Benefits of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) with methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone, has been proven to help patients recover from opioid addiction.

These medications are:

  • Safe
  • Cost-effective
  • Reduce the risk of overdose and death
  • Reduce drug craving
  • Increase treatment retention
  • Improve social functioning
  • Reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission
  • Reduce the risk of relapse
  • Reduce criminal activity

Methadone and buprenorphine are associated with significantly lower overdose death compared with non-medication treatments during care but not after treatment is discontinued [1]


[1] Krawczyk N, Mojtabai R, Stuart EA, et al. Opioid agonist treatment and fatal overdose risk in a state-wide US population receiving opioid use disorder services. Addiction. 2020 Sep;115(9):1683-1694.

Kenneth Stoller, MD, 2018 Steering Committee Meeting

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