Diagnosing and Treating Opioid Use Disorder

The most recent medical research on opioid addiction makes one thing clear: medication saves lives. Leah Leisch, MD, a psychiatrist, explains how CDC guidelines regarding prescribing and tapering opioids have responded to new insights about the risks of addiction and withdrawal. She notes that patients who develop a substance use disorder face a mortality ratio three times higher if they are not prescribed a medication approved to treat opioid addiction. Dr. Leisch discusses each medication and the means of prescribing them.