Medications prescribed for OUD with concomitant polysubstance use may jeopardize recovery

Medications have been proven to be effective for treating opioid use disorders; however, practitioners should be aware of concurrent use of non-prescribed, illicit substances that could adversely affect treatment.

At the recent Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorders, Kelly Olson, PhD, director of clinical affairs for Millennium Health, shared key considerations for monitoring patients’ medications within the context of a comprehensive treatment approach, along with the skills needed to identify and navigate polysubstance use disorders.

A short time after Dr Olson’s presentation in Hyannis, Massachusetts, Addiction Professional interviewed her to discuss emerging drug trends, challenges associated with polysubstance use by patients receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, and strategies providers can use to address these challenges.