Table of Contents
What Is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a medication that physicians prescribe to treat those addicted to opioids. It treats addictions to opioids that have been prescribed by a physician as well as the illicit type, and it is highly effective. Treatment centers use Suboxone in their medication-assisted treatment or MAT programs for the purpose of relieving the withdrawal symptoms that abstinence from opioids cause. It also discourages drug use by reducing the cravings.
Suboxone contains Buprenorphine and Naloxone.
Buprenorphine partially activates the opioid receptors, so it is known as a “partial opioid agonist.” Prescription drugs and heroin fully activate opioid receptors, but since Buprenorphine partially activates these receptors, it gives the person just enough of the opioid to relieve the person’s withdrawal symptoms and cravings but not enough to create a high. This has the effect of discouraging the person from continuing to seek and consume drugs.
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, and its purpose is to prevent users from injecting Suboxone so that they can obtain a high. If an individual is dependent upon opioids, the Naloxone will prevent the person from becoming high, but it may accelerate withdrawal symptoms.
How Is Suboxone Used?
At Allure Detox, we will place you or your loved one in our opiate detox where we can enter you into our MAT program. If your loved one is addicted to prescription pain pills or heroin, our physician will prescribe Suboxone because these are “short-acting” opioids. For long-acting opioids, we may prescribe Buprenorphine only.
In the first phase, the withdrawal symptoms appear, and they are particularly uncomfortable and dangerous for the person. Suboxone will alleviate these symptoms so that your loved one can rest easily. As our staff monitors your loved one, we will move him into the maintenance phase at the appropriate time. Then, the physician will lower the dose of your loved one’s Suboxone so that the drug can eventually be completely eliminated.
According to Dr. Adam Bisaga, this treatment is so effective because the person isn’t experiencing any withdrawal symptoms or cravings.
How Does Suboxone Help Addiction?
Our staff can administer Suboxone throughout your loved one’s treatment as it is needed. By doing so, the medication assists your loved one throughout the different stages of treatment. No matter where people are on their journey toward sobriety, Suboxone will help them remain focused on their treatment until they reach it. They are not craving their drugs of choice because of Suboxone, but they also need to obtain a comprehensive recovery plan that we can provide at Allure Detox.
Your loved one must know what to expect when someone is on Suboxone treatment. Suboxone is a depressant, and depressants prevent seizures, relieve muscle spasms and also relieve anxiety. They do this by slowing the body’s central nervous system down. In contrast, stimulants speed up the messages that the brain and the body send to each other.
Because Suboxone is a depressant, your loved one may experience the following:
- Relaxation
- Less worrying
- Reduced levels of stress
- A feeling of well-being and calmness
- Relief from pain
How Is Suboxone Administered?
A physician will prescribe Suboxone for your loved one. While your loved one spends time in the MAT program, the medication will be administered by our staff. After our clients leave the MAT program, they are expected to follow their doctors’ directions when taking their medication. It will either be administered as a tablet or through the Suboxone Film.
The Suboxone Film
People administer the Suboxone Film by placing it underneath their tongues so that the correct amount of medication can enter the body. They must allow the medication to dissolve. If they swallow the film or chew it, it may not be as effective. They must also refrain from talking while the film is in their mouths. Talking may prevent the medicine from being properly absorbed by the body.
When your loved one’s physician believes that it is time to wean him off of Suboxone, it will gradually be reduced until he no longer needs it.
Can Suboxone Cause Dependence?
Although Suboxone is used to treat dependence on opioids, you must be aware that Suboxone can cause your loved one to become dependent upon it as well. Some people are more likely to develop a dependency on Suboxone, and they include the following:
- Those addicted to heroin who are searching for a way to avoid the withdrawal symptoms.
- Those who don’t know that Suboxone has significant side effects.
- Those who are abusing substances currently or have in the past.
What Are the Side Effects?
If a physician prescribes Suboxone for a client, the client should not stop taking it without discussing it with his physician first. If the client fails to do this, he could experience negative side effects and may begin to endure the following opioid withdrawal symptoms:
- Diarrhea
- Jittery feelings
- Insomnia
- Dilated pupils
- Irritability
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
The other negative side effects that your loved one may experience with Suboxone include the following:
- Headache
- Low energy levels
- Stomach pain
- Sweating
- Vomiting
- Flu-like symptoms
If your loved one experiences side effects that may have been caused by Suboxone, these need to be reported to your loved one’s physician.
Does Anything Interact with Suboxone?
If you take Suboxone with some supplements, herbal remedies or other types of medicines, the interaction can cause negative side effects. Some of these substances include the following:
- Verapamil
- Oral contraceptives
- Niacin
- Drugs used to treat HIV
- Fluoxetine
- Medicines that lower cholesterol
- Acetaminophen
What Is the Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder?
Taking Suboxone and going through the detoxification process is not considered to be treatment for an opioid use disorder. The full treatment begins with detoxification, but it must continue with therapy that keeps your loved one from indulging in his drug of choice forever. If you are seeking a Suboxone treatment West Palm Beach for your loved one, you will find it at Allure Detox.
It can be difficult to convince your loved one to enter a treatment facility, but it is very important that he does. At Allure Detox, we can offer your loved one dual diagnosis treatment. Someone with a dual diagnosis has a substance use disorder as well as a mental health disorder that needs to be treated at the same time. If this doesn’t happen, treatment for either condition will not be as effective.
Several national surveys have shown that 50% of those diagnosed with a mental health condition will also be found to be struggling with an addiction. Also, those diagnosed with addictions to substances are also diagnosed with mental health disorders later on at a rate of 50%. The disorders that often coexist with substance use disorders include post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. They also tend to co-occur with antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, psychotic illness, attention-deficit personality disorder, bipolar disorder and depression.
Because substance use disorders often co-occur with mental health disorders at such a great rate, our Suboxone treatment in West Palm Beach will evaluate your loved one for a mental health condition. Then, we will develop a treatment plan for the mental health condition and the substance use disorder and treat them at the same time. Our professionals have extensive knowledge about the environmental, neural and genetic factors involved with these medical conditions, so they can develop the most appropriate remedies for treating them.
We will use both medications and behavioral therapies to treat your loved one’s mental health condition and opioid use disorder. Some of the behavioral therapies include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and whatever else may seem appropriate.
You or your loved one have been struggling with an addiction to opioids, and you would like to look into treatment with Suboxone. If so, contact us today at Allure Detox
