Other medication options include methadone, which can only be obtained through licensed clinics, and naltrexone, which any doctor can prescribe but many don’t know how to use, Dr. Kertesz said.
These hurdles for people with opioid use disorder aren’t encountered by patients with other chronic health problems, said Dr. Pooja Lagisetty of the University of Michigan Medical School and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
“With other diseases, we meet patients where they are at, and tailor treatment to their preferences and needs,” Dr. Lagisetty, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.
For many chronic diseases, there are a dozen medication treatment options, she added.
“But with opioid use disorder, we have three,” Dr. Lagisetty said. “With so few options, we have to make all of them readily available for all patients, not just those living in certain communities.”
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