Suboxone Treatment
Suboxone Treatment
What is Suboxone Treatment?
Suboxone is a prescription medication that combines buprenorphine and naloxone. It’s used to treat opioid addiction. (Heroin and narcotic painkillers are common opioid drugs.) Buprenorphine belongs to a class of drugs called opioid partial agonists, which help relieve symptoms of opiate withdrawal.
What are the benefits of Suboxone Treatment?
Suboxone can decrease cravings and relieve withdrawal symptoms. This can help you remain in treatment and gain control over your opiate addiction without the distraction of cravings and fear of withdrawal. Suboxone detox offers a way to treat opioid dependence—under supervision—with privacy, confidentiality, and safety. People treated with Suboxone generally don’t need to be hospitalized, make daily visits to a clinic, or go away from home for residential treatment. As a result, treatment with Suboxone may allow more time for work, family, and other activities.
How do Suboxone Treatment programs work?
This suppresses withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings. Second, because Suboxone excites the brain’s opioid receptors only a little – it is a partial agonist – the patient does not get the same strong effects that are caused by full agonists such as prescription painkillers, heroin, and methadone.
Is Suboxone Treatment Safe?
Like all medications, Suboxone does have side effects. These are mild and generally subside after a few weeks. Side effects can include: headache, withdrawal symptoms, body pain, nausea, insomnia, sweating, constipation, and stomach pain.
How Long Will I Stay on Suboxone Treatment?
The length of therapy will depend on your needs, and is up to you, your doctor, and possibly your counselor. Some patients need Suboxone for as little as a few weeks, while others may need it for months or even years. Combining Suboxone treatment with counseling may increase your chances of success.
Doesn’t Suboxone Treatment Just Replace One Drug for Another?
Yes and no. Suboxone of course is a drug, and you use it to help free your body of the need for other opioid drugs such as prescription painkillers or heroin. However, because Suboxone is a partial opioid agonist, its unique features allow you to reduce or avoid withdrawal and cravings while at the same time largely blocking the effects of other opioids
