Suboxone Medical Detox Programs

The Food and Drug Administration approved Suboxone as a treatment for opioid addictions in 2002. The active ingredient in Suboxone is buprenorphine, a semi-synthetic opiate. Doctors who prescribe Suboxone must meet special training requirements before they prescribe the drug to patients.

Suboxone restrictions are not as rigid as those for methadone, because risk for abuse is lower. There are also a number of safety measures and regulations in place at various government and healthcare-provider levels. Suboxone does not provide the same type of high opioids produce, although it does stimulate the same parts of the brain.

The use of one drug to counteract an addiction to another drug seems almost counterintuitive. Scientific research has pinpointed how the brain reacts to various drugs. Suboxone stimulates the same areas of the brain without the intensity of the primary addictive drug. Doctors will prescribe the amount and dosage of Suboxone that is specific to your needs. They will also provide you with a treatment program that includes mental and emotional support to help you overcome your addiction.

Doctors must meet one or more of the following criteria to prescribe Suboxone:

• Hold a subspecialty board certification in addiction psychiatry
• Complete a minimum of eight hours in an authorized training course on the treatment or management of opioid-dependent patients
• Be able to provide or refer patients for additional services such as psychosocial therapy
• Agree to treat no more than 30 patients at one time

Doctors who prescribe Suboxone need to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services when they have completed their basic requirements. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will then issue an identification number specific to that doctor. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT, a part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) will give the physician his or her new DEA identification number. The physician must show the identification number on the prescription before a pharmacist can fill the prescription.

Qualified doctors can be located online or through a Suboxone treatment clinic. If you need help fighting an opiate dependency and would like to know more about Suboxone and find the best private addiction treatment center for you, call us at today.

Suboxone is part of a total treatment program for drug addictions to the following substances:

• Heroin
• Morphine
• Oxycodone
• Codeine
• Hydromorphone
• Fentanyl
• Hydrocodone
• Methadone
• Meperidine

“It is possible to use Suboxone at home if you find a qualified Suboxone doctor to help you with your treatment.”Treatment with Suboxone helps you to taper off opiates or pain medication. This provides you with fewer symptoms and discomfort as you withdraw from the drug of your addiction. There are normally additional components used along with Suboxone as part of a total program. These may include counseling for you and your family, group therapy and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. You may need to change your dietary habits, include a physical fitness program into your daily regime, and develop a stress reduction program to help you cope with daily living.

According to Columbia University, the success rate of buprenorphine was 88 percent in contrast to methadone treatments, which had less than a 50-percent success rate after six months. Methadone also proved to be highly addictive, although it was successful with helping heroin addicts. Suboxone is significantly less addictive than methadone.

It is possible to use Suboxone at home if you find a qualified Suboxone doctor to help you with your treatment. The main advantage of using it at home is that you are able to continue your daily routine such as going to work or school. However, doctors who prescribe the drug are required to refer you to a therapist or group meeting plan, such as Narcotics Anonymous. The main disadvantage to taking it at home is that you will need to maintain your program on your own. Treatment centers provide you with a specifically designed plan for recovery. They also provide support, counseling and therapy to help you deal with other areas of life that brought you to your addiction. Call us at to talk with a treatment advisor about your specific situation.