Suboxone is a brand-name medication that has two active ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone. Doctors use this medication, or a generic equivalent, as part of a treatment program for people addicted to opioid drugs or prescription painkillers. Suboxone is used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs and is formulated specifically to reduce the odds that it will turn into a secondary source of addiction. Nonetheless, cases of Suboxone abuse and addiction may still occur.

What Is Buprenorphine?

Buprenorphine[i] is a semi-synthetic opioid medication[ii] that was approved in the early 2000s by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the first treatment for opioid addiction that doctors can prescribe and distribute in their own office or clinic. Buprenorphine is further classified as a partial opioid agonist, not a full opioid.

When full opioids enter a person’s bloodstream, they produce a powerful reduction in normal activity inside the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). They also produce powerful increases in brain levels of a pleasure-promoting chemical called dopamine. The potential for declining activity in the central nervous system, in the form of decreased breathing, often results in full opioids’ ability to trigger rapid, life-threatening overdoses. The potential for extreme boosts in pleasure levels helps explain full opioids’ ability to trigger physical dependence and addiction.

Partial opioid agonists do not produce the same intense effects as full opioids. People who take them will experience only relatively moderate declines in their central nervous system function and only relatively moderate increases in their dopamine levels.

When given to a person addicted to heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone or another full opioid, buprenorphine will not produce enough of an effect to trigger the classic opioid “high.” However, it will produce an effect strong enough to prevent the onset of serious opioid withdrawal. Relying on these facts, doctors can prescribe buprenorphine as a short- or long-term substitute for more dangerous opioid drugs or medications while reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

What is Naloxone?

As an opioid antagonist, naloxone[iii] prevents opioid substances from producing their effects inside the brain and spinal cord. It does this by setting up a kind of chemical blockade around the sites inside the body that normally give opioids access to the central nervous system. Because of this ability, naloxone is best known as a rescue medication for people in the midst of an opioid overdose. When used in these circumstances, it can halt an overdose in its tracks and help save lives.

Used in combination with buprenorphine, naloxone plays another role. When a person in treatment takes Suboxone, the medication’s buprenorphine content provides a moderate, therapeutic dose of opioids. The medication’s naloxone content acts as a limiter for this opioid effect. After a certain amount of time, it will stop any more buprenorphine from reaching the central nervous system, this makes it very difficult to overdose on Suboxone.

Uses for Suboxone

Suboxone[iv] is designed to provide the therapeutic benefits of buprenorphine while reducing the chances that a person in treatment will use the medication inappropriately. This is important since even a partial opioid agonist like buprenorphine can serve as a target of substance abuse. In addition to lowering the risks for misuse, Suboxone helps combat addiction symptoms such as opioid cravings and opioid withdrawal. In addition, use of the medication increases the odds that anyone involved in misuse/abuse will survive an overdose episode.

Suboxone Side Effects

Most of the potential side effects of Suboxone use come from the medication’s buprenorphine content. A short list of possible buprenorphine related problems includes:

• High body temperature (i.e., a fever)
• Cramping or sore muscles
• The strong urge to take more opioids
• Insomnia
• An irritable or agitated state of mind
• Constipation
• Nausea and/or vomiting

Naloxone has no significant impact on the systems of people who have not used opioids. When given to a person who has recently taken an opioid, the medication can trigger unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. It is recommended that Suboxone not be started until the initial symptoms of withdrawal appear so as to prevent rapid onset of withdrawal symptoms.

Who Gets Addicted to Suboxone?

Suboxone dependence can occur in people who take prescribed doses of the medication for extended periods of time. In such cases, the main symptom of dependence is withdrawal that arises when Suboxone use comes to a sudden halt or falls off quickly. Since buprenorphine is only a partial opioid, withdrawal symptoms do not reach the intensity of those found in people who stop using full opioids. Medication assisted treatment with Suboxone uses a gradual step down in medication dosage that may continue from a few months to a few years.

There is even a risk of ill health affects if Suboxone is misused and not taken as prescribed. For example, the medicated filmstrips are meant to be dissolved under the tongue. One way to abuse Suboxone is to dissolve the filmstrips in water, then inject the liquid solution into the bloodstream. Naloxone becomes activated in the bloodstream so, injecting Suboxone bypasses the digestive system. This can increase the risk of overdose as injecting the medication has the effect of taking two opioid agonists rather than a partial opioid agonist and an opioid antagonist.

Getting Help for Suboxone Addiction

People addicted to Suboxone must go through the same basic process as people addicted to stronger members of the opioid family. The first step in this process is medical detoxification under the care of a physician. After completing detox, people in recovery should enroll in a substance use treatment program[v]. Such programs typically combine medication use with a modern form of psychotherapy called behavioral psychotherapy.

Suboxone treatment should include enrollment in a partial hospitalization addiction program or in an intensive outpatient program that includes maintenance medication supported by behavioral health therapy. The goal of Transformations IOP MAT program is to help clients work towards a stable recovery which includes abstinence from drugs and alcohol.

Suboxone Addiction Treatment in Delray Beach, FL

Negative Effects of Suboxone

Suboxone is a prescription medication that is used in the treatment of opioid use disorder. Opioids, meaning “like opium,” are a class of medications and drugs that is primarily used to act on the body’s chief pain systems and access points to relieve pain. Examples of opioids include Vicodin, OxyContin, morphine and heroin. Suboxone contains a drug in the opioid class, the partial opioid activator buprenorphine. It also contains the opioid reversal agent naloxone. These medications work in concert to reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. All the while offering some level of protection against misuse, abuse, overdose and diversion compared to other opioids.

