What Are the Long-Term Benefits of Suboxone (Buprenorphine and Naloxone) Treatments?
It is common for many people to think of suboxone as an aid for detoxification. They assume that this treatment decreases various discomforts associated with withdrawal from opioids. Though Suboxone is usually prescribed and administered as a detox aid, it’s not its primary function. It is used optimally for the long-term treatment for recovery from opiate addiction.
Opioid Addiction
Opioids such as oxycodone, morphine, hydrocodone, heroin, codeine, and fentanyl are usually abused. People become addicted to them easily because:
• They trigger the opioid receptors in the brain given that they imitate the chemical structure of a neurotransmitter that occurs naturally.
• The patients become tolerant of them so they need to take more so that they could have the same sensations.
Opiates change the Brain’s Chemistry
Any kind of substance abuse changes the brain. Opiates tens to create a psychological dependency alongside physical addiction. This is why it’s extra challenging to stop using them. Oxycodone and heroin attach themselves to the natural opioid receptors of our brain. These natural receptors are essential in many functions of the body such as pleasure responses, pain reactions, breathing, and sleep regulation.
Drug replacement therapies, such as suboxone, help the brain correct its changes and re-set after enduring addiction.
Because suboxone is a partial opioid agonist, which is my it has become a popular opioid replacement therapy drug, better than methadone. It is easier to stop taking it gradually and it is less likely to bring about fatigue. Those who used suboxone as a treatment for at least six months experience better results than those who just use it as a short-term detox aid.
Benefits of Long Term Suboxone Treatment
Taking suboxone as a lasting treatment for opioid addiction is better because of the following reasons:
• You don’t need to change the way you live or enter a treatment program to avail it.
• The full opioid effects are reduced significantly.
• Reduced risk of abuse. Because of naloxone, suboxone treatment does not subject you to abuse. Naloxone hinders the high that is commonly found in opioids.
• Highly successful. A study performed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 49% of the 600 participants took suboxone and decreased their use of prescribed opioids. When they stopped taking suboxone, the percentage dropped to a bit over 8%.
• You can have suboxone treatment in the privacy of your own home. Once your doctor gives you a prescription of suboxone, just go to your pharmacy and fill it. This means you don’t need to give up time with your family or sacrifice work just to have your treatments.
• It’s affordable. Many treatment programs can give you a “visit and payment” document that you can file with your health insurance. This can help you when you apply for prescription assistance programs.
Opioid addiction is a huge problem and it doesn’t have to take over anyone’s life. It may be a difficult battle but anyone who is willing to change can win it. Suboxone is transforming the usually excruciating path to recovery into an easier one. Through long-term suboxone treatment, bouncing back from opioid addiction can happen without any of the usual setbacks. Talk to your doctor about it so that you or your loved one can get back the life free from opioid dependence.