What You Should Know About Suboxone Addiction Treatment

Have you heard suboxone addiction treatment mentioned by a doctor or a friend and are now curious what it is all about? The best person to have a serious discussion about suboxone with is your doctor or addiction treatment specialist. But here is some basic information about the treatment that you should know before talking to your service provider:

What Exactly Is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a prescription medication that is used to treat patients who are addicted to opiates. It is made from a combination of two medicines named naloxone and buprenorphine. It is not a widely known medication, but it is gaining popularity among doctors and therapists due to the success that their patients have with it.  

How Does Suboxone Work?

This medication works in a couple of important ways to help people get off the opiates that they are addicted to. The buprenorphine in Suboxone is an opioid that serves to keep the body from experiencing dangerous withdrawal symptoms that typically develop after stopping the use of opiates. The naloxone in this medication effectively works to block the pleasant affects of opioids so that the patient does not feel compelled to keep using opioids for the drug's effects.

While on suboxone, any effects of opiates are blocked from the brain, so there is no incentive for the patient to use opiates. This helps to reduce cravings if not get rid of them altogether. At the same time, suboxone releases enough opioids into the system to help people safely detox their bodies of the substance until they can function without the use of opioids at all.

What are the Possible Side Effects?

There are some side effects that have been reported with the use of suboxone, most of which are manageable and do not cause any serious health problems to worry about. The most common side effects include:

• Constipation
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Drowsiness
• Back Pain
• Nausea
• Lack of Concentration

If suboxone is misused by a patient, there are some serious side effects that could occur, just as with the abuse of opiates. These include dizziness, fainting, irregular heartbeats, blurry vision, and even a lack of oxygen to the brain, blood stream, and organs.

How Long is Suboxone Taken For?

There is no one right answer as to how long a person should take suboxone to beat their opiate addiction and leave the addiction behind once and for all. Some people only have to take suboxone for a couple of months to break free of their opiate addiction. Others must continue taking the medication long-term to manage their addiction and cravings. It is important to work closely with a doctor to determine how long this medication should be taken for.

Find suboxone treatment in your area today.