4 Important Advantages of Suboxone Treatment For Opioid Addiction

Opioid addiction poses a significant worldwide problem. The World Health Organization estimates that 15 million people suffer from opioid dependence. In our own country, an estimated 2.1 million Americans suffered from opioid-related substance abuse in 2012, and around 467,000 of them were addicted to heroin. Although methadone is often used as a medical solution to opiate addiction, it poses its own risks and can be difficult for many addicts to obtain. Suboxone treatment is a much more viable option for many who suffer from opioid addiction. Here are four advantages to using suboxone addiction treatment:

• Lower risk of abuse
  When an addicted person seeks help for opiate abuse at suboxone treatment centers or through their family doctor, it’s less likely that they will be substituting one addiction for another. When opioid addicts are given methadone, they may develop a dependency on the very substance that’s supposed to help treat their initial addiction. But because suboxone treatment contains naloxone — a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses — it can’t be taken to create a full opioid effect. Suboxone treatment doctors recommend this type of medication because it fills the brain’s opioid receptors without producing the high that addicts typically receive when they take an opiate drug. It’s much more difficult to abuse when taken as directed, and the addition of naloxone will deter users from dissolving the drug to inject. If a user does inject suboxone, withdrawal symptoms will occur very rapidly. Therefore, most opiate abusers will be more likely to take it orally.
• Accessible and private
  Going to a clinic for daily treatment can be difficult or impossible for many opiate users. But suboxone treatment can be prescribed at the office of your family practice doctor and can be taken home in a monthly supply. Typically, you won’t need to go to residential treatment or be hospitalized. You can carry out the responsibilities of your daily life while undergoing an effective course of treatment. Your suboxone treatment will be kept private and you don’t have to sacrifice your job or your family.
• High success rate
  Suboxone treatment helps decrease cravings and withdrawal symptoms, and it has an overall high success rate for treating opiate addiction. Those who are in suboxone treatment find it easier to stick with the program because the drug discourages misuse and won’t get them high. Because it’s a partial opioid agonist, the medication doesn’t produce the same euphoria, but still fills the opioid receptors in the brain. Along with other forms of treatment like counseling, the process eventually involves lowering suboxone dosage in order to be completely drug-free.
• Affordable options
  Although methadone may be seen as a more cost-effective option all-around, you’re getting far better treatment for your money with suboxone. The suboxone treatment cost is often covered by insurance, which is an immense benefit for many patients. There is also a less-costly generic version of suboxone available. Furthermore, many patients qualify for payment plans to help them with their treatment cost. Ultimately, because it’s a more effective drug, the suboxone treatment cost is well worth it to many addicts who want to turn their lives around.

If you want to find out more about suboxone and suboxone treatment costs for you or for a loved one, please contact us today to find out more about your options.