Center City Patient Handbook 2023 - 76

Medication-assisted therapy
Medications, in combination with counseling and
other behavioral therapies, are an important element of
treatment for many patients. Medications that can help
individuals addicted to heroin or other opioids stabilize
their lives and reduce illicit drug use include:
* Buprenorphine
* Methadone
* Naltrexone
Because methadone and buprenorphine are themselves
opioids, some people view these treatments for opioid
dependence as substitutions of one addictive drug
for another. However, taking these medications as
prescribed allows people to hold jobs, avoid street crime
and violence, and reduce their exposure to HIV by
stopping or decreasing injection drug use and drugrelated
high-risk sexual behavior. Patients stabilized
on these medications can also engage more readily in
counseling and other behavioral interventions essential
to recovery.
Mental health groups
Emotional problems are common among those with
substance use disorders, such as depression, anxiety,
or posttraumatic stress disorder. By treating both the
substance use and mental disorders at the same time,
the odds of recovery increase. Programs may provide
mental health care within the program or may refer
people to other sites for this care. Mental health care
may include the use of medications, such as antidepressants.
Programs
provide mental health education through
lectures, discussions activities and group meetings.
Some programs provide counseling for families or
couples, which can be especially helpful. Parents need
to be involved in treatment planning and follow-up care
decisions for adolescents.
Self-help groups
Self-help groups have been shown to help people
maintain recovery. Participants in self-help groups
encourage one another to live without drugs. Twelvestep
programs may be the best known. Alcoholics
Anonymous is widely known and available, and some
individuals with opioid addiction have found help
there. Other self-help groups include:
* Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
* SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training)
Recovery
* Women for Sobriety
* Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS)
Self-help group members themselves run these groups,
not trained counselors.
Self-help groups are not the same as treatment.
However, many treatment programs recommend or
require attendance at self-help groups. Some treatment
programs encourage people to find a " sponsor, " who
has been in the group for a while and can offer personal
support and advice. Self-help groups for family
members also exist and there are self-help groups for
people with particular needs.
Opiate Overdose
Opiate overdoses interfere with a person's ability to
distribute oxygen throughout the body. Signs and
symptoms of an opiate overdose include:
* Unconsciousness
* Irregular or stopped breathing
* Turning blue
Overdose Risk Factors and Prevention
Techniques
There are several things that increase a person's risk for
overdosing and ways to prevent them. These include:
* Changes in the quality or purity of opiates-try to use
the same dealer
* Changes in tolerance, especially after a period of
abstinence-use less than you did before
* Mixing drugs- never mix opiates with benzo's,
alcohol or other opiates
* Using alone-make sure somebody knows you are
going to use.
Naloxone (Narcan)
Naloxone, brand name Narcan, is a non-addictive,
harmless and effective medication that reverses an opiate
overdose. Within minutes after Naloxone is administered,
this life saving medication allows the affected person
to breathe again. There are two ways that Naloxone can
be administered, a shot in the muscle with a needle or a
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Center City Patient Handbook 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Center City Patient Handbook 2023
