A BENCHCARD FOR JUDICIAL PROFESSIONALS SERVING PARENTS AND CHILDREN AFFECTED BY OPIOID USE DISORDERS
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is an evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorders (OUDs). MAT uses medications, in combination with counseling and other therapeutic techniques, to provide a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of SUDs. MAT is primarily used for the treatment of addiction to opioids such as heroin; prescription pain relievers containing opiates like morphine and codeine; and semi-synthetic opioids such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, Percocet, Vicodin, and fentanyl. SAMHSA, along with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Medical Association (AMA) recommend MAT as a best practice for treating OUDs, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends MAT as a best practice for treating pregnant women with OUDs.
Doctors have successfully prescribed buprenorphine (Suboxone and Subutex) for nearly two decades; and methadone for more than three decades to treat OUDs More recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved oral naltrexone and extended release injectable naltrexone (also known as Vivitrol) as highly effective medications.