# Exploring the Lived Experiences of Medication for Opioid use Disorder Treatment: A Qualitative Study among a Crowdsourced Convenience Sample

## TL;DR

This study explores how people using opioids experience medication treatments, finding that methadone is preferred and counseling helps, but stigma and failed drug tests are barriers.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into patient experiences with MOUD, highlighting methadone preference and barriers like stigma and drug screening failures.

## Key findings

- Most participants had irregular MOUD treatment engagement.
- Methadone maintenance treatment was preferred over buprenorphine or naltrexone.
- Barriers included failed drug screens, stigma, and physician-initiated treatment discontinuation.

## Abstract

Given the effectiveness of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and low engagement of treatment among people who use drugs (PWUD), it is important to better understand how to engage treatment clients with MOUD care. The current study aimed to achieve this goal by using qualitative methodology to characterize the MOUD treatment experiences. Participants (N = 52) were recruited for an online semi-structured interview. Qualitative analysis revealed varied treatment experiences, with the majority expressing irregular and intermittent MOUD treatment engagement. The therapeutic effects of MOUD in curbing withdrawal symptoms in conjunction with counseling services was frequently mentioned, as well as a preference for methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) to buprenorphine or naltrexone. Many participants described barriers to treatment and continuation of care, including failed drug screens for non-opioid drugs, perceived stigma, and physician-initiated discontinuation of treatment. The current study revealed that patients had favorable experiences with MOUD treatment, particularly when supplemented with counseling services.