What is a huge epidemic plaguing our world today? For many, the answer would not be addiction. Epidemics are battles against viruses, flu and other common illnesses that haunt our daily lives. Opioid addiction is the physical and mental condition of dependence on opioids. The addiction crisis has reached unprecedented levels. An article describing patient preference for medications in treatment stated that "in 2012, 2.1 million people in the United States met criteria for abuse/dependence on prescription painkillers during the year passed, and half a million people met the criteria for heroin use disorder. » (Uebelacker) Something must be done to fight this disease of addiction which is plaguing our country. Although there are a number of drug treatment centers in the United States, the key to the success of these centers is their use of medication-assisted treatment. Thesis Statement: Although some view medication-assisted treatment as counterproductive in that it merely replaces one addiction with another, the use of medications such as buprenorphine and methadone helps reduce symptoms withdrawal, stimulates retention of proposed therapies, and reduces the number of fatal overdoses. In the face of so much suffering, it is extremely necessary to find viable options to end addiction. Although treatment options are available, they are not entirely an effective strategy for those seeking to end their opioid use. This need for better options leads to the eventual creation of different medications for use in addition to normal drug rehabilitation therapies. Include facts about each of the medications and their uses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The first drug that will be discussed is methadone. Methadone is an opioid agonist, meaning it changes the way the brain and nervous system interact with opioid receptors. Additionally, it changes the way the body responds to pain, allowing users to detox from opioids without harmful withdrawal effects. One of the most important pieces of information to consider about methadone is that it "blocks the euphoric effects of opiate drugs such as heroin, morphine, and codeine, as well as semi-synthetic opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone” (Walsh). This is important to consider when arguing that methadone is not a harmful drug that allows users to experience a different "high" in place of their opioid of choice. Besides methadone, this article will also discuss the uses of buprenorphine, another medication commonly used to treat patients with opioid addiction. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, meaning it still produces the effects of euphoria and respiratory depression, but in much weaker states. This essential medication creates a “ceiling” for the effects a user can experience, allowing patients to not need as many opioids and eventually eliminate them all together. Along with these medications, a normal drug rehabilitation process might include inpatient and outpatient programs that include in-depth therapy focused on mental health and processes for staying sober. Buprenorphine andMethadone are both effective medications that can be used in addition to normal therapies to reduce drug use and help people struggling with opioid addiction, while increasing the likelihood that patients will remain in treatment. As previously noted, buprenorphine and methadone work to relieve withdrawal symptoms in those detoxing from opioids. This may not seem very helpful to those who are not currently living with an addiction, but the fact that addicts do not face horrible withdrawal symptoms can greatly increase the chances that patients will be more receptive to different therapies. Drug treatments “will increase patient retention in treatment, and they will all improve social functioning while reducing the risks of infectious disease transmission and involvement in criminal activity.” » (Volkow). Although these medications do not cure addiction, they have a significant impact. When discussing the positive aspects of these drugs, we think about the ability to curb their future consumption. Relapse is a very serious problem faced by those who have overcome and achieved sobriety; in fact, one of the reasons some addicts relapse is due to the intense cravings and withdrawal they experience. Relapse is just as dangerous, if not more so, for those who have escaped opioid use. During a drug relapse, many drug users will return to using the same amount of opioids as when they stopped, but their body is not used to absorbing so much of the substance which can lead to an overdose deadly. The New England Medicine article showed that "maintaining MAT has been shown to prevent relapse and death, but is strongly discouraged due to life limitations" (Volkow). This is a big step forward in the fight against addiction. Lives will be saved through the use of these drug addiction therapies. While many believe that buprenorphine and methadone have many benefits, a select few believe that these drugs are just a way to replace one addiction with another. Because buprenorphine and methadone affect the brain in the same way as most opioids, it is believed that many of those who use these drugs are not very successful in achieving abstinence. In an NPR article discussing addiction, a former addict describes his use of buprenorphine as "he often exceeded the dose, buying pills from other patients so as not to run out." He stopped using other narcotics and overall felt more functional. Yet after three years of seeing doctors, he never felt like he had fully recovered. » (Hsu) There is a common misconception that the majority of those who switch to these opioid medications will never achieve complete sobriety. This idea creates hesitancy about using these medications to enable someone to achieve full sobriety. A majority of this discomfort comes from not knowing the subject. Donald Avoy, MD, in his book Professional Prospective on Addiction Medication, writes: “Professionals in the criminal justice system have viewed it with suspicion for forty years. It is poorly understood by most health professionals. He is looked at with despair by the families of the beneficiaries. The general public only knows him vaguely. »(Stanford) It is clear that this lack of knowledge has created a stigma around these two medications. These ideas can be harmful to many people?