Doctors have routinely prescribed suboxone for pain management or to reduce the effects of heroin withdrawal, but as its addictive properties became known, suboxone treatment was needed. Experienced staff and the best addiction doctors at suboxone treatment centers develop an individualized suboxone treatment plan for you. Whether you need methadone or suboxone treatment, your addiction recovery is the same, but there is no same day suboxone treatment. Whatever day you start is the beginning of a committed journey to recovery.
Once called a blockbuster drug, suboxone has proven to be just one more opiate treatment drug that turned out to be itself addictive. Like methadone, well-meaning doctors prescribed suboxone for pain treatment, while opioid addiction treatment doctors used it to cut patient cravings to more powerful drugs. Use of suboxone peaked in 2013, before its addictive properties were brought to light.
Suboxone is a drug combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. The reason for the combination, and the promise of the drug, is that buprenorphine is a much less powerful drug than other opiates, so it delivers a milder high while blocking the brain triggers for other opioid drugs. But it’s still an opiate, also called a partial opioid agonist.
Meanwhile, naloxone is the opposite, blocking the brain receptors for any high effect. Naloxone is considered an opioid antagonist because it causes a sobering effect. The two drugs together provide a gentle means to allow opioid-addicted people to recover from their addictions.
Suboxone as Harm Reduction
Suboxone is a prescription medication that combines buprenorphine and naloxone and is used to treat opioid or alcohol addiction by alleviating withdrawal symptoms and subsiding cravings. Buprenorphine binds to the overactive opioid receptors in the brain to cure withdrawal symptoms, but without achieving the high. Naloxone, an opioid antagonist, blocks the effects of opioids, preventing the ability to get high from other illicit opiates such as heroin. Suboxone is administered in a sublingual film, which you place under your tongue and let it dissolve.
If you or someone you know is addicted to heroin or prescription opioid pills, learn more about suboxone. As an alternative to abstinence, suboxone can be used as a life-saving harm reduction method. Shortly after taking one dose, withdrawal symptoms will begin to subside and cravings virtually disappear. Do not take any other opioids with suboxone as the opioid antagonist will not allow you to feel any of the euphoric effects.
Opioid addiction robs you of your health, well-being, and ability to maintain your life. About 2 million people are addicted to opioids in the United States, with 70,000 dying each year from opioid-related overdoses. Suboxone allows you to reduce the health, social and economic detriment caused by illicit drug use. Suboxone is an option for people unwilling or unable to seek treatment, but who want to decrease the risk of overdose, diseases linked to drug abuse, or simply hold down a job.
Does Insurance cover suboxone treatment?
Yes! Most private insurances do cover suboxone. Medicaid & Medicare also cover suboxone if it is deemed medically necessary.
Without insurance, suboxone price is typically $1 per mg. An average dose ranges from 8-24mg. Call Suboxone Treatment Clinic today to verify that your insurance covers your suboxone. The call if free and completely confidential.
Same Day Suboxone Treatment
When you visit a substance treatment your Suboxone doctor will take you through an intake process. You will need to take a drug test to confirm you are not on any other substances such as benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants. Mixing Suboxone with alcohol is also not recommended as it will both potentiate the effects of suboxone and increase tolerance, requiring a higher dosage for the same effect.
At our outpatient suboxone treatment clinic, you will receive a prescription from your suboxone doctor on the same day of your visit. You can begin your suboxone treatment 24 hours after your last opiate dose.
Suboxone Treatment Protocol
When you come in to see suboxone doctor near you, he will first evaluate whether you have been using long or short-acting opioids; the last time you used an opioid; and the level of opioid dependence. If you have been using a long-acting opioid such as methadone, your doctor may recommend buprenorphine monotherapy before transitioning to suboxone.
For all other short-acting opioids, your doctor will start you off with the lowest dose of suboxone and gradually increase in 2-4 mg increments until you feel better. The first dose should only be administered 24 hours after the last opiate use or when you begin to feel substantial withdrawal symptoms to prevent precipitated withdrawal symptoms.
If you are pregnant you may be prescribed Suboxone, but talk to your doctor about neonatal opioid withdrawal symptoms (NOWS). NOWS may be fatal if not treated before birth, so talk to your doctor about switching to suboxone as soon as possible.
Why Suboxone Became Addictive
The medical world expected suboxone to be the best drug for weaning opiate abusers off those drugs, as part of detoxifying from opiates. But suboxone is administered as a sub-lingual filmstrip, delivering its effect gradually, through the digestive system. Recovering addicts, looking for a faster-acting treatment, dissolved the filmstrip and injected the drug, which essentially delivered a double dose of opioids, as the opioid antagonist becomes an agonist when used this way.
As a result, this new way of administering suboxone has led to its share of addictions and overdose deaths. Suboxone treatment centers like Suboxone Treatment Clinic were established to serve the new wave of addicts. Suboxone or Methadone treatment is a similar process, and both are made more comfortable with medical supervision.
