The "Drug Abuse Treatment Act of 2000" allows the prescription of buprenorphine to opiate addicts to ease the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. This Suboxone Treatment gives the addict immediate relief from the physical pains of opiate withdrawal. For the first time, physicians can use buprenorphine (Suboxone)to provide a comfortable detox for opiate addicted patients.
Sober Shores has found Suboxone to be very effective in managing the withdrawal symptoms of heroin and all opiates. For a virtually pain-free detox from heroin, methadone and all other opiate addictions call our friendly detox intake staff and ask them about Suboxone Therapy for heroin, methadone or any other opiate detox.
Suboxone, a sublingual tablet, comes in two dosage forms: 2 mg buprenorphine/0.5 mg naloxone and 8 mg buprenorphine/2 mg naloxone.
Because of its ceiling effect and poor bioavailability, buprenorphine is safer in overdose than opioid full agonists. The maximal effects of buprenorphine appear to occur in the 16-32 mg dose range for sublingual tablets. Higher doses are unlikely to produce greater effects.
Ideal candidates for heroin detox and other opiate addiction treatment with Suboxone are individuals who have been objectively diagnosed with an opiate addiction, are willing to follow safety precautions for treatment, can be expected to comply with the treatment, have no contraindications to buprenorphine therapy and who agree to buprenorphine treatment after a review of treatment options. There are four phases of Suboxone therapy: induction, stabilization, titration and treatment.
This phase is the medically monitored startup of buprenorphine therapy. Buprenorphine for induction therapy is administered when an opiate-dependent individual has abstained from using heroin or other opiates for 12-24 hours (longer for methadone) and is in the early stages of opiate withdrawal. If the patient is not in the early stages of withdrawal, i.e., if he or she has other opiates in the bloodstream, then the buprenorphine dose could cause acute withdrawal.
Induction is typically initiated as observed therapy in the physician's office and is carried out using Suboxone.
This phase begins when the patient has discontinued the use of his or her drug of abuse, no longer has cravings, and is experiencing few or no side effects. The buprenorphine dose may need to be adjusted during the stabilization phase. Because of the long half-life of buprenorphine it is sometimes possible to switch patients to alternate-day dosing once stabilization has been achieved.
The titration phase is reached when the patient is doing well on a steady dose of Suboxone. Once the patient shows no sign of opiate withdrawal, the patient is then titrated (stepped-down) from the buprenorphine therapy, until he or she is drug-free. This phase replaces what is otherwise known as "detox".
Effective treatment of heroin, methadone or other opiate addiction requires comprehensive attention to all of an individual's medical and psychosocial co-morbidities. Pharmacological therapy alone rarely achieves long-term success. Thus Suboxone detox should be combined with concurrent behavioral therapies and with the provision of needed addiction treatment services.
After the Suboxone detox client is stabilized on the medication, he or she has the option of entering our affordable Sober Shores Primary Treatment Program. The program addresses the core elements of recovery-spiritual, emotional, physical, mental and social through a combination of individual counseling sessions, peer groups, process groups, relapse prevention groups, lectures, workshops and 12-step meetings.
Each resident of Sober Shores participates in living skills (house chores, light yard-work, etc.) to promote a sense of personal responsibility and social accountability. The men also learn to rely on their support group, a tool that is absolutely a necessity to maintain long-term sobriety after he leaves treatment.
If you or someone you know is in need of opiate detox and treatment, please call the 24-hour toll-free Sober Shores Opiate Detox Hotline at 1-866-660-5763 or you can Email us at staff@sobershores.com