What You Need to Know about Suboxone

Suboxone is a medicine used to treat heroin addicts during their drug detox and afterward in their recovery. This drug is meant to be used in combination with therapy or other forms of recovery services. Suboxone can be prescribed by a physician once a person shows the need for treatment of opiate addiction.

Suboxone is a medication that is produced by combining two chemicals: buprenorphine and naloxone. The buprenorphine does the blocking of the opiate receptors while the naloxone can counter the symptoms experienced in an overdose. Together, these two chemicals make Suboxone good at suppressing withdrawal symptoms, curbing cravings, and blocking the effects of other opioids in an individual's system for 24 hours.

Suboxone is a synthetic opiate is which was approved by the FDA in 2002. This drug has many advantages over other medications often prescribed for opiate addiction, such as methadone and naltrexone. In fact, sober living rates are much higher (up to 40-60%) with the use of Suboxone compared to other drugs. Also, using Suboxone in recovery doesn't require daily participation in a highly regulated program, as with methadone treatment. Instead, it may be prescribed a medical doctor for someone moving into a sober living home or halfway house.

However, it should be noted that Suboxone does come with some manageable side effects. These include:

• Nausea
• Headaches
• Constipation
• Insomnia
• Body aches

At times, a person may experience more severe side effects. The following side effects of Suboxone are rare for most people.

• Confusion
• Chronic dizziness
• Shallow breathing
• Swollen ankles
• Yellowing of the eyes and skin
• Slurred speech
• Slow reflexes
• Loss of appetite
• Fainting
• Blurred vision

Despite these side effects, Suboxone is considered to be safe for promoting sober living in someone who wants to overcome an addiction to opiates. In fact, less than 25% of people who quit the use of opiates can keep a sober living lifestyle for a full year. For this reason, physicians and substance abuse treatment centers have used medication-assisted treatment options, such as Suboxone, to treat opiate addiction. Because it is hard to simply walk away from an addiction to heroin or prescription drugs, Suboxone makes it easier for a person to begin their recovery.

According to some experts, the potential for abusing Suboxone is substantially lower than other types of medication, yet, abuse of  the drug does exist. In the United States, Suboxone is known by many street names including stops, stop signs, oranges, Texas toast, subs, and tecs. Manufacturers of Suboxone are working toward putting an end to the illicit abuse of the drug. Fortunately, the high that someone might get off Suboxone is much less severe than that of other opiates, particularly those that Suboxone are aimed to treat.

Whether you're getting help for your addiction or still facing its challenges, contact a physician or mental health provider to find out more about Suboxone. It may be the right medication for easing your detox and transition into sober living.