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Pharmacotherapy for Substance Use Disorders.

Jared Wilson Klein¹

¹Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, 325 Ninth Avenue, Box 359780, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.

The Medical Clinics of North America

|May 29, 2016

Summary

This review covers U.S. medications for substance use disorders including tobacco, alcohol, and opioid use disorders. These effective treatments are underutilized and physicians should increase prescribing for eligible patients.

Keywords:

Buprenorphine Methadone Naltrexone Substance use disorder Varenicline

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Area of Science:

Pharmacology
Addiction Medicine
Public Health

Background:

Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a significant public health challenge in the United States.
Pharmacotherapy is a crucial component in the comprehensive management of SUDs.
Existing FDA-approved medications offer effective treatment options for various SUDs.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the current pharmacotherapy landscape for substance use disorders in the United States.
To highlight available medications for tobacco, alcohol, and opioid use disorders.
To emphasize the underutilization of these evidence-based treatments.

Main Methods:

Literature review of current pharmacotherapy options for SUDs in the U.S.
Identification of FDA-approved medications for tobacco, alcohol, and opioid use disorders.
Analysis of current prescribing patterns and potential barriers to utilization.

Main Results:

Medications for tobacco use disorder include nicotine replacement, bupropion, and varenicline.
Pharmacotherapies for alcohol use disorder comprise naltrexone and acamprosate.
Available treatments for opioid use disorder are methadone and buprenorphine.
These medications are recognized as likely underused in clinical practice.

Conclusions:

Pharmacotherapy is an essential, yet underutilized, treatment modality for substance use disorders.
Physicians should be encouraged to more readily prescribe available medications for eligible patients.
Increased access to and utilization of pharmacotherapy can improve patient outcomes for SUDs.