Medication-Assisted Treatment Program Evaluation. Perreault

In a world of increasing competition for health resources economic evaluations are essential to provide evidence to decision makers that allows them to make appropriate decisions regarding the best use of those resources (Cohen and Reynolds, 2008; Williams et al., 2008). Critical appraisal is the means by which the validity of this research is assessed and is essential for true evidence based practice, and decision-making (Burls, 2009; Ciliska, Thomas and Buffett, 2008).

Various levels of governments in different communities across North America have initiated programs to deal with the opioid epidemic and its effect. Some of these initiatives will be examined in more details below.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5, opioid use disorder (OUD) is characterized by patterns of opioid use that are problematic and persist for at least one year (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Evidence of problematic use of opioid is demonstrated through the presence of at least 2 symptoms which include withdrawal, craving, and continued use of opioids despite the disruptions it causes in personal and professional life. The substances used by persons with OUD are heroin and nonmedical pain relievers ([NMPR]; i.e. nonmedical use of opioid pain relievers), and estimates for DSM-5-defined OUD tend to combine the prevalence of use for each of these substances to determine overall

Clinical assessments have their place in almost every facet of the psychological and educational realms. I have been tracking down and examining what the most important aspects of assessment are that come into play in regard to drug and substance abuse, custody battles, as well as the importance the role of adhering to the ethical standards of utilizing culturally informed assessments. Clinical assessments within mental health centers are carry great importance in the identifying underlying behavioral problems, diagnosis, and treatment of patients. Behind every assessment is a clinician who

Currently in Ontario there are approximately 30,000 people, between the ages of 15 and 49, using illicit opioids on a regular basis. (Hart 2007) Opioid use is a costly and dangerous social problem and is the fastest growing drug problem in the country. The good news is that there is a treatment that has been proven by research and evidence to be effective. Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is a long term treatment program used to treat opioid dependence and addiction.(Source) MMT works by preventing withdrawal symptoms in opiate users. It also prevents the euphoria the user is seeking from other opiates. MMT uses the drug of Methadone to do this. Methadone is a synthetic opioid commonly used to treat opioid dependence.(Source)

There are a variety of treatment modalities, both conservative and emerging, that clinicians, therapists, and doctors use to treat heroin and opioid dependence. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), 12 step programs, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are just a few that have been used in the past, and even today, in the treatment of substance dependence. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is yet another form of therapy; particularly for opioid and heroin dependence, that has been around for decades. However, it has recently begun to spark interest and controversy in light of the growing epidemic.

Medication assistant treatment also known as (MAT) is when a person has presented with an opioid addiction and have challenges stopping and/or abstaining from opioid use and they are prescribed either Methadone, Suboxone, or Vivitrol. Those who are in support for MAT is that this a better alternative to having individuals addicted to illicit substances. The other side to MAT is that this is way to keep individuals addicted to drugs, legally. I do not support MAT treatment as a form of long term treatment and not as the solution for opioid addiction. Serving as an Addiction Counselor and working with individuals who are addicted to opioids, I encounter many individuals who are or at one point utilized

In October of 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Suboxone for the treatment in the United States of opiate addiction (Mintzer, 2007). It is a medication-assisted treatment; however it “does not require participation in a highly-regulated federal program such as a methadone clinic” (Stuckert, 2013). It does not cause the high or euphoria feeling associated with opiate dependency. In fact many patients that have taken the treatment have said that they have felt little more than having more energy and no real high at all (Thompson-Gargano, 2004).

America has a major problem with opioid addicts, and many facilities are helping the addicts by providing safer options to taking the drugs their bodies crave. Methadone clinics are places where people addicted to opioids can receive medicine-based therapy. Opioid use, drugs such as heroin, morphine, and prescribed painkillers, has increased in the US with all age groups and incomes. People become addicted to these drugs when they are prescribed, recreationally used with other addicts, or they are born addicted. Many health institutions are addressing this issue with an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012 and an estimated 467,000 addicted

Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) is used with opioid dependency and is an opioid replacement therapy. MMT typically replaces heroin with Methadone which is a cleaner substance than heroin, and is used to avoid withdrawal and allow the user to function normally within society. MMT has been around for the last 50 years, and research studies have been conducted to address the benefits and the complications associated with this replacement therapy. This paper will examine some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with MMT and reflect on personal ideals in accordance with MMT.

“In 1949, Isbell and Vogel, working at the U.S. Public Health Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, showed methadone to be the most effective medication for withdrawing addicts from heroin (Joseph, Stancliff, & Landgord, 2000, p. 347). Further studies revealed that administering methadone to an addict for seven to ten days had a relapse rate of more than 90% when treatment ceased. “By 1998, the number of methadone patients in the United States had increased from the original six research patients in 1964 to about 44,000 patients in New York Stated and 179,000 patients worldwide” (Joseph, Stancliff, & Landgord, 2000, p. 347). The number of individuals enrolled in MMT continues to increase as the methadone clinics and the overall effectiveness of MMT gains

Methadone is a synthetic opioid drug which was first used in World War II for the treatment of pain. Since then, methadone has become a popular choice for treating those addicted to other opioid drugs such as heroin, oxycodone, morphine, and hydrocodone. It is used to reduce dependency and the treatment should help them become clean. Even though, the policy of giving methadone to drug addicts is not a cure, it is a good one. Fortunately, the Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is a reliable way for those with an opioid addiction to stop and not restart the use of opioids. For many, methadone treatment provides an opportunity to regain balance in both lifestyle and priorities. (“Opiate Addiction and Treatment Resource”). Everyone deserves

This project will focus on using Methadone as a pharmacological treatment strategy as well as the normal non-pharmacological treatment strategies to

Methadone has been used since the late 1960s to treat heroin addictions. Methadone is a synthetic opioid that is highly addictive and is harder to withdraw from than heroin. Despite 50 years of experience and widespread acceptance by addiction specialists and health agencies, Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) has sometimes been publicly controversial in the U.S. and other countries. MMT is a program in which addicted individuals receive daily doses of methadone as part of a broad, multicomponent treatment plan (Methadone Maintence Treatment, 2002). Critics argue that methadone doesn’t actually help heroin addicts, but just replaces heroin with an equally addictive methadone (Mason, 2013). From my perspective, methadone should not be given to heroin addicts because it does not

In the video Opiate Addiction: Understanding Replacement Therapy, Scott Farnum talks about methadone replacement therapy. There were many topics covered in this video and the topics were introduced in a psychoeducational format. The topics covered included a brief history opioids, brain chemistry, post acute withdrawal syndrome, abstinence based treatment programs verses harm reduction, and how an individual asses the damages of opioids on the brain. As a counselor in training, I found all the information useful because I have not studied methadone replacement therapy in detail.