This article is the first of two articles on the IT MATTTRs™ Colorado Program from the High Plains Research Network. Alexis Hunter is a native of Merino, a member of the HPRN Community Advisory Council, and first-year medical student at the University of Colorado.
There’s a reason opioids and addiction to opioids are in the news so often these days. In the U.S., 75 percent of deaths from drug overdose are from opioid overdose. In eastern Colorado, deaths due to drug overdose increased 300 percent in the past decade. This staggering statistic harkens back to the days of infectious diseases before antibiotics.
Opioids include prescription pain medications (such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin) and heroin. Addiction to opioids is also known as Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Over time, people with opioid use disorder develop a tolerance to the medication or heroin. They don’t use opioids to get a “high.” Instead, they use opioids to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include fever, sweats, severe nausea — generally feeling really lousy.
The good news is that opioid use disorder is treatable. However, only one in 10 people that need treatment for OUD receive it in the U.S. Few other conditions affecting so many people can say that. Access to care is even more limited in rural areas. The High Plains Research Network (HPRN) is working with local primary care practices to change that by increasing access to treatment in rural eastern Colorado.
One treatment option for OUD is Medication Assisted Treatment, or MAT. MAT includes medication, counseling, and community support to help people suffering from OUD. Some people wonder why we should treat OUD with medication. Research shows that treating OUD with MAT reduces many negative consequence of OUD. This includes less illegal drug use, less crime, less of the cycle of using and withdrawal, and less risk of overdose and death.
The medication used in MAT is called buprenorphine. “Bupe” targets the same receptors in the brain as opioids. It relieves cravings and prevents withdrawal symptoms. MAT with “Bupe” is appealing in rural communities because MAT can be delivered in primary care practices. Other treatments, such as methadone, require 30-day treatment plans at designated methadone clinics, and these are usually located in urban areas.
Over 40 practices in rural eastern Colorado and the San Luis Valley are receiving the IT MATTTRs™ Practice Team Training, and 20 providers have completed the buprenorphine certification training. Just like other chronic health conditions, treating opioid use disorder has its challenges. But primary care teams can do it. Behavioral health teams also need to help.
Talk to someone at your local doctor’s office to discuss what is available if you or someone you know may need some help. For more information, visit www.itmatttrscolorado.org. (Yes, that’s 3 t’s.) IT MATTTRs™ Colorado is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
