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Does Insurance Cover Suboxone?

Does Insurance Cover Suboxone?

When you or someone you love is contemplating treatment for addiction, a million and one things will go through your head. How will we ever get over this? How to manage the pain and sickness? How are we going to pay for this? If you're contemplating taking suboxone to overcome opioid addiction, then you might wonder whether insurance covers it. Here is where the costs of suboxone are explained for those interested, whether your insurance might cover all or part of the cost, and what else you can do if you're interested in Suboxone treatment.

Is Suboxone Covered By Insurance?

If you, or your loved one have an insurance policy, then check it, as there should be some coverage for addiction treatment. The more expensive your policy, the more will be covered. If you have a lower cost insurance policy, there may be some co-pay, where you will have to pay for a portion of it from your own pocket. One way or another, you should have some of the costs of Suboxone covered as a form of treatment.

Your insurance company will likely have a list of registered pharmacies where you can go to fill the Suboxone prescription, so check that carefully before you waste time going into any pharmacy. Not all pharmacies are licensed to dispense the drug.

If you don't have your policy on hand right now, here are some of the big insurance companies that do include cover for Suboxone treatment:

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS)
  • UMR
  • Aetna
  • Beacon
  • Cigna
  • Multi Plan
  • United Health Care

If you don't see your insurance company on the list above, don't worry, it is not exhaustive. There are other companies that provide the cover required, simply check your policy or give your company a call to find out.

Why Would I Need Insurance For Suboxone?

On it's own, Suboxone isn't cheap. You will still need a prescription from a doctor, but you can buy the sub-lingual films from a pharmacist for cash. For Suboxone sublingual film (2 mg-0.5 mg) the price is roughly $158 for a supply of 30 film, depending on which pharmacy you go to. However, it is not likely to be much less. Don't try and buy Suboxone on the black market, as you don't know what you're getting.

If you'd like to check into a detox or rehab facility where Suboxone is used, there are some residential treatment facilities where it is part of the treatment that can charge around $8,000 per month. If this isn't an option for you, then there's no need to worry because there are other alternatives.

One of the good things about Suboxone is that you don't need constant surveillance to take it. Due to the fact that it's nearly impossible to get high from it, users can be trusted to take it responsibly. In this sense, it can be a cheaper way to pursue a life without addiction, especially if your insurance covers the cost of the medicine.

Why Should You Choose Suboxone?

If you are addicted to injecting opioids, then Suboxone can help you break that habit. Firstly, it will take away your cravings and you won't have to mess about with needles and doses anymore.

Your dosage is prepared and you take it in a daily dose or one every two days. Even if you take more, you won't get the same effects as you did with heroin, so there's little point in trying. Your habit with the needle goes away and you can return to some normal form of life, without having to spend every day chasing a high, or trying to get enough heroin so that you won't get sick.

If you've been addicted to prescription opioids, Suboxone means that you can come off the drugs you've been abusing and not have to endure a debilitating withdrawal. You can get back to a normal routine, without thinking about taking drugs. It's important that when you take Suboxone you realize this is only treating the physical side of the illness and you must figure out what lies beneath. Addiction is a psychological condition that can be very complex, and you may have some stuff to work through in order to really get better. Insurance packages now cover addiction as a chronic illness, so you will get some cover for medication, such as Suboxone, under your plan.

What's Different About Suboxone?

Suboxone is a medicine that has been specifically developed to treat opioid addiction. It is made with a combination of two drugs: buprenorphine and naloxone. Suboxone was approved for treatment of opioid addiction by the FDA in 2002. People who have tried other forms of treatment for their addiction often have more success with Suboxone, so it has been seen as somewhat of a wonder drug.

Some people argue that it's not real recovery when you are still taking an opioid to replace another opioid. It's true that when treating opioid addiction with another opioid, there is the potential for dependency. This has been seen with some people buying methadone on the black market.

However, when you have been abusing opioids for some length of time, the drugs have affected the receptors in your brain, so giving them up does not simply make you go back to normal. In fact, you will get very sick, which people who have tried to go cold turkey have quickly realized!

Suboxone is different to methadone, because it has a ceiling effect, thus users won't get high from it, no matter how much they take. The naloxone is an opioid antagonist that can reverse the effects of narcotics such as heroin and methadone.

This also means that the user cannot feel the euphoric effects of Suboxone, even if they try to use it in a way that's against doctor recommendations. Naloxone can cause a person to go into severe withdrawal if they abuse opioids. This helps prevent misuse of Suboxone.

Unlike methadone, which is frequently used in the treatment of opioid addiction, Suboxone is prescribed in a sublingual or tablet form and doctors can provide patients with a take-home dose of 30 days. It works on the nervous system to reduce cravings and users will not go into withdrawal as long as they adhere to their doctor's instructions.

Suboxone Offers Hope

Coming to terms with the fact that you or a loved one suffers from opioid addiction can be overwhelming. With deaths from overdoses at an all time high, it's vital to get someone in addiction into some sort of treatment, even if they have tried before.

