Methadone treatment for opioid use rising, but better access needed to reach more
Researchers at Penn Medicine find that treatment numbers rose during the 2010s as the opioid crisis became prominent, including increases in buprenorphine, an easier-to-access medication.
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Methadone treatment for opioid use—which cuts the risk of death by overdose in half—among Medicaid-insured patients increased substantially after 2010, according to a new Penn Medicine analysis. But researchers say that since as few as a quarter of people with opioid use disorder receive medication treatment, the study highlights a need for expanded access. The research is published in JAMA Health Forum.
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“These medications allow people to focus on rebuilding their lives: Finding housing, reconnecting with family, working, and managing other health conditions,” says the study’s co-author, Ashish Thakrar, an assistant professor of general internal medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine. “In other words, these medications are not just symptom relief, but they are cornerstones to recovery. They are saving lives.”
In addition to significantly reducing the chance of death by opioid use disorder, treatment with medications like methadone and the related buprenorphine—which stabilize withdrawal symptoms and opioid cravings—have also been found to increase the likelihood that people will stick with their treatment plans. Buprenorphine prescriptions are also found to increase, though at a higher rate, likely due to ease of access.
A large increase in the use of both treatments was seen beginning around 2011, with buprenorphine taking off more than methadone. Methadone prescriptions rose steadily to 6.2 prescriptions per 1,000 enrollees by 2020, roughly tripling its number from 10 years prior. The researchers saw roughly five times more people using buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in 2020 compared to 2010, with the rate standing at 12 people having prescriptions for it per 1,000 Medicaid enrollees.
“Potential explanations for these increases include both the worsening of the opioid epidemic and efforts to increase access to the treatments because of their significant impact on saving lives,” says senior author Sean Hennessy, a professor of epidemiology.
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