Supporting Your Loved One in Suboxone Treatment

/0 Comments/in /by

Do you have a loved one who is suffering from an opioid addiction? Don’t give up even though it might seem like they have a long and never-ending road ahead of them. There are options they can go through to get their sober life back. Learn more about how suboxone treatment and counseling can pave the way to regaining their sobriety, and how your support can reinforce their motivation to get the help they need.

The Mixed Emotions You Might Be Feeling

Are you finding it difficult to remain calm when it comes to dealing with your loved one’s addiction? Well, you are not alone. You might not feel like you can be supportive all the time because you’re overwhelmed with emotions while helping them get the help they need to recover.

You could be having mixed emotions on whether suboxone actually works or not. There are always positive and negative effects on people who have gone through different types of treatments. Having the best one for your loved one might be what has you worried about them using suboxone. Making sure that your loved one has the best treatment to fs

Do you have some concerns about suboxone becoming a substitute for their other drug addiction?

It’s normal for you to have doubts about treatments that don’t make sense to you. Addiction is a disease, so taking suboxone for addiction is much like a diabetic taking insulin to keep their diabetes under control. Your spouse, sibling, or child who has this affliction will still be clean and sober when they are taking suboxone because it is medication prescribed by their doctor to help them get through their detox and help prevent relapses.

So, what can you do? Doing some thorough research on suboxone could make you feel more comfortable in allowing your loved one to be treated with something that really works. If you are questioning the effects of suboxone, read the following information about how it is one of the best choices in treating opioid addicts.

How Suboxone Works

You might be wondering: how does this medication help? Suboxone is an excellent choice in helping drug addicts get their life back. Why is this? According to Mental Health.gov, when someone takes suboxone during their detox, they will not feel high. This is because their brain is tricked into thinking it’s receiving the opioids their body is used to and stops the withdrawal symptoms. Suboxone is also a partial agonist, which means it isn’t as strong as some medications like methadone in treating addiction. Therefore, it also reduces the risks of your loved one getting addicted to it.

One of the significant signs that your loved one is becoming addicted to a drug is craving it. Suboxone can also help reduce the cravings, or the doctor can adjust the medication for them, so they don’t crave the drug. Having cravings when they are detoxing can be detrimental to their recovery process. Therefore, this treatment can prevent relapses from occurring during this stage of their recovery.

What to Expect From Suboxone Treatment

For those who decide to take their suboxone treatment at home, they will have to see a doctor who will give a thorough examination. The physician will ask several related questions concerning their health to make sure this medication is right for them. Everyone’s body is different, so your loved one might not be able to handle this type of treatment.

Before they even start to take the prescription, a person has to be experiencing the withdrawal symptoms. As reported by The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment, taking it before the start of detox will make the withdrawal symptoms more severe than it should be.

Like with any medication, it should be taken precisely as prescribed by the doctor. Make sure you remind your loved one that taking more than prescribed will not make them feel better faster because that’s not how medicine works.

After taking this medicine, they can return to work by the second day. According to The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment, your loved one will feel like they never took any drugs by day 5. It’s hard to imagine your loved one feeling like they never abused those drugs, but this treatment is excellent at helping them feel like they can stay sober.

After a couple of weeks of feeling normal, your loved one might think they are cured, or they no longer need suboxone. However, remind them that this process won’t be so easy or fast. They will have to be patient when it comes to being able to remain drug-free without the assistance of suboxone.

However, they will still need counseling with a professional therapist to ensure they remain sober. This is a disease that will not go away or be cured with one suboxone treatment. By continuing their counseling sessions, they can maintain their sobriety and still live a normal life with you.

The therapist can also assist them in figuring out when they no longer have to rely on suboxone to stay sober. Also, NA meetings can help them get further support from those they can connect with others who are going through similar situations.

How to Be Of Support When Your Loved One is in Suboxone Treatment

Keeping your judgment and opinions to yourself might be hard when supporting your loved one who is in suboxone treatment. You can seek Nar-Anon meetings or your own therapy sessions to help you get through your own emotions and feelings on the matter. These are both ways you can express your anger, pain, and impatience that you might feel more comfortable communicating with people who can relate to your side. This can enable you to remain healthy and supportive for your loved ones.

Do you know what type of suboxone treatment is right for them? Inpatient and outpatient rehab treatment centers are also available for opioid addicts. You can both figure out which is better suited for their needs, while still taking finances into account.

Your Loved One May Need Extra Help

If you think your loved one can’t handle their detox alone or take their medication exactly as prescribed by their physician, you might want to encourage them to get treatment at a rehab facility. The doctors at rehab facilities can monitor them and make sure they only take the prescribed amount. This can reduce the chances of them abusing the drugs or becoming addicted to it.

Meanwhile, you can encourage your loved ones to share their experiences with you so you can be a shoulder for them to lean on. It’s essential to stay supportive through their recovery process. Your love might be the most powerful motivation for them to stick with the program and remain sober.

 

Sources
[1] the facts about BUPRENORPHINE. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/providers/sud/docs/english_buprenorphine_facts.pdf

[2] What Buprenorphine treatment is like for the patient, induction maintenance withdrawal. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.naabt.org/education/what_bt_like.cfm

Sublingual Suboxone: A Guide to Pills & Film

/0 Comments/in /by

In the midst of an opioid crisis, Suboxone is a medication used as a treatment for addiction to heroin and other opiates. The medication comes in both a sublingual pill and film form. Suboxone contains both buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine acts as a partial agonist which attaches to the receptors in the brain that are affected by using opioids.

