Previous studies have shown consistently that Medications for Opioid use Disorder (MOUD) formally known as Medication-Assisted Treatment], including methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), buprenorphine, and naltrexone are beneficial across outcomes. Findings are mixed when it comes to MOUD following an overdose. Because a major risk factor for fatal opioid overdose is prior to nonfatal overdoses, this study investigates whether MOUD after opioid overdoses decreases mortality rates – both related and unrelated to opioid use. This study used retrospective data from 17,568 adults in Massachusetts who survived an opioid overdose between 2012 and 2014. Individuals who died within 30 days of the nonfatal overdose were excluded from the study, as were individuals with evidence of cancer.
Sixty-two percent of participants were male and 69% were under the age of 45. In the previous 12 months before the nonfatal overdose, 26% received 1 or more kinds of MOUD, 41% received prescriptions for opioids, and 28% received prescriptions for benzodiazepines. See the chart below for the results of the study.
Approximately a third of the individuals in this sample received MOUD. MMT and Buprenorphine treatment were associated with reduced all-cause mortality and opioid-related mortality. Considering the greater mortality risk that the non-MOUD group face, this study supports engaging individuals in MOUD treatment following a non-fatal overdose.
Larochelle, M. R., Bernson, D., Land, T., Stopka, T. J., Wang, N., Xuan, Z., Bagley, S. M., … Walley, A. Y. (January 01, 2018). Medication for Opioid Use Disorder After Nonfatal Opioid Overdose and Association With Mortality: A Cohort Study. Annals of Internal Medicine, 169, 3, 137-145.