Because of the opioid epidemic, more people look for treatment every day. Although not everyone with opioid use disorder seeks help, those who do often receive medication-assisted treatments. Suboxone is one of these medications. However, some people end up needing Suboxone abuse treatment too.
What Is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a brand name drug that can reverse the effects of opioids such as prescription painkillers and heroin. It’s only legal with a prescription, but people still sell it on the black market.
This medication contains buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist that blocks the opioid receptors in the brain. As a result, it reduces cravings for opioids. Suboxone also contains naloxone, which is an opioid antagonist that counteracts the effects of opioids.
Because of these ingredients, Suboxone can prevent painful opiate withdrawal symptoms. The combination is also why detox centers use this drug more than methadone. It’s less addictive than methadone, which only contains buprenorphine. Also, a regular doctor can’t prescribe methadone but can prescribe Suboxone.
How to Detect Suboxone Abuse
As an opioid addiction treatment, Suboxone can help a lot of people. However, it’s still an opioid itself, which means that abuse and addiction can develop. When that happens, people need to get help at a Suboxone addiction treatment center. In some cases, people abuse Suboxone to replace the opioids that they crave. If they still have those other opioids in their system, though, the naloxone ingredient will intensify their withdrawal symptoms.
For these reasons, it’s helpful for people to know the signs of Suboxone use disorder. They might notice that loved ones have unusual behavior or receive random packages. Their relationships may also suffer. Also, Suboxone can cause several side effects. Low blood pressure, dizziness, blurred vision, and trouble breathing and sleeping are a few of these effects. The drug can also cause constipation, nausea, poor concentration and sweating.
Treatment for Suboxone Use Disorder
Like any other opioid use disorder, the first step in Suboxone abuse treatment is drug detox. People can’t begin to address the underlying cause of their problems until they get the drugs out of their system.
However, quitting the drug cold turkey could result in a lot of discomfort, including muscle pain. Because of that, most rehab centers use the tapering method for Suboxone detox. This process involves gradually reducing the drug dose that people take until they don’t need it anymore. The most significant benefit is that this method reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms.
Next, people get therapy to deal with the source of their substance abuse. Some services that help achieve that include cognitive behavioral therapy, dual diagnosis treatment, and meditation.
Get Help With Substance Abuse Now
Do you suffer from Suboxone or another opioid use disorder? Serenity House Detox & Recovery can set you on the path to recovery. We offer many drug detox programs, including:
- Cocaine detox center
- Meth detox center
- Alcohol detox center
- Heroin detox center
- Painkiller detox center
Get the treatment that you need for Suboxone abuse before you suffer from overdose or worse. Learn more about how Serenity House Detox & Recovery can help. Reach out to our expert addiction staff at 866-294-5306.
