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Termination

Termination

Termination may look like “I am thinking of stopping MOUD treatment” or “I want to try recovery out without using MOUD anymore.” There are some things to consider before terminating your treatment.

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“I want to stop my treatment”

When you feel stable in your recovery and have all the necessary tools and support to sustain recovery, tapering might be an option for you. When tapering off methadone or buprenorphine, you must do it slowly and consult your doctor about the best course of action.

Questions to ask yourself before stopping treatment:

What are my reasons for wanting to stop?

Have I consulted my doctor?

Have I talked to my support system about this decision?

Do I have things in place that feel stable and supportive for continued recovery with out MOUD?

We Know it can be exhausting but there are ADVANTAGES

Maybe you are thinking “I don’t want to take a medication forever.” Again, this is a great time to speak with your doctor, counselor, and support system about your treatment progress. Remind yourself of what your goals are and where you are at in achieving them. Substance use disorders can be like chronic conditions like diabetes where people need to take medications for a lifetime to help them live their lives. However, it is also possible to start tapering off of the medications and being able to maintain your progress. Again, always consult with your prescriber and prepare
yourself for the possibilities!

HOW TO HANDLE TERMINATION WITH A LOVED ONE?

Quick tip

Your loved one might be thinking of terminating their treatment

If that is the case, encourage them to speak to their provider. This may be a delicate phase and exploring what your loved one’s reasoning may give insight into what their plans are.

Resources

NAMI is an additional resource that can be used: https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups/NAMI-Family-Support-Group
nami.org

nami.org

Family struggling with substance use

If you need extra support, there are groups such as Al-Anon that you can attend. Al-anon is for family and loved ones of someone who is struggling with substance use.

AI -Anon

Want to explore more resources?

Resources Page

Let’s Check In!

If you are certain that you want to stop treatment, first consult your MOUD provider to help you taper off the medications to reduce withdrawal and negative effects. Make a plan by:

You will be able to download them or send them to yourself to keep them.

"*" indicates required fields

1

Identify the steps you need to take to taper off the medications (i.e. consult your provider, prepare for the tapering process)

2

What will potential challenges be? (i.e. withdrawal symptoms, increase in cravings)

3

What are some solutions to these challenges (i.e. ways to help with withdrawal, increasing use of coping skills, reaching out for help)

Now that you are thinking about terminating treatment here are some questions to consider:

Question 1

How important is this change for you right now? *

Question 2

How confident are you about making this change? *

Question 3

How confident are you about making this change? Do you have a stable support system in place to help with the challenges of recovery? *

MOUD

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute On Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number DP2DA049295. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.