Medication assisted treatment in Ohio

Medication assisted treatment, also called medications for addiction treatment, is an FDA approved medication combined with counseling and behavioral therapy. The medication handles the physiology of dependence, which continues regardless of intent. Therapy handles the situations and habits the medication cannot reach.

At Leora, the MAT program runs inside a level of care at Columbus and Dayton, and you meet with a nurse practitioner about your medication. A prescription with no program attached is not medication assisted treatment. Ask admissions which medications and forms are offered at the facility you would attend.

Used for heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioids.

• Buprenorphine, usually combined with naloxone in one film or tablet and sold under brand names that include Suboxone. It reduces withdrawal and cravings at a maintenance dose. It is usually started once withdrawal has begun, because taking it too early can bring withdrawal on.
• Extended release naltrexone, sold as Vivitrol, a monthly injection that blocks opioid receptors. It can start only after a full opioid-free period, and that period is longer after methadone or buprenorphine than after short acting opioids.
• Methadone for opioid use disorder can only be dispensed through a federally certified opioid treatment program. Leora does not publish that it holds that certification. Ask admissions.

The FDA has approved these three medications for alcohol use disorder. The list below is general information about each. Ask admissions which are offered at the facility you would attend, and whether one fits you is decided with the prescriber.

• Naltrexone, daily by mouth or monthly by injection, reduces heavy drinking
• Acamprosate, taken by mouth several times a day, supports abstinence once drinking has stopped
• Disulfiram, which causes an unpleasant physical reaction if you drink. It works only for people who want that structure and take it consistently.

Both facilities welcome walk-ins. Nothing is prescribed before an assessment.

1. A nurse practitioner and a registered nurse assess what you have been using, your medical history and your current medications. Bring your medication list.
2. If withdrawal management is needed, ambulatory detox runs on site with nursing monitoring and you sleep at home. It covers mild to moderate withdrawal only, and not everyone is a candidate. There are no beds here and no overnight care.
3. Appointments then follow your level of care: the nurse practitioner weekly in partial hospitalization, and every two to three weeks in intensive outpatient and outpatient.
4. Between appointments you are in therapy group, where most of the treatment happens.

For opioid use disorder, buprenorphine and methadone reduce illicit opioid use and lower the risk of overdose death, and people stay in treatment longer on them. SAMHSA and NIDA both state this. For alcohol use disorder, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports consistent research support for naltrexone and acamprosate.

The common objection is that this replaces one drug with another. NIDA addresses it directly: at a therapeutic dose these medications do not produce a high. There is no fixed end date. For opioid use disorder, stopping early is associated with return to use, so changes are decided with your prescriber.