Helping Treat Opiod Addiction With Suboxone
Opioid has some dire effects even when you are trying to recover from them. Withdrawal symptoms for many patients are not easy to deal with. Luckily, there is a medication used to treat the bad effects of opioid dependence withdrawal called Suboxone. A rehabilitation regimen usually prescribes suboxone treatment along with psychological counseling and social support. No more than a quarter of those who are addicted to substances such as opiate or heroine. Simple abstinence is not effective since the cravings and neurologic effects of these drugs can continue to persist. The addition of helpful drugs against these addictive substances helps much in the recovery making it bearable for those who want to quit their addiction.
Suboxone is a drug or medicine which is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. The combination results in partial opioid agonist acting on the opioid receptors of the brain. But compared to such drugs, buprenorphine it does not result to a psychedelic effects or euphoric feelings often termed as a “high”. The physical side effect of the drug withdrawal without the feelings of pleasure associated causes lessening of the addictive behavior. Naloxone can produce severe withdrawal side effects when they are inappropriately used, however, such as being snorted or crushed, which is why it is combined with buprenorphine to counteract abusing the regimen.
Since it is a long-acting medication, it only needs to be taken once daily. The medication can be taken orally 2 mg or 8 mg tablet or through a strip designed to be dissolved under your tongue. There are serial numbers indicated in the filmstrip to prevent the medication’s diversion. The patient’s should also not eat, smoke or drink within half hour of taking the daily dose since it can affect the absorption of the medication.
There are also some side effects present in the medication such as potential source of abuse and long term side effects such as anxiety, depression, confusion, gastrointestinal problems and drowsiness. Patients typically experience a calm and relaxed sensation. But in some situations, it also causes undesirable effects such as insomnia, constipation, irritability and shakiness. The use of the medication also causes people to lose weight since it suppresses appetite. Even with the possibility of some of these side effects, there is still no reason for them to be taken out from the usual recovery regimen.
Suboxone treatment is a powerful medical intervention that can help treat even the most severe of addiction problems. The long term effects of the drug can be appreciated with a life free from addiction to opioids. Those who want to solve their addiction problem should must also consider getting behavioral and psychological support in order to make it more effective. There are various outpatient and inpatient therapy programs that can help in lessening the psychological mechanisms associated with the addiction. Since drug addiction itself is has underlying mental health problems, there is a need to simultaneously target both the physiologic effects caused by opioid abuse as well as psychological reinforcement to avoid slipping from recovery.