Opiate addiction is real and it’s affecting millions in the United States and in the rest of the world. Recovery from it is a terrible challenge and it might be the worst battles they have to face in their situation. Though it is truly an ordeal, recovering from opiate addiction is possible. It can even be more manageable or comfortable with the help of specific medications.
Medications such as methadone, have been prescribed and used for decades. Even so, new medications are also effective and safe to use in opiate detoxification. One such drug is suboxone.

The Basics of Suboxone
Suboxone is a drug used for treating severe addiction to opiates like:
• Hydrocodone or Vicodin
• Heroin
• Oxycontin or oxycodone
• Morphine
• Codeine
• Opium
It should be noted that opiates and suboxone affect the same areas of the brain. It is the result of the successful combination of the following drugs:
• Naloxone. A protective drug that helps keep people from abusing opiates by causing quick withdrawal symptoms if injected and dissolved.
• Buprenorphine. Aids in reducing various cravings as the patient detoxifies.

Taking Suboxone for Drug Replacement Therapy
Recent research about the hidden functions of buprenorphine is fairly controversial. There is an ongoing debate about whether the drug is a partial or full opioid agonist. Even so, reports as current as 2014 say that buprenorphine is an effective partial opioid agonist. The drug is similar to mu receptors, preventing full opioid agonists (heroin or oxycodone) from attaching to receptors.
Naloxone is categorized as an opioid antagonist, that serves as a deterrent to abuse. This component of suboxone was proven to reduce symptoms of euphoria, cravings, and withdrawal in different patients. As naloxone is present in suboxone, the high that could be experienced in taking buprenorphine alone is negated. This prevents deaths from buprenorphine injections.
The rates of suboxone treatment rates are increasing consistently because of the method’s effectiveness. Based on clinical research, the safety and efficacy of the naloxone and buprenorphine combination are ideal for opioid abuse treatment.

Suboxone Treatment Compared with other Drug Replacement Therapy
There are other treatments established for opiate addiction. Clonidine, methadone, and naltrexone are usually administered as treatment mediations for opioid addiction before suboxone is used. There have been high rates of relapse in patients who were treated by other medications such as clonidine and methadone. The suboxone treatment’s efficacy was usually associated with its ability to lower the euphoric feelings and withdrawal symptoms.

Opioid addiction is a rampant problem and suboxone seems to be the answer many patients have been waiting for. Since the symptoms lower significantly with the treatment, suboxone treatment is a potent weapon for a consistent and efficient win against the opioid crisis.