Specialty Treatment
Increasing Access and Availability to Medication-Assisted Treatment
Effective medicines that are medically monitored are available to help stabilize patients with substance use disorders. Medications currently available to treat addiction include: methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, bupropion, varenicline, acamprosate, and disulfiram. Patients on sustained doses of methadone or buprenorphine can work to reduce their exposure to HIV and Hepatitis C by stopping or reducing injection drug use and drug-related high risk sexual behavior, and avoid crime and violence. Medication-assisted treatment should be delivered in conjunction with cognitive behavioral treatment.