This stops the effects of the drugs. Naloxone is added to buprenorphine to combat opiate withdrawal symptoms. It is also added to lessen the likelihood of Suboxone being broken down and injected. If this is attempted, the user will likely go into immediate opioid withdrawal.

Suboxone is meant to be administered under the supervision of a physician and used as part of a treatment plan that also includes counseling and other behavioral therapy.

The film is available in four dosage strengths and is meant to be taken by placing under the tongue or in the cheek. It has quickly become an essential part in successful recovery by helping people overcome the hurdles that are withdrawal and drug cravings.

How to Take Sublingual Pills & Film

Once your physician decides on the right dosage, the choice of pill or film form of Suboxone is decided. The film can be taken either sublingually or buccal.

If taken sublingually (under the tongue), take the following steps:

  • Hold the film on the outside edges
  • Place the film under the tongue on the left or right side near the base
  • If instructed to take 2 films at a time, place the second film on the opposite side of the first film, avoid the films touching
  • If instructed to take 3 films, do so on either side after the first 2 films have dissolved

If taking the film on the inside of the cheek (buccal administration) do as follows:

  • Hold the film on the outside edges
  • Place the film on the inside of either cheek
  • If instructed to take more than one film at a time, place the second film on the opposite cheek
  • If instructed to take 3 films at a time, place the third film on either cheek after the first 2 have dissolved

While waiting for the film to dissolve do not talk as it may affect how well the medicine is absorbed.

Also, chewing or swallowing the film before it is completely dissolved will cause the medication to not work as well. If a dose of Suboxone is missed, take the medicine as soon as you remember, unless it is close to the time of your next dose. If this is the case, skip the missed dose and continue taking medication as prescribed. Do not take 2 films at once unless instructed to do so. Always check with your doctor if you have any questions about doses.

If you are taking the sublingual pill:

  • Do not crush, chew, or swallow it
  • Place the pill under the tongue and allow to dissolve
  • If instructed to take more than one pill at a time do so by placing each pill under a different part of the tongue
  • Do not eat or drink until the pill is completely dissolved

The pills take 4 minutes to dissolve while the film takes 3 minutes. Many people believe that Suboxone is orange flavored because of the color of the pill and films, but it is actually lemon-lime flavor. The flavoring is added in an attempt to mask the bitter taste of the buprenorphine. Patients typically describe the taste as unpleasant. Drinking water before taking the medication will help with the medicine dissolve quickly.

Why Sublingual Pills & Film Can Be Beneficial 

As opioid addiction became more and more of a problem for people, a solution was created in the form of buprenorphine/naloxone tablets. However, not long after came the problem of diversion and misuse of the tablets, as well as the concerns of the unintended exposure to children. The sublingual films were introduced as a way to address those concerns.

Due to the sometimes-euphoric effects of buprenorphine, typically in people not dependent on opiates, there is a desire for the illicit use of the drug. The lack of access to treatment also creates a demand for diversion. Suboxone often times is administered in an office setting under the supervision of a physician to limit the frequency of misuse of the drug.

The quicker dissolving time of the film is beneficial as it typically dissolves one minute faster than the pill. Another key difference between the film and pills is that a partially dissolved pill can still be removed from the mouth, while the film quickly becomes unable to be removed once administered. According to this study, these are key factors in preventing misuse.

As more Suboxone was prescribed, the number of unintended exposures increased. Exposure to children became the most concerning as the side effects were more severe for them. The accidental exposures eventually led to the sublingual pills being discontinued in 2012 since almost all of the reported exposures were involving the pills, not the film. Each dose of the film comes in an individual child-resistant package.

Two child-resistance trials have been conducted with this packaging, each having high passing rates. Another positive of the film is that each individual film package has its own 10-digit code which allows for better tracking and discouraging diversion.

If a patient is being transitioned from the pill form to the film, there are not many differences. The conversion ratio for up to 4 mg is 1:1. This means the bioavailability is the same and no necessary dosage changes are required. Alternatively, the reported bioavailability of the 8 mg and higher doses of film is higher than that in the tablets. A lower dose may be required when switching from the tablets to the films in these cases.

Other Options for Taking Suboxone

For many years Methadone was the only option for the treatment of opioid addiction. With the introduction of buprenorphine, the access to treatment has been significantly increased.  Unlike Methadone, which can only be distributed in a highly structured clinic, Suboxone is allowed to be dispensed in a physician’s office or other settings.

This makes Suboxone more appealing to those unable to access a methadone clinic or who would prefer to receive treatment elsewhere. Buprenorphine is available in the following ways:

  • Bunavail (buprenorphine and naloxone) buccal film
  • Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone) film
  • Zubsolv (buprenorphine and naloxone) sublingual tablets
  • Buprenorphine-containing transmucosal products for opioid dependency

Buprenorphine is also available in an implant. The implant has been created for those who worry about taking their medication every day or possibly losing it. A small implant is placed under your skin in the upper part of your arm. This can be done at your doctor’s office or similar settings by those qualified to do so.

The implant releases buprenorphine into your body for six months. After the six months the implant is removed. A need for another implant will be assessed by you and your doctor. There are many options out there for addiction treatment that can be tailored to you. Reach out and find help today.

 

Sources
[1] A retrospective evaluation of patients switched from buprenorphine (subutex) to the buprenorphine/naloxone combination (suboxone). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2453114/

[2] Graham, R. L. (2014, January). Buprenorphine for opioid dependence: Are there really differences between the formulatons? Retrieved from https://mhc.cpnp.org/doi/full/10.9740/mhc.n186952