In Their Own Words: Health Care Providers
Prescribe with Confidence is an educational campaign to help prescribers recognize and treat opioid use disorder (OUD). Hear from health care providers in their own words.
A rewarding patient story about an expectant father treated with Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)
Dr. Mina Tanaka, an internal medicine physician with the Indian Health Service, shares a story about a young expectant father who is treated with MOUD.
The one patient I think about often is a young father who came to me when his partner was expecting their first child and he was someone who started using heroin with his mother when he was 12 or 13 years old and when he found out that his partner was expecting he really wanted to get back some of that stability that he hadn't had in a long time. And so he started seeing me regularly for his buprenorphine treatment and when his partner delivered their healthy happy baby boy he was able to bring that baby with them to the clinic and to be able to see that whole family together helped by this very effective medication was so rewarding for me. To be able to be part of that journey is just one of the most rewarding things we can do as physicians.
Dr. Mina Tanaka on Stigma and Requirements for Prescribing MOUD
Dr. Mina Tanaka, with the Indian Health Service in New Mexico, discusses the importance of avoiding assumptions when meeting patients battling opioid use disorder.
I'm Dr. Mina Tanaka. I'm a general internal medicine physician at Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New Mexico. Sometimes you would never know that someone is battling opioid use disorder just by looking at them, so you really have to get to know them and hear about their stories rather than making assumptions. When we get patients on their medications for opioid use disorder, they get their lives back. They're functional in their work environments, they're showing up for their families and friends, and they're able to lead healthy happy lives where they couldn't necessarily before. One thing I would say about prescribing medications for opioid use disorder is that it's not at all onerous as some people might believe. Because of the way that it's been regulated in the past there's a belief that it requires more training or know-how than prescribing other medications that and that's really not true. We see an immediate effect in the way they function but also, you know, by the fact that they're living an extra day, an extra week. That's powerful.
Risk Reduction in MOUD from Dr. Mina Tanaka
Dr. Mina Tanaka, an internal medicine physician in New Mexico, discusses how risk reduction models can be a powerful tool when prescribing MOUD.
One of the things that I really had to overcome when dealing with people who believe in abstinent-only mentality is that harm reduction is a really powerful tool that we have. If someone is entering recovery they may not be totally abstinent and I think that's okay like we don't have to take an All or Nothing approach. If they're using a little bit less then that's a higher chance that they're going to live another day. When I think about prescribing medications for opioid use disorder or uh using harm reduction models I think about it as overdose prevention, and really what that comes down to is death prevention. And if we have something in our toolkit that can save people's lives why not use it.
Dr. Matthew Hahn on the Importance of Destigmatizing OUD Treatment
Dr. Matthew Hahn, a rural Maryland family physician, discusses why opioid use disorder should be treated the same way as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, or other chronic health conditions.
We don't stigmatize diabetics or people with heart disease because they're on long-term treatment and we need to think about opioid use disorder in the same way. We don't say to people, "I'm going to give you, you know, a medication for your diabetes and 3 months from now you better have lost 40 pounds and improve your diet or I'm going to stop treatment." No, it's a it's a long-term issue and we take care of it long term and we need to view opiate use disorder in the same exact way. And if we don't we're not going to be successful.
An MOUD Success Story from Dr. Matthew Hahn
Dr. Matthew Hahn, a rural Maryland family physician, shares a story about using medication to successfully treat a patient with OUD.
This patient had used and been involved in dealing drugs for, I think, the better part of of 10 years and they came to us. We started them on Suboxone and they got a really good job in the community and it's the first time that this patient felt that he had something to motivate him to live for. He's getting up every morning excited to go to work. It's great to see.
Dr. Matthew Hahn on Treating OUD with Medication
Dr. Matthew Hahn, a rural Maryland family physician, shares his success at treating patients with MOUD.
I have a patient who told me, as a young teenager, he started using because literally everyone in his life who was important to him was using. I had one patient tell me that he began using on the bus to high school football games because other players were using. My name is Matthew Hahn. I'm a family physician. I have a small private practice in the little town of Hancock, Maryland. So I think the most important thing for medical providers to be aware of when treating opioid use disorder is that we have now some medications that are extremely effective and easy to start and to use. Our experience in this practice has been very successful. It is usually relatively simple to get patients started and we can do it from our office just like treating blood pressure and treating depression and treating diabetes. There is a huge need and we need to meet that need. I think we need to get past the stigma of treating this condition and get involved. Most of our patients do not use street drugs again and they can be productive. They work, they can be good family members and it's really been a great experience.
