Why Should You Choose Suboxone?

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Why Should You Choose Suboxone?

Suboxone which contains buprenorphine and naloxone was approved by the FDA in October 2002 specifically to treat opioid addiction. If you choose suboxone, it can be a great help to you.

If you’re addicted to heroin or other opioids such as Oxycontin or fentanyl, you are probably aware of how fast these drugs can ruin your life.

Even if you’ve tried to quit before, relapse is common, and it can be deadly. If you’re having a hard time quitting, suboxone may be able to help. Suboxone is a partial opioid agonist.

This means that it has a ceiling effect, so you’re not getting the same high as you do from other opioids. It allows you to function without going into withdrawal.

If you’ve been in a vicious cycle of trying to quit, Suboxone could be exactly what you’re looking for and could help you get where you want in your recovery.


When Taken as Prescribed, Suboxone Is a Safe Drug

In order to be prescribed Suboxone, you need to go to a doctor and have a full medical examination and history assessment.

Many things are taken into account during the assessment because the doctor is going to want to ensure that you are a good fit for suboxone treatment.

There are some who may not be able to take suboxone…

Those who have co-occurring mental health disorders, or also abuse alcohol may not be a good fit for suboxone treatment.

Those who have liver issues or damage may also not be a good fit for suboxone treatment. If this applies to you, and you are unsure, you can explain your history to the doctor and iron out the details during your assessment.

If you get the assessment and are prescribed Suboxone or Subutex here’s the secret to a successful treatment…

Follow the doctor’s orders.

If you do, you will get the full benefits of suboxone treatment. You can focus on integrating back into your family, friends, and society. You can also begin to target the roots of your addiction – whether they be unhealed traumas or other issues.

Any temptation to relapse may be short-lived because Suboxone contains naloxone. Naloxone blocks the effects of opioids and will keep you from experiencing any opioid high. Suboxone can also react badly with other drugs.

Ensure that you don’t drink on suboxone – or take sleeping pills. If you’re unsure or have any questions, simply speak with your doctor before taking anything and you’ll stay safe.

 

Suboxone Doesn’t Have to be a Long-Term Solution

Many people use a daily maintenance dose of Suboxone and live healthy, fulfilled lives.

You and your doctor can use what is best for you, but please know this…

If you do not want to be on suboxone permanently, you don’t have to be.

You always have the option of weaning off of suboxone once you get to a more stable place in your recovery and you feel ready to make the jump. You can do this with the help of your doctor.

At the same time, it’s important to know that staying on suboxone or subutex for a long period of time isn’t something to feel bad about.

You and your doctor will have to have to weigh the pros and the cons together.

It doesn’t mean that you won’t reach the point in your recovery where you are ready to come off of suboxone.

As far as short term use of Suboxone, it’s found to be effective to take a small initial dose at the beginning of detox and treatment.

Once you start to dive into your treatment, you will get stronger and eventually your doctor may begin to taper you off.

Your doctor will make sure that it’s in your best interest before doing so.

 

Suboxone Takes Your Mind off the Chase so You Can Focus on Recovery

When coming off of opiates cold-turkey and it can be very difficult to focus on treatment and recovery.

The physical symptoms that come along with withdrawal can be painful.

Not to mention the fact that there is a high likelihood of returning to drug use once you start to feel these intense symptoms.

Suboxone can help you during these beginning stages and later you can work towards living a drug and medication free life if that is what you truly want.

Suboxone will keep those withdrawal symptoms at bay while you work on yourself.

No matter how much suboxone you take, you will not experience an intense high like other opioids. This limits the chance of abuse.

This allows you to get on with your life normally, which is life-changing.

Your life no longer has to be monopolized by addiction.

It also allows you to step out of the drug-seeking cycle that you know about all too well.

You can begin to think about your recovery as a whole – mentally as well as physically, and you can dedicate your mind to a holistic path of healing.

In summary, suboxone has been around for over 15 years and is one of the most popular methods of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), among those available. While there is some controversy surrounding the medication, there is no doubt that it has helped many overcome addiction.

Need Help Finding a Suboxone Program? y more questions about suboxone, please browse our website for more helpful information.

You can also give us a call at  1(888) 501-2143 for help finding suboxone or any other types of addiction treatment near you.

 

Sources

[1] Buprenorphine SAMHSA Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2016, 31). Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment/treatment/buprenorphine

[2] National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2018). How effective are medications to treat opioid use disorder? Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/medications-to-treat-opioid-addiction/efficacy-medications-opioid-use-disorder

 

Will Suboxone Get My Loved One High?

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Painkillers and heroin are major opioids whose addiction affects about 2.5 million Americans, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine. To help with this, the Food and Drug Administration approved two products to treat the disorder; Subutex (which is buprenorphine), and Suboxone (a mixture of buprenorphine and naloxone).

