Helping Seniors Live Healthier Lives

Suboxone Treatments: What They Are And How They Are Used

If you suffer from a chemical dependency, you may find it difficult to overcome your condition, especially on your own. In fact, even with traditional drug abuse therapy, people with a drug abuse problem may have trouble avoiding a relapse.

Although chemical dependency is sometimes seen as a single illness, people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol may also suffer from a concurrent mental illness, such as severe depression or bipolar disorder. Over time, people who are chemically addicted may form a pattern of self-medication when the emotional distress associated with their mental illness surfaces.

To treat your chemical dependency, your physician may use multiple approaches. One is the use of psychotherapy to help address underlying issues that may be causing you mental distress. Another treatment that may be used if you have an opioid addiction is suboxone treatment. Here is a bit of information about the treatment and what it does:

How are suboxone treatments used?

When treating a person with an opioid addiction, a doctor may use medication to help the patient overcome his or her chemical dependency. It is often difficult for a person to overcome an opioid addiction without medication because of the severity of the withdrawal symptoms. Treating an opiod-addicted patient with suboxone can help eliminate some of the difficult withdrawal symptoms and cravings that the person may experience during detoxification.

What is exactly is suboxone?

Suboxone is actually a combination of two different drugs. The first is buprenorphine, which can be used to help relieve opiod withdrawal symptom. The second medication that comprises suboxone is a drug called naloxone. It is a type of opiate-blocking agent.

Suboxone is unique in that it offers relief from withdrawal symptoms without providing the "high" that you may be accustomed to from an opioid. Additionally, it helps to block the affect of other dependency-causing opioid drugs. As a result, it can help increase your chance of successfully overcoming your addiction.

What can you expect to feel when taking suboxone?

Although suboxone does not offer a feeling of ecstasy when taken, you may still feel a slightly pleasurable or content feeling. Nevertheless, for the most part you should expect to incur more of an energized effect coupled with a slight sense of well-being. Additionally, you may notice some relief from pain or discomfort.

To learn more about suboxone treatments and how they may benefit you, contact Brightside Clinic or a similar location.


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