When struggling with addiction, having as many treatment options as possible is key to the healing and recovery process. Our medication-assisted treatment program, or MAT, is most effective for individuals struggling with opioid addiction to treat and manage their addiction.
Unfortunately, many individuals are unable to find the addiction treatment they need. Whether it is due to the inability to work face-to-face appointments into an individual’s busy schedule or out of safety precautions during this global pandemic, a solution that has become increasingly popular and has proven itself to be very effective in providing addiction treatment are telemedicine, or telehealth, treatment programs. Through our telehealth addiction treatment programs, we offer a unique combination of treatment to help our patients recover from their drug addictions. Our MAT programs can merge with our telemedicine options to deliver a comprehensive plan of care, allowing us to meet each patient’s unique needs.
Using our telehealth services, clients interact with clinicians, mental health professionals, counselors, and therapists from the comfort of their own home at any time. Clients can message, call, or video conference instantly. Through our telehealth addiction treatment programs, we offer a unique combination of treatment to help our patients recover from their drug addictions. Our MAT programs can merge with our telemedicine options to deliver a comprehensive plan of care, allowing us to meet each patient’s unique needs.
What Is MAT?
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is when medical and addiction experts use medications in combination with behavioral therapies to address opioid addiction. Because addiction is a chronic disease with long-lasting effects, MAT is an effective way to lessen withdrawal symptoms and cravings, allowing individuals to focus on therapeutic treatments and successfully function throughout their day.
A frequent misunderstanding about MAT is that it merely substitutes one drug for another. This is a short-sighted view. Because addiction is a disease, treating addiction with medication is similar to the way that other diseases are treated. The medications used in our MAT program at Sunlight Medical Services relieve the withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings that cause chemical imbalances in the body. All of the medications we use are FDA approved.
Medication-Assisted Treatment via Telemedicine
Through our telehealth addiction treatment program, patients get the therapeutic treatment necessary to address the psychological or behavioral aspects of their drug addiction. Using secure software that is HIPAA compliant, our patients are able to meet with our doctors and therapists virtually via smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. All patients need a reliable Internet connection. The same high-quality medication-assisted treatment we offer for in-person sessions is delivered via video-meeting or chat.
About Our MAT Program
Our outpatient medication-assisted treatment program, delivered in-person or via telehealth, utilizes a variety of medications to treat addiction. We designed our addiction treatment programs to give patients the help they need to address both the physical side of addiction and the mental. In each program, patients receive counseling to address their substance use disorder and medication to manage their withdrawal symptoms and cravings. The medications we offer through our MAT program include:
Methadone
Perhaps the most common medication used to treat opioid use disorder, this medication reduces craving, the impact of withdrawal, and mutes the effects of opioids. Taken once a day in liquid, powder, or tablet form, methadone needs to be administered by a medical professional, and patient use is tightly monitored.
Buprenorphine
While methadone needs to be taken in a highly structured setting, buprenorphine can be prescribed and taken independently by patients at home. This medication reduces the pain from withdrawal symptoms and can be taken orally as a pill or, in some instances, given as a patch.
Naltrexone
This medication reduces the cravings for opioids. It blocks the effects of opioids and its euphoric sensations, helping patients prevent relapse and reduce dependency. Also, this opioid antagonist medication can treat alcoholism, decreasing its effects, and aiding in detoxification.
Sublocade
Sublocade contains buprenorphine and is used in treatment for opioid addiction. It is an injection that gradually releases medication throughout the body over a month.
Vivitrol
As an opioid antagonist or blocking medication, Vivitrol blocks the effects of endogenous opioid peptides. This blocking prevents dopamine release from alcohol, making it an effective treatment in overcoming alcohol addiction. As a non-narcotic, Vivitrol has little to no potential for abuse, making it safe and effective.
Our facility and addiction treatment experts also have naloxone, or Narcan, on-hand. Naloxone is a medication used to counteract an opioid overdose. Through our MAT program, we give individuals struggling with opioid addiction the best chance of maintaining a long-lasting recovery.
Addiction Treatment Center in Phoenix, AZ
Whether in our comfortable and professional addiction treatment center in Phoenix, AZ, or via our telemedicine services, you’ll find we offer an extremely comprehensive and accessible MAT program. Via our telehealth MAT program, patients can receive their medications and still get the high-quality therapeutic treatment they need.
As you learn more about our MAT and telehealth addiction treatment programs, you will also discover that we offer behavioral health programs. Through our individual and group counseling and behavioral therapy programs, our patients get the comprehensive care necessary for a long-term recovery. Contact Sunlight Medical Services today at (855) 920-1104 to learn more about our addiction treatment center.
