems directly caused or worsened by the substance.
Use when things are dangerous
Using drugs in situations that could hurt them, like driving, running heavy machinery, or taking care of children.
Signs of Withdrawal
Reducing or stopping use can cause physical or mental signs like nausea, sweating, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, pain, or trouble sleeping.
Types
Types of substance abuse problems we deal with
Different substances, levels of severity, and people can have different substance use disorders. Through MAT and integrated behavioral care, our providers know how to diagnose and treat all of the following conditions.
Opioid Use Disorder
Opioid use disorder is a compulsive use of opioids, including prescription pain drugs such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, and illegal opioids like as heroin and fentanyl. OUD has a high risk of overdose and is the most prevalent SUD treated with MAT. The standard of care is FDA-approved drugs (e.g., methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone).
Trouble with alcohol use (AUD)
Alcohol use disorder is when someone can't stop drinking, even though they know it's bad for them. It can be mild to severe. FDA-approved drugs like naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram are part of MAT for AUD. These drugs lower cravings, make detox easier, and help people stay sober for a long time.
Use of Tobacco Disorder
Tobacco use disorder is one of the most common SUDs that doesn't get enough attention. MAT options include nicotine replacement therapies and prescription drugs like varenicline and bupropion, which help people who are trying to quit smoking feel less cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Using Stimulants Too Much
People who have stimulant use disorder can't stop using drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, or prescription stimulants. There aren't any FDA-approved MAT drugs for stimulants yet, but the treatment includes psychiatric support and behavior therapies that have been shown to work, especially contingency management.
Use Disorder for Benzodiazepines and Sedatives
If you are dependent on benzodiazepines or sedatives, you need to carefully taper and manage your withdrawal while being supervised by a doctor. Our providers make customized plans to safely lower use while also treating anxiety or sleep problems that often happen at the same time.
Substance Use Disorder with Other Mental Health Problems
SUDs often happen at the same time as depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and other mental illnesses. When both disorders are treated at the same time, the results are much better than when each condition is treated separately. Our doctors are trained to treat people with more than one diagnosis in all situations.
Causes & Risk Factors
What makes substance use disorders happen?
Substance use disorders aren’t caused by just one thing. They are caused by a mix of biological, psychological, and environmental factors that have nothing to do with failure or lack of character.
Physique
SUDS are passed down very easily. Having a parent or sibling with a substance use disorder makes a person much more likely to develop one themselves.
How the brain works and how rewards are sent
Substances take over the brain’s dopamine reward system, making people feel very happy, which makes them want to keep using. Over time, the brain changes by making less dopamine naturally. This makes it harder and harder to feel happiness or motivation without the drug.
Mental Health Conditions That Occur Together
Some of the most common conditions that happen at the same time as SUDs are depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. A lot of people start using drugs to treat their undiagnosed or untreated psychiatric problems, which can quickly turn into physical and mental dependence.
Exposure Early on
Teenagers who use drugs have a much higher chance of getting a long-term SUD because their brains are still developing. Early exposure to drugs that are addicting changes the way neural pathways work during a very important time in development.
Trauma and bad experiences in childhood
There is a strong link between having a background of trauma, abuse, neglect, or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and having a substance use disorder. Trauma doesn’t directly lead to addiction, but it makes people much more likely to become addicted.
Factors in society and the environment
Peer pressure, being in a social setting where drug use is accepted, and having easy access to drugs or drink are all things that raise the risk. Poverty, unemployment, and unstable housing are all socioeconomic stressors that make people even more vulnerable.
Exposure to Prescription Opioids
A lot of people who develop an opioid use problem got their first prescriptions for painkillers. Long-term opioid use can lead to physical dependence, even in people who take their drugs exactly as their doctor tells them to.
Treatment
MAT Treatment at My Psychiatry Care
It is very easy to treat substance use problems. With a personalized MAT plan, most people notice big changes in their stability, cravings, relationships, and quality of life. Our psychiatric doctors make individualized care plans that might include the following:
An in-depth assessment and diagnosis
The history of your drug use, mental health, medical history, and personal goals will be carefully looked at in order to make a correct diagnosis and a good treatment plan.
MAT Drugs Approved by the FDA
Your doctor may give you drugs like buprenorphine (Suboxone), naltrexone (Vivitrol), methadone coordination, acamprosate, or disulfiram based on your drug use history and clinical profile. We keep a close eye on how you’re doing and change your prescriptions as needed to make sure they work best for your life and healing goals.
Referrals for behavioral therapy
We put people in touch with qualified therapists who use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), and contingency management strategies. These methods, along with medication, are shown to help with the mental aspects of addiction and build long-lasting recovery skills.
Taking care of co-occurring disorders
A lot of the people who get MAT also have depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other mental illnesses. Our providers treat both at the same time because focusing on just one will make the other less effective.
Ongoing monitoring and management of medications
Regular follow-up appointments to check on your progress, help you deal with side effects, change your medication as needed, and give you ongoing support as your recovery progresses. MAT that works is a long-term partnership, not a one-time prescription.
Find out more about our services for drug abuse and medication-assisted treatment.
Getting Help
When to Get Help from a Professional for MAT
You don’t have to wait until things get too hard to ask for help. You might want to talk to one of our medical providers if:
Consider reaching out if:
- You use opioids, alcohol, or other drugs and don’t think you can quit on your own.
- You have gone through withdrawal symptoms when you have tried to cut down or quit.
- Your drug use is making it hard for you to work, keep relationships, or take care of yourself or others.
- You have been treated for an SUD before, but you relapsed and need more help.
- You are abusing drugs to deal with worry, anxiety, depression, or trauma.
- You are pregnant and are using opioids or other drugs right now.
- You think that you might have a mental health problem along with your drug use.
My Psychiatry Care offers telehealth anxiety care across multiple states, along with in-person services at select clinic locations. We provide care for patients of all ages and accept most major insurance plans.
Psychiatric Mental Health & Family Nurse Practitioner
Meet Faith Agho, PMHNP-BC
- ANCC board certified
- Licensed in 5 states
My name is Faith Agho. I am a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with 16 years of experience in the healthcare industry. I am passionate about mental health and committed to providing individualized care that recognizes each person’s unique story and needs. My approach is centered on creating a safe, welcoming, and judgment-free environment where you can feel comfortable being honest about what you’re experiencing. At Faith Bridge Behavioral, I believe that seeking help is a sign of strength.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Texas, Iowa, Washington, Arizona, and Pennsylvania can get a MAT diagnosis and treatment through telehealth from My Psychiatry Care. You can make appointments online from the privacy of your own home. Buprenorphine (Suboxone) and naltrexone (Vivitrol) can be given by our qualified providers through telehealth.
No one schedule works for everyone. How long it lasts varies on the person, the drug, and ongoing clinical assessment. MAT can help some patients for a few months while they are still recovering. Some people take their medicines for years or forever, like people with diabetes who take insulin. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and SAMHSA both say that MAT should not have arbitrary time limits, since longer treatment duration is linked to better results. The patient and provider work together to make choices about tapering.
Yes. It’s never too late to get help. A lot of adults wait until they are in their 30s, 40s, or even older before they get professional help for a substance use disorder. At any point, a full psychiatric evaluation can find the right amount of care and treatment approach. MAT can also make a big difference in how well someone functions, no matter how long they’ve had the disorder.
Ready to Get Support?
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