Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) formerly called Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT)

The following medications used for treatment are evidence-based treatment options and are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat opioid use disorders (OUD). Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone treat short-acting opioids such as heroin, morphine, and codeine, as well as semi-synthetic opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone. These medications are safe to use for months, years, or even a lifetime, as stated on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAHMSA) website.*

Mutual-help organizations (MHOs)

Mutual-help organizations (MHOs) such as Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous can be a valuable addition to treatment plans and extend the reach of the clinician by providing their patients with ongoing paths to recovery via crucial sober social support that has been found to confer valuable relapse prevention skills.
More information can be found at the Providers Clinical Support System SUD 101 Core Curriculum Overview.

Medications for OUD video

This video from the National Institute for Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health gives an overview of medications for opioid use disorder.

Opioid Overdose Prevention Medication

According to SAMHSA:

A practitioner should assess the need and co-prescribe naloxone for patients who are taking methadone or buprenorphine receiving or otherwise considered a risk for opioid overdose. Candidates for naloxone are those who:

• Take high doses of opioids for long-term management of chronic pain.
• Receive rotating opioid medication regimens.
• Have been discharged from emergency medical care following opioid poisoning or intoxication.
• Take certain extended-release or long-acting opioid medication.
• Those who have had a period of abstinence to include those recently released from incarceration.
• Pregnant women can be safely given naloxone in limited doses under the supervision of a doctor.

A doctor or pharmacist can show patients, their family members, or caregivers how to administer naloxone.(PDF)

Patients given an automatic injection device or nasal spray should keep the item available at all times. It is important to remember to replace medication when the expiration date passes and if exposed to temperatures below 39°F or above 104°F.

Naloxone is effective if opioids are misused in combination with other sedatives or stimulants. It is not effective in treating overdoses of benzodiazepines or stimulant overdoses involving cocaine and amphetamines.

Waiver Elimination (MAT Act)

Section 1262 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (also known as Omnibus bill), removes the federal requirement for practitioners to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) (waiver application) to prescribe medications like buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). With this provision, and effective immediately, SAMHSA will no longer be accepting NOIs (waiver applications).

All practitioners who have a current DEA registration that includes Schedule III authority, may now prescribe buprenorphine for OUD in their practice if permitted by applicable state law, and SAMHSA encourages them to do so. SAMHSA and DEA are actively working on implementation of a separate provision of the Omnibus related to training requirements for DEA registration that became effective in June 2023. Please continue to check this webpage for further updates and guidance.

275 Annual Report

275 Annual Reports are no longer required or being accepted.