One dose of buprenorphine remains active in the human body for as long as 48 hours, which provides a longer duration than morphine. This is one of the qualities that make this drug ideal for helping opioid addicts to break free of their addiction. Since the drug remains in the body for 48 hours, it also ensures that the withdrawal symptoms that people experience are significantly decreased.

Buprenorphine requires sublingual (under the tongue) administration on a frequent basis. Drug administration should always be supervised by a substance abuse treatment professional, and doses must be strictly monitored. Federal regulations require this in order for treatment centers and medical facilities to be able to administer the drug at all.

There are some side effects that can occur along with the use of buprenorphine. They range from moderate to severe, and it should be pointed out that this drug can, in some cases, produce fatal side effects. The most commonly occurring side effects include the following:

• Headache

• Drowsiness

• Dizziness

• Vomiting

• Decreased libido

• Constipation

• Respiratory depression

Respiratory depression is the side effect that presents the most serious problems with the use of buprenorphine, as it can be fatal in some people. Unfortunately, there is no way to correct or treat this problem should it develop.

While undergoing buprenorphine treatment, all patients are regularly monitored to see how their livers are functioning, as some adverse effects can be caused by using this drug.

Even though buprenorphine is used to treat people with opioid addictions, the possibility does exist for an addiction to the buprenorphine itself to develop. The types of dependencies that can develop include both physical and psychological. People who are considering undergoing treatment with this drug should be aware, however, that instances of people becoming addicted to buprenorphine are quite rare.

Often times, one of the primary questions that people have is whether they should choose buprenorphine or methadone as a treatment option. Both of these drugs are routinely used for short-term and long-term treatment of opioid addiction. Dosing requirements may be a bit better with buprenorphine simply because of the drug’s ability to remain in the body for 48 hours, thereby offering longer-term effects. With buprenorphine, patients typically only have to receive a dose every other day, while methadone requires daily dosing.

Buprenorphine also has an advantage regarding the total amount of treatment time that is required to successfully complete a detoxification program. With buprenorphine, treatments generally last for a few months, while with methadone indefinite or sometimes lifelong treatment is necessary.

It is very important that buprenorphine be administered in an inpatient treatment facility, particularly one that specializes in substance abuse treatment. Inpatient treatment programs not only offer patients detox programs, they also offer treatment or rehabilitation programs that are designed to help people learn healthier ways of living. Some of these treatment programs include counseling, diet and exercise, massage, acupuncture, and group therapy.

The purpose in these additional treatments is to give patients a better chance of maintaining success by giving them the tools they need to lead lives that are free of substance abuse. If patients learn how to be healthy and happy (physically and emotionally) then they will be far less likely to have a relapse.

Source: Drug Addiction Treatment

Suboxone is a new drug that aids the detox of narcotic and opiate drug addiction. The cold turkey detox off of full opiate agonists like vicodin or heroin can be excruciating and the fear of the pains of detox is more than enough to keep a lot of people using for far too long. What suboxone can do is lessen the intensity of these pains, making a short detox far more bearable. The detox may still be uncomfortable but nowhere near as tough as it would be unmedicated.

Patients go into detox and as soon as they enter into the beginning of full withdrawal they are given either suboxone or subutex which once appropriately dosed takes away all of the immediate and intense withdrawal symptoms of the more severe withdrawal from pain pills or heroin. Patients are stabilized at a dosage of suboxone for a few days and then the dosage of suboxone is gradually tapered off  down to nothing within a day of the end of a detox period.

Patients will still feel withdrawal pains because suboxone is an opiate and therefore has a syndrome of withdrawal of its own.  By transferring onto the longer acting and less intoxicating opiate the transition through withdrawal  pains of detox become far more manageable.

After about 10 days the worst of withdrawal symptoms from the suboxone will have ended, although some lingering symptoms can endure for a month or more. Following the end of detoxification, most patients transition into a residential treatment phase, learning strategies they’ll need to stay clean over the long haul, and avoid another painful period of detoxification.

Using suboxone for a transition detoxification off of opiates of abuse makes the process far more humane, and by ending suboxone therapy within days, you lessen the need for an intense and difficult detox off of the suboxone…truly the best of both worlds.

Detox is never easy, and although suboxone can help a lot, it’s still a challenging period; but with suboxone you can make it, and once you’ve detoxed you’re truly ready to participate in the therapies and education of relapse avoidance that will ensure that you’ll never get hooked again.  You can get clean, suboxone can help.