One of the outpatient rehab options for individuals in Orr battling with opioid abuse and addiction is opioid maintenance therapy. Some facilities and doctors are authorized to administer specific medications to opioid addicted people, many of which are opioids themselves and are habit forming. In low enough amounts the client doesn't experience being high and also doesn't experience severe cravings and is not in opioid withdrawal. Methadone is the first med tried for this purpose, but there are a few more options currently to select from.
Methadone is an opioid and can be taken at an outpatient clinic licensed to dispense the drug, which is taken on a daily basis in liquid or pill form. The cost of the drug is around $150 a month. Buprenorphine is also an opioid-based med, and is in pill form often taken every other day. But different from Methadone that can only be dispensed in well-regulated medical centers, Buprenorphine can be prescribed and dispensed in doctor's offices. The monthly cost of buprenorphine is around just under $300 monthly for the generic of the drug. There is also a version of buprenorphine containing the drug naloxone, which is a med that blocks the effects of opiates. A person taking this version of the drug, also known as Suboxone, would find it more difficult to feel high from opioids if they relapsed while taking the drug. It is also taken every day, and costs approximately $450 a month. Naltrexone is an additional medication taken in opioid maintenance therapy, but unlike the other drugs aforementioned it is an opiate blocker and is not an opioid. A person has the choice to take this drug as a monthly shot, and that is called Vivitrol. As an opioid blocker, the drug prevents an individual from getting high from opioids, and in turn lowers the risk associated with relapse. This daily injection costs in the range of $1000 to $1200 a month.