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Medication assisted treatment (MAT) pairs an FDA-approved medication with counseling so that cravings and withdrawal stop running the day. At New Leaf Detox & Treatment in Laguna Niguel, MAT is prescribed inside residential care at 63 Mallorca, with our medical team setting and adjusting the dose while therapy runs alongside it.
At New Leaf Detox & Treatment, we view Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) as a form of pharmacotherapy that serves as a harm-reduction tool when used in conjunction with counseling and behavioral therapies. MAT is effective at diminishing cravings, reducing high-risk behaviors associated with substance abuse, and creating stability for clients during transitionary periods. MAT is not a life-long sentence – it can be used safely for extended periods of time or taken as a short-term intervention for individuals struggling to remain abstinent.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is the use of medications along with the use of counseling and behavioral therapies. Medication-assisted treatment is most effective in the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and supports long-term recovery.
We use MAT when we see it as most appropriate and effective. The ultimate goal of our treatments and programs is full recovery, and MAT is one of the tools that gets clients there. Contact us today to see the full details of medication assisted treatment in Orange County.
New Leaf Detox accepts all PPO plans, which can cover up to 100% of treatment costs. Contact our team today for a free, confidential verification of your benefits.
Five medications hold FDA approval in this class, and they do not work the same way. Three treat opioid use disorder, two treat alcohol use disorder, and naltrexone is approved for both.
Medication | How it Acts | Approved For | How it is Given |
|---|---|---|---|
Buprenorphine | Partial opioid agonist, with a ceiling on its effect | Opioid Use Disorder | Daily film or tablet, or a monthly extended-release injection |
Methadone | Full opioid agonist | Opioid Use Disorder | Daily dose, dispensed only through a federally certified opioid treatment program |
Naltrexone | Opioid antagonist, blocks the receptor outright | Opioid and Alcohol Use Disorder | Daily tablet or a monthly injection |
Acamprosate | Steadies glutamate and GABA signaling once drinking stops | Alcohol Use Disorder | Tablets, three times a day |
Disulfiram | Blocks alcohol metabolism, so a drink causes an immediate reaction | Alcohol Use Disorder | Daily tablet |
Our prescribers work with buprenorphine and naltrexone on site. Methadone for opioid use disorder sits outside a residential setting by federal rule, so anyone who needs it is connected with a certified opioid treatment program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sets out the same three opioid medications.
There are several reasons as to why selecting an MAT program is the best choice in treating a substance use disorder. New Leaf’s medication assisted treatment plans use two FDA-approved medications: buprenorphine, including its extended-release injection Sublocade, and naltrexone.
These regimens are a standard of care in treating heroin and opioid addiction when combined with counseling and psychosocial support.
Medication-assisted treatment is one of the most widely used approaches to opioid use disorder in the United States. The intense side effects and symptoms of withdrawal have often been the cause of relapse. Other benefits of an MAT program include:
There is a high rate of relapse for those who attempt to stop using drugs or alcohol on their own. Medication assisted treatment reduces the risk of relapse because the medications act on the same receptor the substance did. Naltrexone is a full antagonist and blocks that receptor outright. Buprenorphine is a partial agonist, so it occupies the receptor and settles cravings without producing a high.
Depending on the type of substance, the detox process could be life-threatening. A patient going through withdrawal could be at risk for seizures, high blood pressure, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Having access to medical professionals who are monitoring for these symptoms can save patients from a potentially dangerous situation.
MAT is effective as it is used slowly and throughout a set period of time. By using a controlled taper, the patient can become used to living without the drug they had been physically dependent on. This also allows the patient to be closely monitored by a doctor or clinician throughout the period that the patient is receiving treatment.
The first dose of buprenorphine is the one that has to be timed. It binds the opioid receptor more tightly than heroin or oxycodone but only partly activates it, so giving it too early strips the fuller opioid off the receptor and drops someone straight into precipitated withdrawal, which is sharper than the withdrawal they walked in with.
The clock therefore runs on symptoms, not on a schedule. Our nursing team scores withdrawal on a standard clinical scale and waits for it to reach a set threshold before the first dose goes in. From there the dose steps up across the first day or two until cravings settle and vital signs steady.
Fentanyl changes the arithmetic. It stores in fat tissue and keeps releasing after the last dose, so the usual waiting window may not be long enough and a slower, low-dose start is often safer. That problem is covered on our fentanyl detox page, and the buprenorphine-naloxone combination film has its own breakdown on our Suboxone page.
Almost everything written about MAT is written about opioids, which leaves people with an alcohol problem assuming there is no medication for them. There are three, and they do different jobs.
None of the three replaces alcohol detox. Alcohol withdrawal can produce seizures, so the medication conversation happens once the body is stable, not instead of stabilizing it.
There is no fixed term. Some people take medication for a few months while therapy takes hold. Others stay on one for years, and that is a clinical decision made with a prescriber rather than a moral one.
The objection families raise is that this trades one drug for another. It does not. A stable buprenorphine or methadone dose does not produce a high, does not need escalating, and leaves someone able to hold a job and drive, which is the opposite of what the substance it replaced was doing.
Stopping is planned rather than improvised. The dose steps down slowly while therapy and aftercare carry more of the weight, and the taper pauses if cravings return. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) treats duration as an individual decision rather than a set program length.
Every one of these medications carries a side effect profile, and we go through yours before the first dose rather than after it.
Tell us about pregnancy, liver or kidney disease, sleep apnea, and every prescription and supplement you take, including anything a psychiatrist started. Co-occurring conditions are treated alongside the medication rather than after it, which is covered on our dual diagnosis page.
At New Leaf Detox & Treatment, we are committed to meeting the needs of our clients with the most advanced best practices in addiction medicine, treatment, and evidence-based standards of care. While always mindful of each client’s individual needs, MAT is one of many patient-centered modalities of treatment offered at New Leaf Detox & Treatment.
We provide extensive patient-provider engagement, careful screening, and medical and psychological evaluation. Our MAT treatment plans are offered in conjunction with counseling and psychosocial support for best client and patient outcomes. Contact us today to see how our MAT program works and how we can help you overcome your addiction. Call (866) 932-0905 to reach our team, or see where MAT sits in the care we run at our Orange County detox center.
For opioids, yes. Buprenorphine is usually started during withdrawal, once your score reaches the threshold. Naltrexone is the reverse and has to wait until opioids have fully cleared.
No. The medication is prescribed alongside counseling and the two run together here, not as alternatives. A medication on its own manages cravings but changes nothing about the pattern that built them.
New Leaf Detox accepts all PPO plans, which can cover up to 100% of treatment costs. Coverage for the medication itself usually sits under the pharmacy side of your plan, so we verify both before you arrive.
Once your dose is stable, most people can. Induction and any dose change are the periods to stay off the road, and your prescriber tells you when that window has passed.
We coordinate with the prescriber who continues it, whether that is a community provider or the intensive outpatient program we connect you with. The plan for continuing is set before discharge, not after.
