Suboxone Addiction Treatment
Suboxone is the brand name for a prescription medication to treat opioid addiction. However, this medication also carries the potential to become addictive itself. While Suboxone is potentially addictive, the risk of becoming addicted to Suboxone is less than the risk of becoming addicted to other opioids. However, Suboxone is still finding its way to the streets, which is driving the number of addiction cases up. When people find themselves addicted to Suboxone, the best course of action is to enter a Suboxone addiction treatment program.
Suboxone addiction treatment is one of the many programs and services provided at Lighthouse Recovery Institute in Boynton Beach, Florida. Our team understands how challenging Suboxone addiction can be to overcome, and we’re ready to help. If you or someone you care about struggles with Suboxone addiction, reach out to our team by calling 866-309-2090 or completing our online contact form.
What Is Suboxone?
Suboxone has two ingredients which are buprenorphine and naloxone. Combined, they reduce cravings for addictive opioids such as heroin, codeine, fentanyl, and oxycodone. People who are undergoing treatment for opioid addiction usually take Suboxone to manage opioid withdrawal during detox. Suboxone is a partial opioid agonist, which prevents other opioids from burning to opioid receptors in the brain. But, naloxone is an opioid antagonist, so it blocks and reverses the effects of opioids on the nervous system. The purpose of naloxone as an ingredient of Suboxone is to prevent people from overdosing on buprenorphine.
Suboxone Withdrawal
Withdrawal from Suboxone can be unpleasant in many of the same ways as withdrawal from other opiates. Long-time users may experience withdrawal symptoms such as:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Muscle aches and cramps
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Chills and sweats
- Restlessness
Suboxone withdrawal, unlike withdrawal from other opiates, is prolonged and may last several weeks to a month. For long-term users of Suboxone, one of the significant risks is that they may experience cravings for other opiates such as heroin when they attempt to stop using the drug. Individuals who wish to quit using Suboxone must seek professional medical detox and drug treatment to avoid a relapse into opiate use.
Effects of Suboxone Addiction
Even though Suboxone contains naloxone, it can still lead to abuse. People misuse their prescription by taking more than the prescribed dose, injecting or snorting it, or alternating Suboxone use with the use of other opiates such as heroin or OxyContin.
When people mix Suboxone with other drugs, like benzodiazepines or even with alcohol, it can increase the effects of both substances and lead to dangerous side effects, including respiratory depression.
The most common side effects of Suboxone include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Muscle pain
- Nausea
These side effects can be life-changing. Some of these include overdoses, impaired judgment, and damage to many of the body’s major organ systems, including the central nervous system.
Our Suboxone Addiction Treatment Center
At Lighthouse Recovery Institute, we offer Suboxone addiction treatment for individuals suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Whether you began using Suboxone or Methadone to quit another opiate or abused it recreationally, we provide comprehensive treatment to give you the best foundation for long-term sobriety and success.
To help people manage cravings and prevent relapse, we offer non-addictive anti-craving medications to patients through the early stages of the recovery process in our medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program. After an MAT program, treating Suboxone addiction involves:
- Weekly individual therapy
- Five days a week of group therapy
- Medication management
- Relapse prevention
- Vocational support
- Relationship therapy
- Trauma and grief and loss resolution
It is possible to live a productive life free of dependence on any substance, regardless of how you developed it.
