How Suboxone Treatment Works For Opiate Addiction?

Suboxone for addiction is something which can be a “miracle drug” for many people that are dependent on opioids and have been seen abusing a variety of them such as morphine, heroin and other prescription painkillers.

Since these drugs produce a sensation of pleasure, many people find themselves stuck in the circle of opioid addiction.

So, medication-assisted treatment is one of the most successful interventions for opioid addiction. This type of treatment involves the consumption of particular medications that are created to streamline the treatment process. One of the popular types of prescription medications is Suboxone for addiction. It has been referred to as a blockbuster medication that has the potential to alleviate the symptoms of opioid addiction.

Suboxone is a game-changing drug that has made many headlines in the recent past for turning the clock back on opioid addiction. According to a report published on The New York Times, Suboxone produced $1.55 billion in the United States sales in 2013, which is more than Adderall and Viagra. This medication has been considered to be a safer alternative to methadone for eradicating the symptoms of addiction of opioids.

If you or your loved one is looking for suboxone for addiction, you should know how the process of using this medication begin and continue to treat opioid addiction.

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Things to consider before beginning Suboxone Consultation & Treatment:

1. When was the last time you used opioid

2. What type of opioid you consumed

Long-acting drug dependence -There are many opioids that are considered as longer acting opioids such as methadone or fentanyl. These type of opioids cannot be stopped using instantly. The dose of such opioids needs to be slowly lowered before you begin your suboxone treatment. You should let your doctor or medical practitioner know what you have been consuming and how much. They may want to talk to you before they begin your treatment.
Short-acting drug dependence – Opioids such as heroin are known as short-acting opioids. The suboxone treatment can start if the patient hasn’t consumed the drug for past 12 hours.

3. The last but not least is your degree of dependence on opioid.

These are the things that every patient should keep in mind and must completely understand before taking the big leap. Suboxone for addiction has been proven to be extremely beneficial to treat opioid addiction. However, it’s important that you begin your suboxone treatment only when once signs of drug withdrawal are seen.

Suboxone Treatment Phases-

1.Induction Phase

Once your Suboxone doctor prescribed the Suboxone as a treatment for your opioid addiction, the induction phase starts where the first two days you are given lower doses of the medication which is around 2 mg to 4 mg. After the first two days, the doctor might increase the dose to up to 8 mg if you show any improvement.

2. Maintenance phase

After the induction phase, maintenance phase begins. As the name suggests, this is the phase where you slowly start to end your addiction of opioid. On the third day of your treatment, your suboxone dosage is either significantly increased or decreased depending on how well you respond to it. Once you treatment is stabilized, your suboxone dosage is kept around 4 mg to 24 mg per day.

3. Counseling

Medication is just one phase of the treatment. Counseling can help target the root cause of the addiction and help you eradicate it from its root. It can also help you stay resilient while recovering and teaches you to work through any minor or major problem that you were disguising with heroin or pills.

Having a drug addiction is like facing a brick wall. And it’s good to know there is a treatment available that helps in treating the addiction completely.