Suboxone is a unique medication for several reasons. First, at low doses, the buprenorphine within it has effects similar to other opioids. Although doses beyond roughly 32mg do not significantly increase the opioid effect. This is not the case with full opioid activators such as methadone or heroin. Second, it is taken only after withdrawal symptoms have already begun. Because the body’s strong preference for buprenorphine would lead the body to kick other full opioid activators out of its access sites to accommodate buprenorphine, which is only a partial opioid activator. That situation would create the very withdrawal that users are trying to avoid.

Third, it is taken by absorbing it into the mucous membranes under the tongue or inside the cheek, due to its poor availability to the body if taken by mouth. Fourth, the naloxone contained in Suboxone reverses (to a degree) the effect of opioids. Including buprenorphine, if Suboxone is taken by injection or taken by nose. Finally, a Suboxone prescription must be written by a provider who has obtained federal permission to prescribe it and has taken training to do so.

You may have heard of Suboxone before. Perhaps you’ve received Suboxone from a friend, family member or other associate, and you’re not alone if you have. More than one million people have received or taken Suboxone in a non-prescribed way. While some take it to experience euphoria, many take it to avoid withdrawal symptoms. It begins working to relieve withdrawal symptoms within an hour. Additionally, it has a high success rate for treating these symptoms. While these qualities make Suboxone a highly useful medication, these same qualities are also responsible for its potential to be misused and diverted.

As with other opioid drugs, Suboxone can cause symptoms of physical and psychological dependence, especially when it is used in a non-prescribed fashion. The problematic use of Suboxone and other opioids is referred to by health professionals as an opioid use disorder. As with all substances of abuse, Suboxone addiction occurs when a person cannot control his or her drug usage and spends increasing amounts of time and resources around the drug, using the drug or recovering from its effects.

Are you taking Suboxone or a similar medication in a medically unintended way? Have you found yourself taking more than prescribed without talking to your provider? Have you been obtaining it without a prescription? If you or your friends or family believe that you might have an opioid use disorder, Transformations Treatment Center can support you. We have holistic, evidence-based treatment programs that will empower you to effectively counter addiction, along with its unhealthy patterns and destructive consequences.

How Suboxone Works in Your Body

Your body has a natural system for responding to pain: it creates endorphins. The word endorphin stands for endogenous morphine, with endogenous meaning “originating within the body.” Endorphins act like keys to the doors of the nervous system that are responsible for slowing down pain signals. Opioids, including Suboxone, powerfully mimic this endorphin effect at certain access points in this system called mu-opioid receptors. However, opioid drugs are much more potent than your endorphins, so constant or excessive exposure to opioids leads your brain to reduce its own production of endorphins. It also causes the brain to consider the constant presence of the opioid drugs to be the body’s new normal. This is the point where your body is physically dependent on the opioid, and the point at which you will experience opioid withdrawal symptoms if the drug is abruptly stopped or reduced.

Withdrawal Signs And Symptoms

Opioid withdrawal signs and symptoms result in a flu-like state, including:

• Runny nose, coughing, salivating, tearing and yawning
• Lack of temperature regulation
• Dilated pupils
• Cold, clammy skin
• Digestive tract discomfort, nausea and vomiting
• Loose stools or diarrhea

Most opioid withdrawal peaks within three to four days, but it can last for weeks or even months. It is the presence of withdrawal that tends to give Suboxone both its medical value and leads to its non-prescribed usage. It is very effective at addressing these withdrawal symptoms because of the body’s preference for buprenorphine at the mu-opioid receptor.

Even though its ability to treat withdrawal symptoms makes it a valuable medication, Suboxone can create euphoria, or a “high.” With constant exposure to the drug over time, your brain will rearrange and remodel itself to try to duplicate as much of this euphoria as possible. Since your brain now views your addiction as normal, you’re more prone to addictive behaviors.

How to Spot Suboxone-Related Problems

There are indicators that can help you or your loved ones identify problematic Suboxone usage. As with all abusable substances, non-prescribed usage is always problematic. Similarly, attempting to use Suboxone in larger doses or longer than prescribed can indicate misuse. Unsuccessful attempts to stop using it, using it despite negative consequences, and social or legal problems resulting from use can also be strong clues.

Treating Suboxone Addiction

Opioid withdrawal is rarely fatal, but it can be remarkably unpleasant, so treatment of addiction to Suboxone and other opioids usually begins with medical detoxification. Medical staff monitors vital signs for at least 72 hours. Since Suboxone was designed to help you manage opioid withdrawal symptoms, physicians may allow you to directly taper off of it in a controlled setting.

Mental health professionals can help you identify and address conditions that are sometimes masked by the use of substances. Including depression, anxiety disorders or other conditions. This is not only important for treating those conditions, but also to help make addiction treatment more effective.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the psychotherapy of choice when addressing problems with opioid use. CBT can help you change your behavior by showing you how to challenge and re-evaluate your thoughts and emotions. Along with participating in a 12-step-based program, CBT shows the best evidence for treating addictive behaviors. Other approaches include motivational interviewing (which aims to inspire you to make changes through a series of nonjudgmental, nonconfrontational interviews), and mindfulness-based stress reduction, a technique that helps you stay tuned in and attentive to your own thoughts, feelings and behaviors as they are happening.

Don’t Suffer in Silence

At Transformations Treatment Center, we can help you recover from the problematic usage of Suboxone or similar medications. Our care models include holistic treatment that is tailored to your unique needs, and it is based on the best available scientific evidence. We are committed to helping you lead a healthy, substance-free lifestyle. Contact us today for more information on our certified staff of professionals and first-rate facilities.

If you or a loved one need suboxone rehab in Delray Beach, FL please contact us today at 800-270-4315.