85 painkillers, heroin). If using addiction medication, the best results are seen when they are combined with counselling and other supports. Your family doctor can assess if an addiction medication might be helpful for you.All the medications described below require a prescription and continued use should be supervised by your doctor or by a trained and licensed/registered healthcare provider (this can vary by province and territory). Medications used to treat opioid addiction Buprenorphine/naloxone is a pill that combines both buprenorphine and naloxone, and is an opioid medication that has a lower risk of overdose. Buprenorphine replaces the physical effects of the opioid to which the person is addicted, while the naloxone is added to prevent misuse. Methadone is a medication that lessens the symptoms of opioid withdrawal, reduces cravings, and blocks the high feeling of other opioids. It can be used for medicationassisted therapy. Methadone maintenance therapy is generally used for people with a long history of opioid use who have been unsuccessful with other forms of treatment. Methadone is a powerful medication that, if misused, can lead to overdose — it should only be taken while supervised by a doctor or other licensed/registered healthcare provider who is trained and licensed to prescribe it (this can vary by province and territory). Harm reduction programs Harm reduction programs are most often used by people who are already experiencing harm from their alcohol or other drug use, have not been successful in treatment, are not interested in treatment or choose to continue to use drugs. There are many types of harm reduction programs. Needle distribution or exchange programs give out clean needles, exchange used needles for new needles and provide syringes and other supplies to intravenous (IV) drug users. They also provide information on how to safely dispose of old needles. These activities help decrease the risk of contracting serious infections such as HIV and hepatitis C through using or sharing needles. Opioid substitution therapy replaces the illegal use of heroin and opioid prescription pain medications with methadone, buprenorphine/naloxone, or other substitutes. Supervised consumption services prevent overdoses and other harms by providing a safe, supervised environment for drug use. Overdose prevention and response provides training and naloxone kits for people who are at risk of overdosing on opioids and those who might be present to respond to someone having an overdose. Naloxone can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose providing time to see emergency medical attention by calling 911. ADDICTION TREATMENTcontinued continued
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