MAT Medications
This medication is a partial opioid agonist commonly combined with naloxone to treat opioid use disorder.
Buprenorphine (Suboxone) - A partial opioid agonist is a type of drug that activates opioid receptors in the brain, but only to a limited degree compared to full opioids. It produces some opioid effects—like pain relief or reduced withdrawal—but with a ceiling effect, meaning the effects level off even if the dose increases. Because of this, partial agonists have a lower risk of respiratory depression and overdose than full opioid agonists. They are commonly used in medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, such as Buprenorphine.
This brain chemical is heavily involved in reward and reinforcement in addiction.
Dopamine - Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate reward, motivation, and pleasure, making us feel motivated to seek out positive experiences. It also plays a role in movement, attention, and learning, so imbalances can affect mood, focus, and motor control.
This medication can reverse an opioid overdose if given in time.
Naloxone (Narcan)
After a period of abstinence, this change in the body makes relapse much more dangerous.
Loss of tolerance
Someone on Vivitrol relapses and uses heroin but feels nothing. This happens because Vivitrol does this to opioid receptors.
Blocks them
This medication for opioid use disorder must often be dispensed daily at specialized clinics.
Methadone -A full opioid agonist is a drug that fully activates opioid receptors in the brain, producing the maximum opioid effect such as pain relief, euphoria, and respiratory depression. Examples include medications like Methadone and opioids such as Morphine, which can be effective for pain management but also carry a higher risk of dependence and overdose.
MAT medications help stabilize this system in the brain that becomes disrupted after long-term substance use.
The brain’s reward system
Using drugs alone increases the risk of this deadly outcome because no one is present to intervene.
Fatal overdose
Mixing opioids with these two substances greatly increases overdose risk.
Benzodiazepines and alcohol
A person stops taking Suboxone suddenly and begins feeling sick and restless. This is likely this.
Withdrawal
This medication blocks opioid receptors completely and can also be used to reduce alcohol cravings.
Naltrexone / Vivitrol - Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist that works by blocking opioid receptors, preventing opioids from producing euphoric or pain-relieving effects. The extended-release injectable form, Vivitrol, is typically given once a month and is used to help prevent relapse in people recovering from opioid or alcohol use disorders.
Buprenorphine is considered safer than full opioids partly because it has this effect where the opioid impact levels off at higher doses.
A ceiling effect
These test strips are used to detect the presence of a powerful opioid commonly found in contaminated drug supplies.
Fentanyl test strips
This synthetic opioid is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and is commonly found in the illicit drug supply.
Fentanyl
A client says MAT is “just replacing one drug with another.” This common belief is known as this.
A stigma or myth about MAT
Before starting naltrexone, a person must first complete this step to avoid precipitated withdrawal.
Detoxing from opioids / being opioid-free for about 7–10 days
This part of the brain is responsible for decision-making and impulse control, and is often impaired during addiction.
The prefrontal cortex
One harm reduction strategy recommends starting with a small amount of a substance first to test potency.
Test dose / doing a small amount first
People leaving detox, jail, or rehab face higher overdose risk mainly because of this change in the body.
Reduced tolerance
A person who has been sober for 3 months relapses and uses the same amount they used before treatment. This puts them at high risk for this.
Overdose
This MAT medication for alcohol use disorder works by helping restore brain chemical balance related to glutamate and GABA.
Acamprosate (Campral)
This occurs when a medication like naloxone or naltrexone displaces opioids from receptors and rapidly triggers withdrawal.
Precipitated withdrawal - Precipitated withdrawal happens when a person who is dependent on opioids takes a partial agonist or antagonist (like Buprenorphine) too soon after using a full opioid. The drug suddenly displaces the full opioid from receptors but only partially activates them, causing rapid and intense withdrawal symptoms.
This harm reduction practice helps reduce overdose risk by ensuring someone nearby can respond if needed.
Using with someone present / not using alone
This condition occurs when breathing slows or stops due to opioid use.
Respiratory depression
Someone witnesses an opioid overdose. After calling 911, the most important medication to administer immediately is this.
Naloxone / Narcan