Challenges and Opportunities for the Use of Medications to Treat Opioid Addiction in the United States and Other Nations of the World.

There has been a well documented increase in the use and abuse of prescription opioids and heroin in the United States and other parts of the world. There has also been an increasing focus to increase access to the use of medications (methadone, buprenorphine, Naltrexone/Vivitrol) for opioid addicted individuals under legal supervision. As policymakers engage in strategic initiatives to better prevent and effectively treat chronic opioid addiction, both in the United States and other countries, there are a number of unintended consequences, complicating how best to increase access to effective treatment.