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Addiction to substances like heroin and prescription opioid painkillers can be tough to overcome because of the severe withdrawal effects. John Risi, NP, at New Spirit Health in Mesa, Arizona, uses Suboxone®, which combines buprenorphine and naloxone to ease opioid withdrawal symptoms. Call New Spirit Health today to learn more about quitting drug addiction with Suboxone, or use the online booking form to schedule a telehealth or in-person consultation.

What is Suboxone?

Suboxone contains buprenorphine, a drug approved by the FDA for opioid detoxification and maintenance. It blocks the effects of other opioids, including illegal drugs like heroin and prescription painkillers such as oxycodone and hydromorphone.

Buprenorphine acts on the brain receptors that trigger opioids’ physical and psychological effects, mimicking them without delivering the same feelings of relaxation or euphoria. Buprenorphine causes less physical stimulation and dependence than traditional opioids.

Suboxone also contains naloxone. This drug helps to prevent patients from overdosing and suffering severe adverse effects.

What benefits does Suboxone offer?

Suboxone’s benefits include:

• Mild detoxification and withdrawal
• Lower-risk drug than methadone
• No need to attend a methadone clinic
• Safer than prescription opioids
• Overdosing is unlikely
• Reduced risk of skin and vein problems

Maintenance Suboxone treatment is long-lasting and helps provide emotional stability.

What does Suboxone treatment involve?

In most cases, New Spirit Health patients take a Suboxone tablet once every 2-3 days. The pills are sublingual, meaning they dissolve under your tongue. When you reach the maintenance phase, you can begin counseling with a support group, individual therapy, or both.

Your provider recommends therapy because addiction treatment is more likely to succeed if you talk to a skilled drug counselor. Wait until the maintenance phase so you can focus on treating your addiction first. Trying to incorporate therapy into your initial drug treatment program in the early days might be overwhelming.

The most comprehensive approach is medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which includes counseling and group therapy — vital components of any good substance use disorder treatment program. A complete treatment course significantly reduces your risk of relapsing.

Once you complete the Suboxone program and successfully maintain your drug-free status for a specified period, you can come off the drug.

Is Suboxone better than methadone?

Methadone has similar effects to Suboxone, but the latter is far more convenient. With methadone, you must make daily trips to your doctor’s office to receive your medication; Suboxone repeat prescriptions are available via telehealth.

In addition, you might only need Suboxone once every 2-3 days, so you don’t have to worry about taking medication daily.

Call New Spirit Health today or book an appointment online to benefit from Suboxone addiction treatment.