Buprenorphine: Suboxone And Subutex For Opiate Addiction Treatment
What is Buprenorphine?
Buprenorphine is, by definition, a narcotic analgesic. It is an opioid medication used to treat opioid addiction, often by injection. In plain English, it’s a drug that can help an addicted person recover from other drugs. Like most drug-related issues, however, it’s not really as simple as that. Buprenorphine, known in tablet form as Suboxone or Subutex, has been shown to have less euphoria and dependence issues, a lower potential for abuse, and a relatively mild withdrawal profile. It is often dispensed in the privacy of a doctor’s office, which regulates the addicted person’s exposure to the drug and can help decrease the perceived shame many addicts have when dealing with their disease.
What Are Opiates?
Opiates are drugs derived from the opium poppy, usually by drying the milk produced by the plant. Originally associated with 19th-century opium dens, opiates today aren’t utilized by smoking long pipes in dens of drugged-out people, Charles Dickens style. They are, unfortunately, much more accessible than that. Codeine, morphine, Fentanyl, Oxycontin, and heroin are the major players in the opiate world now and are among the most abused and rapid-acting drugs available.
How Do They Work?
Opiates (naturally-derived), and opioids (synthetically-derived), can affect many parts of the brain and nervous system. In the limbic system, they create feelings of pleasure and contentment. Opioids in the brainstem help to slow breathing, stop coughing, and reduce feelings of pain, similar to their function in the spinal cord, where they also help block pain signals. If taken as prescribed, many opioids can be helpful. Their danger lies in their addictive nature, however, and once hooked on an opiate or opioid the habit can be hard to break indeed.
Where Does That Big Word Come In?
Opioid addiction is classified as a disease, and as such, it can be treated. Buprenorphine is one drug that has been shown to be helpful. It is used as part of a medication-assisted treatment plan—but this is not merely replacing one drug with another. When taken properly Suboxone or Subutex, the most commonly prescribed Buprenorphine based medications can help manage your addiction so you can focus on your health. It’s like taking an antibiotic for an infection so your body can heal itself. While taking this medication, your brain thinks it’s receiving an opioid, so cravings stay away.
Is It Safe?
If used under a doctor’s supervision and with the proper testing, Buprenorphine can be quite safe. Like most medications, however, it does have side effects. Some people are more suited to take it than others, and it can be problematic for patients who suffer from liver disease. Talk with your doctor or treatment provider if you think it might be helpful to you.
Contact Us Today To Find Buprenorphine Treatment
If you are addicted to opioids, opiates, or other substances and think you need treatment, please contact us at Rehabcenter.net. Addiction is an individual disease, and as such there are many treatment options and ways for you to get back to the person you want to be. It’s our job to help you learn how to help yourself.