You need to consider what treatment options might suit and the cost. If you have insurance, it will certainly cover some of the cost and it can be more successful than other ways that have been tried before. It's a long, hard road, and it can often seem like there's no good news. Suboxone offers people some hope, even if other treatment methods have failed.

If you have a loved one who has been suffering with opioid addiction, you can find out more about its benefits here. Your help and support while your friend or family member is trying to recover can be invaluable.

Suboxone is only Half of the Fight

Suboxone is only Half of the Fight

Many people in active addiction make the mistake of thinking that they can recover from their addiction by simply taking Suboxone, but that isn’t the case. Taking Suboxone can help with the physical addiction that they have to the drug, but there is so much more that must be addressed in order for someone to achieve sobriety for the long run. The following guide walks you through the some other aspects of recovery that have to be addressed during someone’s journey to sobriety.

Have Peace of Mind During Suboxone Treatment

Detoxing can be a very scary experience for someone with an addiction. The body goes through significant changes in a very short period of time. Even though Suboxone can help minimize the physical withdrawal symptoms that you experience, you may still experience some effects. Suboxone must be taken properly. When you initially start taking Suboxone, it’s a good idea to go to a treatment facility to ensure that you can be monitored throughout the treatment process.

Since detoxing can be physically taxing, being monitored by medical professionals allows you to have peace of mind. You can know that your health is being properly monitored so that you can fully focus on your recovery. Believe it or not, having peace of mind can make the recovery process easier.

Understanding the Root of Your Addiction

In order for someone to recover from addiction, they need to know why they started using drugs and what their triggers are. There are many different reasons why people use drugs. Some people never knew they could become addicted and began using drugs after an accident or injury. Taking prescription pain medications often leads to addiction because people take the drug more often than prescribed or take more of it than they are supposed to take, and end up becoming addicted to it.

Other people become addicted to drugs because they use it to numb emotional or psychological issues. When you are in recovery, you’ll narrow down your drug triggers and the source of your addiction. This allows you to know what issues you need to avoid in the future to better your chances of being able to stay sober once you have completed treatment.

Learn How to Handle an Emotional Addiction to Drugs

Its common for people to use drugs to numb themselves emotionally. In order to stay sober once they recover from addiction. You will learn how to handle your emotions properly. Going to counseling while you are on Suboxone provides you with the opportunity to have the emotional addiction treated properly.

A psychologist can provide you with advice on how to handle emotional issues you may be facing in a constructive way. They can help establish a plan for how you can overcome guilt, anger, or even depression in a healthy way. Counseling may be enough for you to handle your emotions well, but there are times when treatment through medications is also needed. A psychologist can prescribe you medications to help regulate your emotions. They can monitor how the medications help you and narrow down the different options that are available to you. It often takes trial and error to find the right medications for an individual.

Mental Addiction to Drugs Needs to be Mastered

There are some people who use drugs to self-medicate through a trauma or mental issue. Some people know that they have a mental condition and will seek medication to deal with it. Some people are unaware of their mental issues or disorder. Using medications to treat anxiety, schizophrenia, OCD, and other mental disorders is common. When you use Suboxone to stop using drugs, you need to seek professional help so you can be properly diagnosed for any medical condition you have. Being properly treated and medicated for any ongoing condition helps improves your chances of staying sober and drug-free down the road. Even though it feels as though you may have a strong grasp of your emotional or mental condition when you stop using drugs, that doesn’t mean you’ll maintain control when craziness arises in life.

Monitor Your Health Regularly

It’s important to have a doctor monitor your health after you use Suboxone and are recovering from your addiction. Health issues that may not have been noticeable before may become apparent. There are also physical repercussions that come with using drugs for an extended period of time. The sooner physical issues are discovered, the better your chances of being able to have the issues treated, and avoid relapsing and self-medicating.

Talk About Your Experience and Temptations

Once you are addicted to drugs you are always susceptible to addiction. Many people think once they use Suboxone to stop using drugs they never have to worry about using drugs again. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. You will be tempted to use again. To deal with those temptations to use again, joining an addiction recovery group makes sobriety easier. You can discuss issues that arise in your life, get advice from others who have recovered from addiction, and be held accountable to help increase your odds of staying drug-free and sober.

Be sure to be open and honest about what you are going through. It can be tempting to close down and not share what you have been through because you fear being judged. Everyone in the group has been addicted to something throughout their life. They aren’t going to judge you for the things that you did in your past or the struggles that you are currently going through. To get the most help you can, you have to be willing to open up and be honest with people in the group.

Suboxone can serve as a crucial element when it comes to achieving sobriety but using it in conjunction with other treatment options is key. You need to heal your mind and body to stay sober for the long run. Take the time to find a treatment facility that offers the care that suits your needs and makes you feel comfortable. You need to trust and feel safe with the people who are helping you.