5 Things Dr. Dennis McCarty Wants You to Know About Treatment and Prevention of Opioid Use Disorder

May 22, 2018

Veronica Wang
Great Lakes ATTC

Dr. Dennis McCarty covered a lot of information in the webinar on April 3, Treatment and Prevention of Opioid Use Disorder: An Overview. The webinar began with a brief history of federal drug policy in the U.S. and medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorder, and ended with a lively Q&A session with participants.

Here are 5 key points that Dr. McCarty would like you to know about the opioid crisis in the U.S. today:

1. “In the 21stCentury, treatment for OUD requires evidence-based practices, and integration with primary care to better serve its patients.” Listen at: 00:31:10

2. “The death rates are much lower among the patients on methadone or buprenorphine (opioid agonist therapy) when compared to patients who are on abstinence only therapy.”  Listen at: 00:40:02

3. “Clearly, the recommendation is to provide pharmacotherapy to support recovery along with counseling or other recovery programs. Ultimately, it’s a patient level decision. What does your patient need?” Listen at: 00:46:16

4. “Despite resistance to the use of medication for the treatment of OUD, it is the thing to do in the 21stCentury.” Listen at: 00:40:28

5. “We need to find the care that works the best for the patient.” Listen at: 00:53:52

Missed the Webinar?

If you missed the webinar, you can visit the Great Lakes ATTC website to view the recorded webinar. You can also download a copy of the webinar FAQ sheet.