Opioid addiction is especially dangerous because of the potential for overdose and even death. Millions of people across the country suffer from opioid addiction, as it is often impossible to overcome without professional treatment. Usually, an opioid addiction treatment program involves medications, such as Suboxone, to ease painful withdrawal symptoms.
Category: Treatment of Drug Addiction
See Also: Is Suboxone the Same as Methadone? & Vivitrol vs. Suboxone
Table of Contents
What Is Suboxone?
Is Suboxone an Opioid?
Yes, Suboxone is an opioid because it attaches to opioid receptors in the brain, but it does not fully activate them. Suboxone is in a different category than opioids like oxycodone or heroin since it is only a partial opioid.
How Does Suboxone Work?
Suboxone Ingredients
Suboxone contains 80% buprenorphine and 20% naloxone.
Buprenorphine, the main ingredient, is an opioid partial agonist. That means that it acts like an opioid, just like oxycodone, heroin, or methadone, but in low to moderate doses. Think of the opioid receptors in the brain as a door. Your brain throws the door wide open for most opioids but only partly open for Buprenorphine.
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist or blocker. It blocks opioid receptors from the effects of an agonist. So, it acts to counteract the high you might otherwise feel from the Buprenorphine.
These two ingredients work together in doses that are slowly decreased over time. This enables a person to work through recovery while leading a more normal life without the intense pain and suffering of opioid withdrawal.
Suboxone was developed to ease the severe symptoms of opioid withdrawal. If an individual has a strong desire to stop taking opioids but is powerless to get through the withdrawal symptoms, then that person may be a candidate for a monitored and regimented Suboxone program.
If sold illegally (using names like Buse, Sobos, Strips, Oranges, Big Whites, Small Whites, Stops, Sub or Subs), then anything could be mixed in or made to look like Suboxone. Always get Suboxone from a medical professional to be sure of the ingredients.
How do I take Suboxone?
Suboxone can’t be taken right after drug use because it can make withdrawal symptoms worse, but can be continued for months or years as needed.
- Suboxone is started after early withdrawal symptoms already set in, usually between 12-48 hours.
- Dosages on day one and two are fairly standardized when withdrawal symptoms are worst. You should be monitored by a medical professional when you first start Suboxone to be safe.
- Day 3 and onward the dosage is adjusted to a level that keeps the patient in treatment. Suboxone can be taken for months or years.
- To stop, a Suboxone taper is used to slowly decrease the dose over time to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
Will Suboxone Work for Me?
Though not a cure for addiction, medications like Suboxone can be life-changing. Suboxone helps your body feel and function normally. However, it only addresses the physical aspect of opioid addiction.
1. Suboxone is only meant for opioid addictions, which includes:
- Heroin
- Fentanyl
- Codeine
- Morphine
- Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
- Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet)
- Methadone
2. Suboxone only treats the physical aspect. Combing medications with therapy helps you tackle the mental aspects of addiction. Usually, there is more that’s fueling the cycle like self-esteem, depression, anxiety or trauma.
Is Suboxone substituting one drug for another?
No! Suboxone is a medication people need to manage a disease. A person with diabetes requires insulin daily and we don’t say that they’re addicted to insulin.
Research shows suboxone improves brain function. If you interviewed a group of people, you’d never be able to tell who is taking Suboxone and who isn’t. That’s very different from living in addiction.
Explore Suboxone Options at Symetria Recovery
A Suboxone clinic isn’t a jail or a hospital. And, you already know, getting treatment for opioid addiction can change your life. Give yourself the benefit of:
- Therapy options: As part of treatment, you get unlimited cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Therapy helps you to address and overcome the underlying causes of your addiction beyond stabilizing your brain.
- An understanding environment: Addiction is impossible to understand if you haven't lived it. You need a judgment-free environment where people feel free to share openly and honestly.
- Compassionate support: You need the accountability and support of a full team of people that actually care and will do everything they can to help you.
Looking for Suboxone Doctors Near You Now?
If you don’t live nearby in Texas or Illinois, the Find a Suboxone Doctor article can help you find a Suboxone Clinic near you. You can do this!
Still Have Questions?
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