The U.S. is in the midst of an opioid epidemic; overdose deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl have increased more than 100-fold since 1999. Medications like buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone can all help treat opioid use disorder (OUD), curbing relapse, overdoses and death. But many barriers exist to people with OUD getting these medications, from providers not receiving adequate training to people with OUD feeling too stigmatized to find a specialist.
This article was originally published on MedicalXpress.com