By Anthony Hennen | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Though thousands of Pennsylvanians die from a drug overdose every year, using medication as treatment to wean them off an addiction is rarely used.
That approach reflects a national trend.
A new report funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 22% of Americans with an opioid use disorder received any medication to treat it.
Most Americans with a substance use issue went without any treatment at all. Only 35.6% of adults had any treatment for opioid use, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
“The findings highlight that evidence-based medications for people with opioid use disorder – including buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone – continue to be vastly underused,” the National Institute on Drug Abuse said in a press release.
Telehealth may play a role in medication use.
“Those receiving substance use treatment via telehealth were approximately 38 times more likely to receive medications for opioid use disorder compared to those who did not receive treatment via telehealth,” the press release noted.
The expansion of medication for opioid use disorder, known by the acronym MOUD, has been encouraged on the federal and state level.
“Medications for opioid use disorder are safe and effective. They help sustain recovery and prevent overdose deaths,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Failing to use safe and lifesaving medications is devastating for people denied evidence-based care. What’s more, it perpetuates opioid use disorder, prolongs the overdose crisis, and exacerbates health disparities in communities across the country.”
Pennsylvania has made an effort to expand medication access within its criminal justice system. In July, the House passed a bill to expand the use of medication-assisted treatment in county jails, as The Center Square previously reported. The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has also worked to expand its directory for treatment programs, which may or may not use medication-assistance treatment.
A number of treatment centers in the commonwealth have also received federal grants for their medication assistance treatment programs.
Within Pennsylvania’s state prisons, medication assistance treatment is more widespread than in county jails, with expansions happening in 2019 and a statewide coordinator on staff since 2016. Both the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have recommended medication treatments for opioid use disorder.