In Case You Haven't Heard…

A word for the SOTA (State Opioid Treatment Authority): You've been hearing about “medication‐assisted treatment” (MAT), meaning “all three medications” to treat opioid use disorder. That means naltrexone, buprenorphine and methadone. The most important thing to remember when you hear “all three” is really only one: methadone. Because while naltrexone and buprenorphine can be prescribed and dispensed anywhere, methadone can be dispensed by only one kind of provider: a federally certified opioid treatment program (OTP, or methadone clinic). These OTPs also use naltrexone and buprenorphine, but methadone is by far the less expensive medication, and it works for everyone (not only up to a certain ceiling). The SOTAs are members of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, they are the state authorities for OTPs and they need your support during this opioid crisis. They are the state experts in opioid treatment.