Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic disorder that develops from opioid dependency. OUD is a concerning issue in the United States, affecting millions of people. A total of 3 million Americans and 16 million people worldwide have experienced or are presently living with opioid use disorder (OUD).
Opioid addiction is treatable like any other chronic illness. Help is available for those struggling with opioid addiction, and while no treatment is guaranteed to work for all, recovery is possible.
AspenRidge Recovery offers opioid addiction treatment to help you and your loved ones. Call us at (855) 281-5588, recovery is possible and fulfilling life starts here.
What is the Most Effective Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder?
Overdose prevention and treatment access are critical initial actions toward healing. Opioid addiction treatment has the potential to save lives by mitigating the condition’s devastating effects on the brain and behavior. The ultimate objective of treatment is to restore an individual to full participation in family, career, and community life.
When opioids are used in ways other than prescribed, like snorting or injecting, the individual significantly risks developing an addiction. This technique, which already poses a significant risk to the individual’s life, becomes considerably more dangerous when the pill has an extended duration of action.
Treatment for opioid addiction can occur in various ways, take many different forms, and endure for a varying range of times, depending on the specifics of each patient’s situation. Opioid addiction can be treated effectively with medicine alone or in conjunction with behavioral therapy. Including medicine in a treatment strategy for opioid addiction improves the likelihood of success.
Opioid addiction treatment medications aid in sobriety by reducing cravings, alleviating anxiety, and sometimes even eliminating withdrawal symptoms. Medication is optional as part of the healing process, although there is substantial evidence that it can aid in making a faster recovery.
What is the Most Common Form of Treatment for Opioid Dependence?
Opioid use disorder is treatable with a variety of medications, including methadone, buprenorphine, and extended-release naltrexone.
Both buprenorphine and methadone are classified as “essential medications” by the WHO.
An extended-release naltrexone formulation and a buprenorphine/naloxone combination are equally effective in treating opioid use disorder, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. However, starting therapy with active users was more challenging with naltrexone because of the necessity of thorough detoxification. After the withdrawal symptoms subsided, both drugs were equally effective.
Medication-assisted therapy (MAT) entails the use of both pharmaceuticals and psychosocial support to treat the individual in rehab.
What Can Be Done to Reduce Opioid Addiction?
Opioids are most safe when taken for no more than three days to treat severe, short-term pain, such as that experienced immediately after surgery or a bone fracture. When taking opioids for acute pain, it’s important for the individual to consult with their healthcare provider to determine the smallest effective dose and the shortest effective treatment duration.
Opioids are not expected to be a long-term safe and effective therapy choice for those with chronic pain. There are a plethora of options for care, such as nonpharmacological therapies and less-addictive pain drugs. A person struggling with OUD should seek a treatment plan that will allow them to lead a fulfilling life without opioids.
Individuals can protect themselves from the harm of opioid addiction by always following dosing instructions, not attempting to combine them with other drugs, and safely disposing of unused drugs.
What is the First Line of Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder?
First-line treatment for OUD often includes medication with an opioid agonist or antagonist and supportive psychosocial care. Some patients may only be able to receive pharmaceutical or psychological treatment. Thus it may be necessary to treat them separately.
Psychosocial Management
Patients with moderate to severe addiction (physical dependency) — Pharmacologic management is the recommended first-line treatment for most people with mild to severe opioid use disorder (OUD). In addition, experts highly recommend supplementing medical care with psychosocial support.
Clinical trials and research have shown medication for OUD (MOUD) to increase abstinence, boost treatment retention, and reduce mortality (including suicide) throughout stable treatment periods.
Pharmacological Management
In pharmacological management, experts usually favor an opioid agonist (buprenorphine or methadone) over an opioid antagonist for the initial treatment of moderate to severe OUD (i.e., naltrexone). When choosing between agonists, it is recommended to favor buprenorphine over methadone.
However, when dealing with patients who have developed a high tolerance to agonists (as seen by the requirement for increasingly large dosages to have the desired effect), methadone is the drug of choice. Naltrexone is an effective alternative to agonist treatment for those who are unable to or unwilling to take it; nevertheless, those who will be given naltrexone must undergo medically supervised withdrawal prior to starting an antagonist.
What Are Side-effects Of Opioids?
Use can often go unnoticed by family, friends, and coworkers, causing opioid use to be used for long periods. Common signs of opioid use include:
- Confusion
- Loss of Memory
- Irritability
- Weight Loss
- Breathing Problems
- Shakiness
- Hallucinations
Rehab for Opioid Addiction at AspenRidge Recovery Center
Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) may need ongoing care to prevent relapse, even if they have achieved abstinence (either through medically supervised withdrawal or another method).
Opioid addiction can be treated effectively with medicine alone or in conjunction with behavioral therapy. Including medicine in a treatment strategy for opioid addiction improves the likelihood of success. AspenRidge Recovery Center provides efficient opioid addiction rehab services in Colorado.
AspenRidge provides additional treatment services tailored to guide each individual to recovery. To learn more about our treatments and programs, contact us today via our telephone at (855) 281-5588.
