Suboxone is a medication that is a combination of naloxone and
buprenorphine. It is one of the medicines used for medication-assisted therapy
or MAT for those who suffer from opiate addiction. Using MATs helps to lower
the risks of a fatal overdose by almost half.
Suboxone tightly binds to the receptors in the brain similar to the
opiates such as oxycodone, heroin, and morphine. When it does this, it blunts
any intoxication caused by the other drugs. Suboxone treatment prevents cravings, and it has helped people to get back to a healthy
life after they have taken opiate addiction treatment.
Suboxone must be available so that people can get opiate addiction treatment
quickly. You could go to the doctor’s office and get the medication prescribed.
However, not all doctors will be able to prescribe the medicines for Suboxone treatment
because it needs specialized training and license for the doctor to give
Suboxone to his patients.
Myths About Suboxone And Its Benefits In Treating Opium Addiction
Even though Suboxone is beneficial to treat opiate addiction and saves a
life, there are myths about Suboxone and its uses. The wrong information about
Suboxone forms a barrier and does not let many take advantage of using Suboxone
to treat opiate addiction.
Myth - If you are on Suboxone then you are not yet in recovery
Fact – It depends on how you define recovery. Addiction is a medical problem, and Suboxone
is a medication for this chronic condition. It is similar to how a person who
is suffering from diabetes needs to take insulin. The myth that taking Suboxone
means that you are not recovering is wrong.
Myth - You are highly likely to take an overdose of Suboxone.
Fact - It is sporadic for you to get overdosed when you take Suboxone
alone. It is because Suboxone is a partial receptor, and thus, it has a celling
effect. It means that there is a maximum limit till how much the receptor can
be activated when you take Suboxone. Therefore there is nothing to worry if you
take Suboxone. If you, however, come across a case where someone has overdosed
on Suboxone, then this is because he must have mixed Suboxone with some
sedatives.
Myth - Suboxone leads to abuse
Fact - It is possible to abuse Suboxone but because it is just a small part of the primary receptor of opiate it does not cause many effects like what is caused by the other forms of drugs like oxycodone and heroin. In some cases, some people use Suboxone to manage their issue of withdrawal or even to keep them to get off some stronger opiate like heroin.
Conclusion
One of the main reasons why people do not get help with their problem of
addiction is because of the stigma that they face.
Fortunately, this is changing, and the society is now changing its
perceptive to understand that drug addiction is a form of disease and needs
medical care and compassion to treat it.
