Most insurance plans provide coverage for substance use disorder treatment and prescribed medications. We recommend confirming that your plan includes mental health (behavioral health) benefits and covers substance use disorders. If Dr. Chicks isn't in your network, you may receive special authorization to see her under certain circumstances. These circumstances may include: no other MAT (Medical-Assisted Treatment) programs available to treat your condition, excessively long waiting lists, or MAT programs in your area being too far away. For assistance with obtaining authorization in these situations, please contact For Your Health.

Yes. Following even extended rehabilitation programs, long-term sobriety remains elusive for most patients, with only 6.6% successfully completing treatment. (Weiss RD et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011;68(12):1238-1246) These programs also carry substantial costs.

No. The simple explanation is that opioids are often misused to achieve a high, while Sublocade, Suboxone, and Methadone are prescribed specifically to help reduce opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Sublocade and Suboxone are administered under controlled, monitored conditions and can be safe and effective for treating opioid use disorder when taken as directed. Unlike heroin and other misused opioids, these medications work more slowly and help create stable medication levels in the brain. When used properly and under medical supervision, they can help reduce the risk of illicit opioid use and support long-term recovery. Maintenance treatment can stabilize individuals, allowing them to address medical, psychological, and other aspects of recovery while reducing the risks associated with illicit opioid use. In contrast, misusing prescription pain medications or heroin can result in overdose and death. Other serious consequences of illicit opioid use include HIV and Hepatitis C infection, injection-related infections, skin abscesses, vein damage, lung disease from smoking drugs, and nasal damage from snorting drugs.

Yes. Medical research shows that treating pregnant women with Sublocade, Suboxone, or Methadone can support healthier outcomes for their babies. MAT with Sublocade or Suboxone can reduce withdrawal symptoms in the baby (neonatal withdrawal syndrome) and may decrease the baby's hospital stay. Methadone is regarded as the gold standard for MAT during pregnancy, and more safety data exists because it has been available longer than Sublocade and Suboxone. Even less information is available regarding Vivitrol. However, the decision to use any medication during pregnancy depends on the risk-to-benefit ratio—determining whether the potential risks to the fetus and mother are greater or less than the potential benefits. When deciding whether to continue MAT during pregnancy, you should seek opinions from your treating physicians (OB and MAT prescriber), but the final decision is yours.

Simply put, Sublocade and Suboxone are medications used to treat opioid use disorder and are prescribed within established treatment guidelines. Qualified healthcare providers must meet applicable federal and state requirements to provide these treatments. There are many other factors that can affect access to treatment, including provider availability and whether a practice offers medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Sublocade, Suboxone, and Vivitrol can also be used in appropriate treatment settings, including opioid treatment programs (OTPs).

Methadone is an opioid medication that stimulates opioid receptors in the brain. Suboxone and Sublocade contain buprenorphine, which is a partial opioid agonist and only partially stimulates these receptors. Neither Methadone nor Sublocade or Suboxone treatment necessarily requires complete detoxification from other opioids before treatment begins.

First, it's important to understand that the correct Sublocade or Suboxone dose for you depends on your individual treatment needs and should be determined by your healthcare provider. Doses of Suboxone ranging from 8 to 16 mg (sometimes 24 mg) may be sufficient for many people, while Sublocade is administered as a long-acting injection with dosing determined by your healthcare provider.

If that's your goal, I'll help you achieve it. You may decide to continue MAT later, and that's acceptable.

No. How easily someone can taper off Sublocade or Suboxone varies significantly from person to person. Tapering off Sublocade or Suboxone may be straightforward for one individual, while that same person might struggle with Methadone dose reductions. Some people have difficulty discontinuing weaker opioids like hydrocodone (Vicodin), while others experience minimal difficulty stopping opioids. This is precisely why standard, cookie-cutter protocols often fail. You're an individual and should receive individualized treatment with a plan specifically designed for you.

Methadone was the first medication used to treat opiate dependence. Federal law restricts its use (for opiate addiction) to opiate treatment programs (OTPs). MAT in OTPs operates under strict regulations and structure, requiring daily attendance (for at least the first 90 days) and onsite individual and group therapy. When these regulations were initially developed in the early 1970s, it was believed this approach would improve success rates.

There are no guarantees, no single medication (or program), will help everyone. BUT, for everyone there is a medication (or program), which will work.

Vivitrol (generic name naltrexone) is completely unlike Suboxone and Methadone; it is not an opiate at all. It is a complete, 100% blocker of opiate activity in the brain. It is the same medication as Narcan (the opiate overdose rescue drug) but is an intramuscular injection given every 28-30 days. Vivitrol will control withdrawal symptoms, and reduce or eliminate control cravings. There must be an extended period of time between last use of an opiate and the first dose of Vivitrol, but Vivitrol does not require tapering the dose down to discontinue treatment. Any licensed health care provider can prescribe Vivitrol. Vivitrol is also used to treatment of alcohol dependence.

Being sober means not using drugs; recovery means living your life to it’s fullest potential.

Studies definitely indicate MAT combined with professional substance abuse counseling with is better than either alone.

NO. You are an individual and you are treated as an individual at For Your Health. Multiple factors influence whether or not SAC will be recommended for you. These factors include whether or not you have had your SAC previously, if your SAC effective, and what your progress has been like in the For Your Health treatment program.

These are groups of individuals who have addiction disorders who meet to support each other in their quest for sobriety and recovery. There are 2 categories of mutual-help groups- faith based vs. secular (non-faith based). The most widely known faith based mutual-help groups are the “12-step” groups, e.g. Narcotics Anonymous. SMART Recovery is a secular mutual-help group. Meetings can be face-to-face or online for any of the mutual-help groups.

The length of YOUR treatment is based on what YOU want/need. Your stage of recovery is typically given the most importance when considering discontinuing MAT. As your physician it is my responsibility to make recommendations based upon YOUR progress AND my professional experience. The better I know you as an individual; the better my advice to you will be. I will be forthright with, you if you feel differently about whether or not your goal is reasonable. Even if I disagree with your decisions regarding medication management I will support you as much as possible to ensure your success. It is MY duty as your physician to inform you of the advantages and disadvantages of each treatment option. Plainly stated, very short-term use ( up to 28 days) of MAT is not treatment at all- it’s detoxification. There is no evidence detoxing has any long term benefit at all. MAT used for 2, 3, 4 or so months is not treatment either- it’s just a longer detox. That said, there are people who have been successful under these circumstances. They truly are “exceptions to the rule”. The effectiveness of SAC they participated in while on treatment will contribute to success. When the length of treatment (whether months or years) after a patient has become sober is based upon the patient’s past experiences with sobriety and relapse, the current stability of their economic and social situations, and any underlying mental health condition (depression, anxiety, etc.) has been adequately treated - the likelihood of maintaining sobriety and recovery after discontinuing MAT is much higher.

NO. As treatment continues, progressive dose reductions are made gradually, as tolerated. Reemergence of cravings and/or withdrawal symptoms suggest the dose changes may need to be more gradual. The reason to make interval dose reductions is because when you are ready to completely taper off MAT the amount of time necessary is shorter. Simply because your dose is closer to zero (0?) mg. Keep in mind when selecting a medication for MAT, a huge advantage to Vivitrol does not require a taper, because discontinuing it does not cause withdrawal symptoms.

Yes. Long-term maintenance with Sublocade, Suboxone, Methadone, or Vivitrol may be an appropriate option for some people to support long-term recovery. Your treatment plan can be adjusted over time based on your individual needs and goals. If you initially believe you may need lifelong treatment, that decision does not have to be permanent. You can discuss changes to your treatment plan with your physician as your recovery progresses.