Ashley Giordano, Lindsay Harrington, Courtney Letourneau, Laura Smith, & Sara Vermouth

Barriers to Patients Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Therapy

Tags: addiction mental health methadone opiates therapy treatment treatment options

Methadone maintenance therapy is one method utilized to combat opioid addiction and is an effective treatment in the abstinence from opiates. The purpose of this article is to communicate comprehensive information to healthcare providers about methadone as a medication, and the treatment guidelines of maintenance programs in the hopes of diminishing the stigma attached to methadone maintenance therapy. Through a comprehensive literature review, information regarding mechanism of action, maintenance therapy program guidelines, different barriers to treatment, and how to overcome these barriers were collected and reviewed.