Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

Course overview

Opioid Use had become a serious problem leading to serious addictions and many death and near deaths. This course, published by SAMHSA, addresses how medications may be necessary to help some manage or overcome Opioid Use Disorder. There is no one size fits all approach to OUD treatment. Many people with OUD benefit from treatment with medication for varying lengths of time, including lifelong treatment. Ongoing outpatient medication treatment for OUD is linked to better retention and outcomes than treatment without medication. Even so, some people stop using opioids on their own; others recover through support groups or specialty outpatient or 8 residential treatment with or without medication. Still, FDA approved medication should be considered and offered to patients with OUD as part of their treatment.