Amy Techau: Saving Lives by Prescribing MOUD in Rural Communities
Join Amy Techau, a nurse practitioner working in rural community mental health, as she shares her experience prescribing medications for OUD.
My name is Amy Techau and I work in several health care settings. I am a nurse practitioner in rural community mental health settings. I teach and train physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants how to prescribe medications for OUD at the University of Colorado. And I am responsible for evidence-based practices that decrease barriers to accessing MOUD. When diagnosing a patient with OUD. I use the DSM-5 criteria, but I am very much about meeting the patient where they're at.
I ask questions without fear or judgment, about whether opioid use is having an impact on their social life, their work life, If they are having withdrawal, if they're having cravings. Oftentimes people are very grateful that you are asking those questions because they want help, but there is just so much stigma. All of my students and anyone that I'm supporting with this, I tell them to cast a wide net because it could be someone you least expect, someone that you even know.
It could be the mom next door, or that senior who is taking it for pain and then just got a little out of control. Having medications for OUD available in primary care settings decreases stigma, because people may not want to go to that mental health clinic or an addiction clinic.
Treating patients using medication for OUD will be truly one of the most rewarding things that you will do in your career.
I am humbled every day by my patient’s strength and their resilience. It's easier than you think. At the end of the day, as a nurse, I'm saving lives.
Amy Techau: Evidence-Based Treatment for OUD
Nurse practitioner Amy Techau discusses the evidence behind MOUD and why they represent the most effective treatment approach.
When I advocate for practitioners to treat people with Opioid Use Disorder using medications, I talk about how this is evidence-based therapy. There is abundant evidence that treatment for OUD is most effective when medications are used. Evidence also shows that treatment of OUD with medication reduces opioid misuse and the risks of overdose, return to use, and death compared to those receiving no treatment. One concern many providers have is that office based induction may be complex, but it's not as hard as some might think, and there are many options that can be successful. Home induction is even becoming far more the norm than in the office, especially in rural areas where the nearest clinic might be far away.
It was always so surprising to me that in the emergency department, you'll have someone come in for a heart attack and they're given all of this treatment and follow up, and then someone who has just had an overdose and who's actually more likely to die, they may be given Narcan and then be sent to the street without more resources. Buprenorphine really is a safe medication that reduces mortality.
Treatment using MOUDs can be done in a way that is not disruptive to your practice. It is such a rewarding patient population to treat.
Amy Techau: A Veteran’s Journey to Recovery Through MOUD
Nurse practitioner Amy Techau shares a powerful patient story of helping a military veteran navigate stigma and find recovery through evidence-based treatment.
I had a patient who served in Afghanistan, and because of all of the injuries he suffered, he turned to opioids as a way of numbing out. Oftentimes when you start misusing opioids, you do things that you would never do. He started stealing and then became involved in the criminal justice system. It was a horrible turn of events for him. He had served his country so honorably, but he had a really hard time finding someone that would prescribe Buprenorphine because of all of the stigma. He met me through a federally qualified health center in primary care, and I prescribed Buprenorphine, and we worked on his trauma. He got out of the criminal justice system and went to college. He stayed in touch with me, and it's been several years now, and I'm happy to report he got his master's degree and he is a fully functioning member of society. Once you prescribe, you are a believer in it. It is a life saving medication. It helps people get their life back. It saves families. It helps people be more productive citizens. It gives people hope.
Amy Techau: A Mother's Path to Recovery and Reunification
Hear how nurse practitioner Amy Techau helped a young mother struggling with opioid use disorder regain stability and custody of her child through medication treatment.
A young mother that I treat began misusing opioids as a result of a horrific car accident. And then it was just a downward spiral. She lost custody of her son as well as becoming unhoused. I met her at a community mental health setting. I was able to prescribe Buprenorphine, and she just has completely just thrived being on Buprenorphine. She regained custody of her son. She has her own apartment, her own car. This medication really is safe, and it does change lives. And it gave her a life worth living.
The opinions in these videos reflect the views of individuals, and not necessarily the official position of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The videos represent accurate information about approved medications and treatments at the time the interviews were conducted.
Free Materials to Spread the Word about the Prescribe with Confidence Campaign
You can save lives by helping more health care providers recognize OUD and the options to treat them, including MOUD.
See campaign materials available for sharing and download on our Partners page.