Podcast #394: Myths of Medication Assisted Treatment

Author: Katie Sprinkle, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the treatment of addiction with medications, commonly used for opioid use disorders
• A long held belief is MAT simply replaces one addiction for another, which is patently false
• MAT is one of the most affective methods to treat a patient with opioid addiction
• Unfortunately, outdated requirements for prescribers along further prevent its widespread use

References:

Salsitz E, Wiegand T. Pharmacotherapy of Opioid Addiction: "Putting a Real Face on a False Demon." Journal of Medical Toxicology. 2016;12(1):58-63. doi:10.1007/s13181-015-0517-5.

Duber HC, Barata IA, Cioè-Peña E, Liang SY, Ketcham E, Macias-Konstantopoulos W, Ryan SA, Stavros M, Whiteside LK. Identification, Management, and Transition of Care for Patients With Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department. Ann Emerg Med. 2018 Oct;72(4):420-431. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2018.04.007. Epub 2018 Jun 5. Review. PubMed PMID: 29880438.

Summary by Travis Barlock, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD