
Fortunately, there is another approach to treating opioid addiction that can improve patient outcomes called medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) combines behavioral therapy, counseling, and peer support with FDA-approved medications.
What is the abbreviation for medicated assisted treatment?
Medicated-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the use of FDA-approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a "whole-patient" approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. MAT for Opioid Use Disorder. MAT for Alcohol Use Disorder.
What is medicated assisted treatment for opioid use disorder?
Medicated-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the use of FDA- approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. MAT for Opioid Use Disorder.
What is medication-assisted treatment?
Last updated on November 4, 2019 Medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, is credited with helping countless people achieve long term recovery from substance use disorder. The term is usually used to refer to treatment for opioid addiction with methadone, buprenorphine (aka Suboxone) or Naltrexone/Vivitrol.
What is medicated assisted treatment (MAT)?
Medicated-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the use of FDA- approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. MAT for Opioid Use Disorder MAT for Alcohol Use Disorder MAT for Smoking

What is the medical term for treatment using drugs?
pharmacotherapy. [fahr″mah-ko-ther´ah-pe] treatment of disease with medicines.
What does MOUD stand for?
Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are one such approach and they're most effective when someone chooses to start treatment (versus being coerced or mandated) for long-term success.. These treatments are most effective when someone is ready for them (versus coerced into treatment) for long-term success.
What is Sublocade?
SUBLOCADE® (buprenorphine extended-release) injection, for subcutaneous use (CIII) is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderate to severe addiction (dependence) to opioid drugs (prescription or illegal) who have received an oral transmucosal (used under the tongue or inside the cheek) buprenorphine- ...
What is mat medical term?
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders.
What is the difference between MOUD and mat?
Recently, SAMHSA recommends replacing the term “Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)” with “Medications for Opioid use Disorder (MOUD).” The term “MAT” implies that medication plays a secondary role to other approaches while the term “MOUD” reinforces the idea that medication is its own treatment form.
What is mat certification?
Medication for Addictions Treatment Training for Nurses Complete 24 hours of education required to obtain a DEA waiver to prescribe MAT (including buprenorphine) for opioid use disorders for more than 30 patients.
What is the Subutex shot?
Buprenorphine extended-release injection is used to treat opioid dependence (addiction to opioid drugs, including heroin and narcotic painkillers) in people who have received buccal or sublingual buprenorphine for at least 7 days.
Is methadone the same as buprenorphine?
They're Both Opioids Both methadone and buprenorphine are opioids. Buprenorphine is a semi-synthetic compound, being made from both natural and synthetic compounds, while methadone is a fully-synthetic compound. Both prevent withdrawal symptoms by interacting with opioid receptors in the brain.
What is the drug ZUBSOLV?
ZUBSOLV® (buprenorphine and naloxone) sublingual tablet (CIII) is a prescription medicine used to treat adults who are addicted to opioid drugs (either prescription or illegal) as part of a complete treatment program that also includes counseling and behavioral therapy.
What does MD stand for in the medical field?
Doctor of MedicineThese initials refer to the doctor's credentials – they indicate the type of medical school the doctor attended and the licensing exam they took to become a doctor. MD stands for "Doctor of Medicine," and is the most common type of degree earned by doctors who practice medicine in the United States.
What medications are used in mat?
One common treatment option for OUD is medication-assisted treatment (MAT), a treatment combining the use of medications (methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone) with counseling and behavioral therapies.
What is MAT treatment?
Medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, is credited with helping countless people achieve long term recovery from substance use disorder. The term is usually used to refer to treatment for opioid addiction with methadone, buprenorphine (aka Suboxone) or Naltrexone/Vivitrol.
When was methadone approved?
Methadone remained the only sustainable FDA-approved opioid agonist medication until 2002, when treatment with buprenorphine, the active ingredient in Suboxone, was approved as part of the DATA 2000 Act. This legislation allowed buprenorphine to be prescribed in settings other than OTPs (aka, methadone clinics), meaning patients could now go to a doctor’s office and receive a prescription for a month’s supply of medication at a time (or more). This relieved the huge burden of going to a methadone clinic every single day for the first several months of treatment, and it reduced the stigma associated with being a patient of a methadone clinic. At the same time, the treatment and support that buprenorphine-prescribing doctors were required to provide were not clearly defined. This led to the publication of TIP 43: Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence, and the introduction of the term, MAT.
What is the best part of the growing debate on effective addiction treatment?
The best part of the growing debate on effective addiction treatment is that we are finally acknowledging that one size does not fit all – what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. This also means that we should stop requiring that everyone who seeks treatment must also accept intensive group therapies, structured psychosocial supports, and other treatments, whether they want and need them or not.
Who created the therapeutic community?
This dates back to the days of Synanon, the originators of the first “therapeutic communities” that, at the time, offered some of the only help to people with drug addictions. They pushed the belief that a person could not be on any mood-altering substance and still consider themselves to be “sober.”.
What is the FDA's new step?
FDA takes new steps to advance the development of innovative products for treating opioid use disorder. Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on new steps to encourage more widespread innovation and development of new treatments for opioid use disorder.