Suboxone for Pain Management
Your doctor may also prescribe you suboxone to deal with your chronic pain issues. We know that chronic pain can be debilitating to your personal wellbeing, social life, ability to work, or even spend time with your family. Talk to your suboxone clinic doctor in NY to see if Suboxone is the right pain treatment for you.
If you are already on opioid medication to treat your pain and the medication is becoming a problem in your life, you may consider making the switch to suboxone. Most individuals with chronic pain conditions tend to become addicted to their pain medication. If you have chronic pain and a history of substance abuse issues, find out if suboxone with a pain treatment plan is right for you.
Side Effects of Suboxone for Pain Treatment
When you first begin taking suboxone, as with any other opiate or opioid antagonist, you may experience nausea or vomiting. Because suboxone decreases your appetite, some patients have experienced weight loss. Others have noticed some weight gain; however, suboxone causes water retention so this gain is usually not significant.
Suboxone causes respiratory depression, meaning slower and more shallow breathing. Contact a medical professional if you experience this side effect as it could mean you are experiencing an overdose.
If you’re taking suboxone for pain or for your addiction, Suboxone doctors advise that you may notice symptoms such as:
- Queasiness or overpowering dizziness
- Inability to concentrate
- Constipation
- Low blood pressure
- Insomnia
- Fever-like symptoms
- Irritability, anxiety or mood swings
- Headaches and muscle aches
- Trouble breathing
Dangerous symptoms — those that may signal an overdose — include:
- Slowed or erratic breathing
- Incoherent speech
- Feeling clumsy or uncoordinated
- Not being able to see clearly
- Fainting or passing out
- Inability to wake up
Similarities in Methadone or Suboxone Treatment
Suboxone and methadone treatment are similar. Both go easier with a medically supervised suboxone detox phase in which the drug is purged from your system. Withdrawal symptoms during this phase can be excruciating, however, which is why you’re best served by completing it at one of the suboxone treatment centers.
Staying clean requires drug addiction treatment that includes counseling, support and continued treatment. You need a suboxone treatment plan so you understand the level of commitment required to successfully fight your addiction.
Suboxone Interactions with Other Substances
If you are prescribed any other medication tell your doctor. Some interactions with suboxone may be deadly. Your doctor will find another treatment option for you.
- Mixing tramadol with suboxone can cause seizures or death.
- Mixing alcohol and suboxone can lead to overdose because both are central nervous system (CNS) depressants. This means each substance slows down your breathing- too much or a combination can cause breathing to stop.
- Mixing suboxone with gabapentin, Lyrica, and Ativan has the same effects of taking two CNS depressants.
Alternatives to Suboxone
Suboxone is an opioid antagonist, meaning it attaches to the opiate receptors in your body without activating them or allowing any other opiate to bind. Vivitrol injection is another option to help you deal with your opiate use. It is extended-release naltrexone administered as a shot that lasts for a month.
Methadone treatment is another option for substance use issues. Unlike suboxone or Vivitrol, methadone is a full opiate agonist meaning creates the full opioid effect. Other full agonists are heroin, morphine, and opium.
Zubsolv contains the same ingredients as suboxone, but comes in a pill, rather than strip, form. Zubsolv tablets also come in different doses than suboxone.
Rely on Suboxone Treatment Centers
Suboxone treatment centers like suboxone clinics are facilities that provide methadone or suboxone treatment in our outpatient rehab. Withdrawal from your addiction is handled over time so that it’s less painful. You come in to the center to check in and receive counseling, as part of your suboxone treatment plan.
The goal of all suboxone treatment centers is not only to get you off all opioid drugs, but also to keep you off them so that you can become a functional member of society again. When you can hold a job, take care of your personal relationships and not crave the highs, you’ll have found your path to recovery.
Stabilization and Recovery in Your Suboxone Treatment Plan
Once you’re passed your withdrawal symptoms, you enter the stabilization phase. During stabilization, your desire for opioids is lessened, but you’re always in danger of a relapse. The potential for relapse is high after methadone or suboxone treatment, especially in the first weeks and months.
To be in addiction recovery requires a drug therapy program that consists of individual therapy, group therapy and/or 12-step programs. Your individual road to recovery may vary. You or your loved ones may have a shorter or longer road than others. Whether you receive methadone or suboxone treatment, the length of your treatment depends on your level of addiction and how quickly you embrace the therapeutic suggestions and your new way of life.
Is Suboxone right for you?
If you are addicted to opiates suboxone may be the right detox treatment for you. As any other opiate, suboxone may become addictive, but your suboxone doctor will work on prescribing the appropriate dose for you along with a treatment plan. Get your life back on track without the craving or social, economic, and health reciprocations of illicit opiate use.