Medication-Assisted Treatment in Brighton, MI

At Revival Recovery Center, we believe in taking a "whole patient" approach to professional help for substance use disorders. A patient-tailored recovery plan often includes a combination of clinical, peer, and community support along with medication to assist treatment goals. There are several FDA-approved medications that can reduce urges and cravings, minimize withdrawal symptoms, prolong sobriety, deter you from drinking alcohol by adverse effects, and improve treatment retention for alcohol and opioid use disorders. There are also several medications that have been researched that may help with stimulant and marijuana use disorders. If you or a loved one are struggling, please get in touch with Revival Recovery Center. At our facility in Brighton, MI, family nurse practitioner Lisa Perna provides care virtually or in a private setting where all patients are treated with compassion and empathy.

Medication-assisted treatment at Revival Recovery Center offers a number of great benefits to help you start your journey to sobriety, including:

• Reducing withdrawal symptoms
• Lessening cravings and urges
• Providing a deterrence to drug/alcohol use
• Canceling the effects of drugs/alcohol
• Balancing and normalizing brain chemistry
• Supporting sobriety
• Diminishing dependence on addictive substances
• Offering multiple treatment vectors (pills, shots, lozenges, gum, etc.)

Anyone who is struggling with an alcohol or drug addiction is a candidate for medication-assisted treatment. The main goal of this form of treatment is to curb the body's powerful physical responses to addiction by mitigating the cravings and negative side effects of detoxing from drugs and alcohol. This makes medication-assisted treatment especially helpful for people with long-lasting addictions or addictions to stronger drugs.

These medications can also limit or inhibit the effects of drugs and alcohol to prevent users from experiencing the "high" and, in some cases, even produce negative effects when certain substances are consumed. Medication-assisted treatment isn't a fix-all solution but rather a tool that can help boost the effectiveness and safety of the overall treatment program.

The types of medication-assisted treatments prescribed at Revival Recovery Center Include:

• Buprenorphine (Suboxone) is a long-acting partial opioid that provides a blockade from other opiates, so when other opiates are consumed full acting opiates usually will not become active. Buprenorphine also reduces withdrawals and cravings from opioids. It has a great safety profile including a ceiling effect, so if a person were to overdose on buprenorphine the person would not feel a more euphoric effect and the likelihood of overdose is minimal. If you are not ready to stop opioids, switching to a safer opioid like buprenorphine is advised and discontinued when the person feels ready to quit.
• Naltrexone comes in both immediate (tablet) and extended-release (injection once a month). Naltrexone is for both alcohol and opioid use disorder. Research shows it can reduce the rewarding effects of opioids and alcohol while reducing urges and cravings. Naltrexone provides a blockade from opioids, so when opioids are consumed opioids are usually ineffective.
• Disulfiram (Antabuse) is an alcohol deterrent and when alcohol is consumed adverse reactions (nausea and vomiting) immediately occur. When taken daily this medication can be an effective tool to maintain sobriety.
• Acamprosate (Campral) helps to normalize the brain chemistry that has been affected from alcohol by reducing post-acute withdrawal symptoms like anxiety. This medication is taken three times a day for several months.
• Naloxone is the antidote for opioid overdose given intranasally or injected into the skin. If given in time, this medication can potentially rescue a person from overdose.
• Nicotine replacement comes in a variety of forms (patch, gum, lozenge inhaler, and nasal spray). These medications can assist with nicotine dependence by reducing cravings and minimizing withdrawal symptoms. There are also other medications that can help like varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Wellbutrin).

During a consultation at Revival Recovery Center, we will review your medical records, current physical and mental health, and history of drug use. Diagnostic lab tests may be performed to help Lisa and her team reach a diagnosis and gain a more in-depth understanding of the medications needed for your treatment. Your individualized treatment plan will likely consist of your prescribed medications, as well as psychological therapy and community support.

The medication(s) that will be prescribed for your MAT treatment depends on your individual medical history and dependence. The FDA recommends and approves a host of medications specifically for MAT treatment. These may include but are not limited to:

• Buprenorphine
• Naltrexone
• Acamprosate
• Disulfiram
• Naloxone

What are the major components of addiction treatment?

According to the Dept. of Health and Human Services, addiction treatment consists of four parts:

• Pharmacological treatment (buprenorphine, naltrexone, etc.)
• Provider and community educational interventions
• Coordination and integration of substance use disorder with other medical and psychological needs
• Psychosocial services and interventions

What are the benefits of medication-assisted treatment?

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) can help care facilities provide safer withdrawal from drugs by relieving symptoms and controlling cravings, reduce overdose risks, increase retention success rates in rehabilitation programs, and decrease the use of illegal drugs.

How effective is medication-assisted treatment for addiction?

A study published by the Society for the Study of Addiction found that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) helped reduce mortality rates among substance abuse patients by 50% or more.

If you've tried to quit drinking and/or using drugs on your own without success, you are not alone. Addiction is dangerous and can lead to death if left untreated so please don't wait any longer to seek professional help. The team at Revival Recovery Center offers  medical services to help Brighton, MI individuals navigate overpowering cravings and stop compulsive drug use. For your convenience, we accept most types of insurance and offer online appointment scheduling.