Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) significantly improves your ability to overcome substance use disorders. Katrina Gary-Forté, PhD, at Trade It In’s office in Houston, Texas, specializes in caring for people with addictions to substances such as heroin, prescription opioids, alcohol, and drugs. She uses MAT treatment, which combines medication and therapy, to ease the trauma of withdrawal and get you back on track. Find out how MAT treatment could change your life by calling Trade It In today. You can also use the online form to schedule a consultation.
MAT (medication-assisted treatment) helps people overcome addictions to opioids and alcohol. Opioids include illegal drugs like heroin and strong prescription painkillers such as oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine, and hydrocodone.
These drugs can have such a powerful hold over people that little else matters in life. People with addictions can lose their jobs, families, and homes, have poor health, and live in poverty. However, even when it’s clear an addiction is destroying your life, it can be tough to change things on your own.
MAT combines medication with talk therapy to give patients the best chance of recovery from addiction.
MAT medications include:
Buprenorphine is an opioid antagonist, which means it reduces the effects of opioid drugs. It helps you get through withdrawal and makes it easier to quit. Buprenorphine is available as a pill you put under your tongue or in slow-release injection and implant forms.
Naltrexone is another opioid antagonist. Naltrexone injections minimize cravings and help prevent relapses in patients with opioid and alcohol addictions.
If you could benefit from MAT treatment, Dr. Gary-Forté conducts a complete exam and evaluation and orders lab tests. She needs to make sure MAT is suitable for you and will be the best approach before you begin.
Dr. Gary-Forté also explains how the treatment works and what’s involved in an intensive outpatient drug rehabilitation program should you choose that option.
The initial drug withdrawal phase can lead to side effects such as nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and intense cravings. The medications Dr. Gary-Forté prescribes help to normalize your brain chemistry. They reduce the severity of any side effects and relieve cravings, making the process far more tolerable.
After a few weeks of MAT treatment, you should start stabilizing. Dr. Gary-Forté monitors and supports you throughout and provides regular therapy sessions to aid your recovery.
The treatment period varies between patients. Some require a few weeks or months; others stay on MAT longer.
While it’s safe to continue with medication long-term, people often aim to reach a point where they no longer need it. When you’re ready, Dr. Gary-Forté can help you carefully reduce and eventually eliminate your medication.
To discover how MAT treatment can change your life for the better, make an appointment at Trade It In. Call their office today or use the online booking form.