Medication may support your treatment and recovery efforts, but cannot replace your treatment and recovery efforts.

What is Medication-Assisted Treatment?

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is pharmacotherapy used to support treatment and recovery efforts for people seeking to overcome addictive disorders. It combines prescribed medications with counseling and behavioral therapies, monitoring, community-based services, and recovery supports. MAT is designed to assist, not replace other treatment and recovery efforts, and supplements psychological, behavioral, and social interventions.

This treatment approach has been shown to:

• Reduce the risk of overdose
• Increase retention in treatment
• Decrease opiate use and other illicit activity among people with substance use disorders
• Increase the ability to gain and maintain employment
• Improve birth outcomes among pregnant women who have substance use disorders

If you suffer from a heroin or other opioid abuse disorder, our medical clinic may prescribe naltrexone or buprenorphine as part of your integrated treatment plan. Naltrexone is a non-addictive and non-sedating medication that can reduce your craving for heroin or other opioids while blocking the good feelings or high that make them addictive. Odyssey House uses both oral (Revia) and injectable (Vivitrol) forms of naltrexone, but you must complete a detoxification program before they can be prescribed. Buprenorphine is commonly used to treat opioid use disorders to reduce the effects of withdrawal and reduce cravings.

If you suffer from an alcohol abuse disorder, our medical clinic may prescribe one or more of the medications as part of your integrated treatment plan: naltrexone to reduce your dependence and cravings; Campral (acamprosate calcium) to manage withdrawal symptoms; and Antabuse (disulfiram) to help you avoid alcohol by producing unpleasant side effects (like headaches, nausea or vomiting) if you drink.

Download our MAT brochure to learn more.