Is Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction Really Safe?

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Opioid drugs can significantly disrupt a person’s life when addiction develops. Although many opioids provide important medical benefits for pain relief, using them beyond prescribed guidelines increases the risk of addiction over time.

For individuals recovering from long-term opioid addiction, changes in brain function can make it harder to follow treatment plans and maintain abstinence. Medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction is designed to address these brain-related effects caused by chronic drug use.

Medication assisted treatment can be very effective, but like any medical intervention, it carries potential risks. Decisions about MAT safety should be carefully balanced against the serious risks associated with relapse and continued opioid use.

How Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction Works

Opioids, as a class of drugs, gradually affect the chemical systems that control your brain and body functions. In the early stages, your body may begin to develop physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms as brain chemistry starts to change.

With continued use, these chemical changes can become more severe. Over time, the brain’s reward system may begin to rely on opioids to function normally, making the drug feel necessary for daily stability rather than optional.

Medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction is designed to support disrupted brain chemistry and help restore more stable function. The medications most commonly used in MAT are methadone and buprenorphine.

MAT can help people in recovery manage withdrawal symptoms, reduce cravings and improve their ability to participate in daily life. These medications work by interacting with the same brain receptors affected by opioids, but in a controlled and medically supervised way.

Chronic opioid use can weaken normal communication between brain cells by disrupting neurotransmitter activity. Medication assisted treatment helps stabilize these processes, which can significantly reduce ongoing cravings and withdrawal symptoms during recovery.

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Safety Issues

Both methadone and buprenorphine belong to the opioid class of drugs, so they interact with the same areas of the brain as addictive opioids. Despite their classification as opioids, drugs used in medication assisted treatment for opioid addiction carry a lower potential for abuse and addiction, though the risk is there.

Safety issues regarding medication assisted treatment for opioid addiction become an issue when it comes time for a person to stop medication treatment. In effect, the brain and body can develop a dependence on these drugs, especially in cases of long-term treatment.

Another safety concern relates specifically to methadone. When a person first begins methadone treatment, it can take time for medical providers to determine the correct dosage. During this early phase, the risk of overdose may be higher because methadone remains in the body for a long period. If doses are increased too quickly or adjusted too frequently, the likelihood of overdose can rise.

Treatment Considerations

While medication assisted treatment for opioid addiction does pose certain safety concerns, the prospect of remaining trapped inside an opioid addiction comes with considerably more risk.

Opioid addiction destroys the body and mind, with the potential for overdose increasing with each passing day. Although there is a potential for dependence, medication assisted treatment for opioid addiction enables a person to live a normal life.

If you or someone you know is considering medication assisted treatment for opioid addiction and has more questions or need help finding treatment that meets your needs, please don’t hesitate to call our toll-free helpline at 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.

Opioid Addiction Treatment Options

Overcoming an addiction to opioids often requires professional addiction treatment. There are many different treatment options, and different locations where you can get it.

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