Benefits of Medication-Assisted Treatment

The medication-assisted treatment uses prescription medicationspsychosocial interventions to manage a patient’s addiction. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease caused by the overusemisuse of mood-altering substances (drugs or alcohol). It is characterized by a strong compulsion to usedrug craving.

Addiction affects many affected patients’ lives, including their ability to participate as functioning members of society, earn an incometake care of their own needsthose of their families. This medication has significant benefits for patients struggling with substance abuse disorder. Discover some of the benefits of Medication-assisted treatment.

1. Reduction of Cravings

Patients’ most frequent reason for relapsing is the recurring craving to use drugs. This is because substance abuse changes the regulation of natural rewards in the brain.

Additionally, medications used in MAT help address this issue by reducing drug cravings in people with opioid use disorder. Some physicians recommend MAT to prevent relapse in patients who need more help than medication alone.

2. Extended Medical Support

With medication-assisted treatment, patients’ treatment period extends longer than that of conventional treatment. Patients will likely recover well depending on their addictionthe doctors. While some patients can recover with only 3 months of treatment, MAT patients have been known to have successful recovery for as much as 24 months.

3. Cost Savings

Compared to other options, medication-assisted treatment is a form of treatment that can get the best possible results with the least amount of money spent. The cost-effectiveness of medication-assisted treatment is preferred in terms of quality of lifehealth care system costs.

4. Family Involvement

Many people who struggle with substance abuse usually require family help to recover. Medication-assisted treatment helps family members participate in recovery by involving them in treatmenttherapy. Family members can also join the counseling sessions with their loved ones who suffer from addiction.

5. Improved Quality of Life

Substance use disorder can impact the quality of life of people who use addictive drugs by acting as a barrier to their overall health. However, medication-assisted treatment helps patients recover better than other forms of treatment, including behavioral treatmentsbehavioral therapies. Medication-assisted treatment is more effective than other treatments for improving quality of lifereducing general health problems.

6. Flexibility

Another advantage of medication-assisted treatment is that the options available to patients are flexible. For example, patients at different stages of recovery can be recommended different medications based on their progress in the program.

Patients can also choose outpatient or inpatient recovery programs depending on their needs. Patients can also choose the length of treatment. Their doctor decides which medication is right for each patient based on the type of substance abuse pattern, co-occurring psychiatric conditions, medical history of the patient,other factors.

7. Better Response to Treatment

Every person reacts differently to different medications. For this reason, it takes time before doctors determine what works best to help a particular patient recover. This is where medication-assisted treatment comes in, as it helps doctors learn which drugs are most effective for a particular patient’s drug use pattern.

However, since most of these doctors have years of experience, they will help you decide on the best solution. They may suggest a drug that is less expensiveeasier to consume than others, depending on the person’s tolerance to the drug.

8. Reducing Mortality

One of the effects of substance abuse is the increase in mortality caused by overdose or cause other fatal health complications. However, this does not happen to people who use medications with medication-assisted treatment.

This is mainly because these drugs help patients reduce their tolerance to addictive substancesmake them less likely to take a drug overdose. As a result, this eventually reduces the number of deaths due to substance abuse.

As you can see, medication-assisted treatment is a solution that helps people reduce the impact of substance abuse in their lives. As a result, patients using medication-assisted treatment effects are more likely to recover from substance abuse.

Since many factors lead to substance abuseaddiction, the treatment for this disease is usually long-term. This is why most people may not get better after taking just a few pills or attending a few sessions of conventional treatment programs. Medication-assisted treatment helps patients stay on track while they continue their recovery process.