What are the three drugs that are used to treat opioid dependence?
There are three drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid dependence: buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. All three of these treatments have been demonstrated to be safe and effective in combination with counseling and psychosocial support.
How many drugs are approved for OUD?
It also requires us to find new and more effective ways to advance the use of medical therapy for the treatment of OUD. There are three drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment ...
What is MAT in medical terms?
Information about Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, which is effective in the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD) and can help some people to sustain recovery.
Is naltrexone FDA approved?
FDA-approved naltrexone products approved for the treatment of opioid dependence include: Vivitrol (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) intramuscular. Opioid Use Disorder: Endpoints for Demonstrating Effectiveness of Drugs for Medication-Assisted Treatment (Draft Guidance for Industry) CDER Conversation: Treatment ...
Is Suboxone a generic?
FDA approves first generic versions of Suboxone sublingual film, which may increase access to treatment for opioid dependence. FDA approves the first non-opioid treatment for management of opioid withdrawal symptoms in adults.
Is buprenorphine approved by the FDA?
FDA approves first once-monthly buprenorphine injection, a medication-assisted treatment option for opioid use disorder. Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on the approval of a new formulation of buprenorphine and FDAâs efforts to promote more widespread innovation and access to opioid addiction treatments.
What Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Is
MAT therapy involves the use of medication to help people overcome their problems with substance abuse. These medications specifically help with a person's physical cravings for their drug of choice.
What MAT Therapy Works For
Opioid detox is extremely uncomfortable as its symptoms include insomnia, muscle pain, rapid heart rate, nausea, diarrhea, and tremors. Suboxone has become a common MAT medication for opiate detox.
How Do You Know if MAT is Right for You?
Medication used with MAT is only a piece of the puzzle. Addictions affect you physically, mentally, and emotionally, and all these need to be equally addressed.
Defining Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment is the use of medications to overcome substance abuse disorder, often in conjunction with behavioral therapies. It is commonly used for opioid use disorders. However, some treatment programs use it for alcohol use disorders, too.
Types of Medication-Assisted Treatment
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there are several medications approved for use in MAT.
Benefits of Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment offers many benefits to those in treatment. This is one of the reasons that MAT remains one of the most popular treatment methods available in many treatment centers.
Effectiveness of Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment statistics show that MAT is effective. According to the FDA, there are three drugs approved for medication-assisted treatment for opioids: naltrexone, methadone, and buprenorphine. These drugs are both safe and effective when used in tandem with psychosocial support and other therapies.
Medication-Assisted Treatment and Therapy
Medication-assisted treatment should be offered as part of a comprehensive treatment program with other treatment methods. Critics argue that MAT might simply replace one opioid with another.
What Is Medication-Assisted Treatment?
Medication-assisted treatment is “the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a ‘whole-patient’ approach to the treatment of substance use disorders,” as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
What Medication-Assisted Treatment Is Not
A common misconception about MAT goes something like this: It’s just swapping one drug problem for a different drug problem. As recently as 2017, in fact, a former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services commented that “if we’re just substituting one opioid for another, we’re not moving the dial much” in America’s opioid crisis.
Types of Medication-Assisted Treatment Drugs
There are many forms of MAT drugs, intended for a variety of disorders and purposes, and more continue to be developed. Most have the potential to cause mild to moderate side effects and come with warnings about interactions with other medications and substances. Be sure to consult a clinician before discontinuing use.
What the Future Holds for Medication-Assisted Treatment
MAT has become more widely accepted and thoroughly regulated only recently. For instance, federal law requires patients who receive medication through an opioid treatment pogram (OTP) to also undergo counseling.

Controversy
“Mat” Coined
- Methadone remained the only sustainable FDA-approved opioid agonist medication until 2002, when treatment with buprenorphine, the active ingredient in Suboxone, was approved as part of the DATA 2000 Act. This legislation allowed buprenorphine to be prescribed in settings other than OTPs (aka, methadone clinics), meaning patients could now go to a d...
Recent Research
- It seems quite logical that adding comprehensive supports and psychosocial treatment to buprenorphine maintenance will improve outcomes, right? Well, recent research has called this into question. No fewer than four recent studies have found that adding even high quality psychotherapy to medical management of opioid addiction with Suboxone does not improve outcomes. A separate study showed that replacing the usual counsel…
Treatment-Assisted medication?
- We tried for decades to make traditional rehab using the Minnesota Model work for people with heroin addiction, but all we got were increases in the likelihood of overdoses and unnecessary deaths among patients who are leaving a residential setting.-Ian McLoone The recent spate of high-quality studies that showed no added benefit of various types of additional counseling led Mark Willenbring, MD, founder and CEO of Alltyr Clinic, to ask if we …
One Size Does Not Fit All
- The best part of the growing debate on effective addiction treatment is that we are finally acknowledging that one size does not fit all – what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. This also means that we should stop requiring that everyone who seeks treatment mustalso accept intensive group therapies, structured psychosocial supports, and other treatments, whether they want and need them or not. As we move away from t…