What is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a man-made drug that helps to treat opioid addiction. While the drug is pretty impressive, it’s the included ingredients that grab all the headlines.

  • Buprenorphine – Buprenorphine is a component that has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which sees it as a low-risk alternative to methadone. This approval has made it easy for doctors and medical practitioners to prescribe the medication to patients who are looking to do something about their addiction to opioid drugs. While methadone requires strict medical supervision, buprenorphine is a bit more liberal in its dosage and administration.
  • Naloxone – Pharmaceutical companies added naloxone to buprenorphine to create a drug that had less potential for abuse than methadone. Ideally, the naloxone in suboxone will prevent the patient from just crushing the medication open and taking the buprenorphine in it (whether by injecting it or by sorting). Anyone who still chooses to crush the drug will end up wasting valuable time, as the naloxone will simply prevent the opioid receptors in the brain from acting on the intake of buprenorphine

Suboxone and methadone reduce the cravings people have for opioid prescription drugs like heroin. In addition to that, suboxone also eases the psychological and physical symptoms that are experienced by people who are struggling with withdrawal symptoms.

Treatments like suboxone are much more important for people who have developed a physical dependence on opioids. The medication bonds with the opioid receptors in the brain, helping the brain to release dopamine and helping the patient to return to normalcy.

A lot of people who have sought medication-assisted treatment options that include suboxone have had a lot of success (at the very least, much more than methadone, the previous standard for helping patients with tapering off the withdrawal symptoms that they face).

However, despite the numerous success stories with suboxone, there has also been an increase in the number of reports of people abusing the drug and getting addicted to it.

At the end of the day, it’s kind of ironic; the same drug that was meant to help people find a painless,  safe way out of addiction ends up getting abused by the very same patients who were looking to change their ways.

How Suboxone Can Get a Person High

Suboxone is quite addictive, although its rate of addiction is much lower than that of other opioids. An average suboxone user might not get high from it, but it could easily influence a person who develops an incredible dependence to it.

The drug was designed as a drug that prevents addiction. However, it is possible for individuals who receive the prescription of the drug to overcome addiction to end up abusing it instead. In other instances, people who have never actually taken an opioid before can stumble on the suboxone prescription with friends, pick it up and develop an addiction from there.

What Could Cause This?

The cause of methadone addiction is not farfetched in the United States. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, it is common for the buprenorphine medically assisted treatment to lead to illegal use eventually.

The report also claims that there have been several cases of addiction reported with suboxone, since it was approved in the country. Areas of high opioid abuse, such as the Northeastern part of the country, have seen exceptionally high abuse rates of suboxone.

Investigators found that some people can bypass the naloxone inhibition in the drug by injecting it directly into their veins, dissolving the drug into strips, and snorting the drug in its pill form. However, the agency also noted that abusing suboxone is much stronger in people who have used low doses of opioids, as opposed to those who used higher doses.

Another major cause of suboxone’s abuse seems to be as a result of the physicians who prescribe the drugs. According to an article published in the New York Times, over 1,000 doctors who prescribe buprenorphine (out of 12,780) have been sanctioned in one way or the other due to their opioid-prescribing practices in the past.

In addition to this, a report by the Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky, revealed that officials from the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure claimed that many doctors reported to opening suboxone-prescribing clinics after the state saw a reduction in “pill mills” that prescribed excessive quantities of painkillers.

The analysis of the Journal revealed that 14 percent of the overseeing doctors in these clinics had a history  of unethical standards involving their profession and had one way or the other been sanctioned by the medical board.

The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure says that most of the new clinics run cash-based systems, and they fail to administer any checkups after they deliver the suboxone prescriptions which is dangerous and highly illegal to do.

In another piece that was published by WKTY, it was noted that law enforcement officers were clamping down on physicians who had the ability to prescribe suboxone legally by traveling from various parts of the state and giving out prescriptions in jurisdictions outside of their home clinic.

 

Sources
[1] American Society of Addiction Medicine. (2016). Opioid Addiction 2016 Facts & Figures. Retrieved from http://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/opioid-addiction-disease-facts-figures.pdf

[2] Information about Medication-Assisted Treatment. (2019, February 14). Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/informationbydrugclass/ucm600092.htm

[3] Intelligence Bulletin: Buprenorphine: Potential for Abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs10/10123/index.htm

[4] Addiction Treatment With a Dark Side. (2018, October 19). Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/health/in-demand-in-clinics-and-on-the-street-bupe-can-be-savior-or-menace.html?_r=0

[5] Addiction medicine Suboxone now being abused. (2014, July 3). Retrieved from http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2014/07/03/addiction-medicine-suboxone-now-abused/12153725/

[6] Combs, M. (n.d.). WKYT Investigates: Law enforcement officials express concern about doctors traveling to prescribe Suboxone. Retrieved from http://www.wkyt.com/content/news/WKYT-Investigates–368093891.html