Medication-Assisted Therapy for Opioid Addiction Opioid addiction is a chronic, recurring brain disease that can be adequately and safely managed. I have reviewed two articles that discuss medication-assisted therapy for opioid addiction. The first article discusses three US FDA-approved medications for treating opioid addiction, while the second article discusses the treatment needs of pregnant women with opioid use disorders. In the first article, three presentations are discussed that provide an overview of medications, as well as an extensive view of medication-assisted therapy to support a chronic care model for opioid addiction (Tai, Saxon, & Ling, 2013). In the second article, a group-based model of treatment delivery for pregnant
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These medications include methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Methadone is the agonist, buprenorphine is the partial agonist, and naltrexone is the antagonist. Within article one, three presentations are shared about medication-assisted therapy for opioid addiction. The first presentation was shared by Dr. Andrew Saxon, whose topic was on methadone and buprenorphine for treatment of opioid addiction and human immunodeficiency virus risk reduction. The second presentation was shared by Dr. Walter Ling, and his topic was opioid antagonist treatment for opioid addiction. The last presentation was shared by Dr. Betty Tai, whose topic was over the chronic care model for substance use …show more content…
Saxon’s presentation concentrated on methadone and buprenorphine. According to Saxon, methadone frequently requires once daily dosing for treatment of opioid addiction, however, two doses are sometimes necessary in rare circumstances (Tai et al., 2013). With buprenorphine, the dosing is more flexible. Both medications reduce mortality rates and improve other outcomes, which could include unauthorized opioid use and human immunodeficiency virus risk behavior (Tai et al., 2013). In Dr. Walter Ling’s presentation, he stated that the explanation for the methadone approach to treating opioid addiction was originally based on the extinction model of animal experimentation (Tai et al., 2013). It was hypothesized that by blocking the euphorigenic effects of opioids at the opioid receptors, opioid use would develop into an unrewarding act, and in time, animals and humans would terminate opioid self-administration (Tai et al., 2013). Lastly, Dr. Tai’s discussion focused on the urgency to approve a chronic care model to treat substance use disorder (Tai et al., 2013). It has been shown that medication-assisted therapy is sufficient in lowering opioid use, but the relapse rate is commonly high after the medication is stopped. Tai believes that the chronic care model provides proactive care for patients, as well as opportunities for lifestyle monitoring and management (Tai et al.,
These medications include methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Methadone is the agonist, buprenorphine is the partial agonist, and naltrexone is the antagonist. Within article one, three presentations are shared about medication-assisted therapy for opioid addiction. The first presentation was shared by Dr. Andrew Saxon, whose topic was on methadone and buprenorphine for treatment of opioid addiction and human immunodeficiency virus risk reduction. The second presentation was shared by Dr. Walter Ling, and his topic was opioid antagonist treatment for opioid addiction. The last presentation was shared by Dr. Betty Tai, whose topic was over the chronic care model for substance use …show more content…
Saxon’s presentation concentrated on methadone and buprenorphine. According to Saxon, methadone frequently requires once daily dosing for treatment of opioid addiction, however, two doses are sometimes necessary in rare circumstances (Tai et al., 2013). With buprenorphine, the dosing is more flexible. Both medications reduce mortality rates and improve other outcomes, which could include unauthorized opioid use and human immunodeficiency virus risk behavior (Tai et al., 2013). In Dr. Walter Ling’s presentation, he stated that the explanation for the methadone approach to treating opioid addiction was originally based on the extinction model of animal experimentation (Tai et al., 2013). It was hypothesized that by blocking the euphorigenic effects of opioids at the opioid receptors, opioid use would develop into an unrewarding act, and in time, animals and humans would terminate opioid self-administration (Tai et al., 2013). Lastly, Dr. Tai’s discussion focused on the urgency to approve a chronic care model to treat substance use disorder (Tai et al., 2013). It has been shown that medication-assisted therapy is sufficient in lowering opioid use, but the relapse rate is commonly high after the medication is stopped. Tai believes that the chronic care model provides proactive care for patients, as well as opportunities for lifestyle monitoring and management (Tai et al.,