methadone

The FDA has approved three medications to treat opioid use disorder: methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone.

Medication-assisted treatment with medicines like methadone or buprenorphine is the standard of care for pregnant people with substance use disorders who are withdrawing because it can drastically reduce these health risks.

Medications like buprenorphine and methadone are considered the gold standard for treating addiction, according to decades of research, because they can reduce deaths as well as improve social functionality.

We know what does work: methadone and buprenorphine are fundamental to good opioid addiction treatment and are proven to cut the risk of overdose in half.

Housing is the solution, Kushel said, but until enough of it is available, there is a need to bring more resources to the street, such as methadone or other medications that treat opioid addiction.