Suboxone for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
Facing opioid addiction can make patients and families feel hopeless. Opioids are very addictive drugs and beating an opioid addiction can feel impossible. Sufferers try and fail multiple times without success. For those afflicted with opioid use disorder and their loved ones, it can seem impossible to achieve lasting recovery.
Quitting cold turkey, without medical care, has low odds of lasting cure. Indeed we know that most addicts who try to quit on their own will return to opioid use and can only achieve short periods of abstinence from opioid use. Moreover, patients who quit cold turkey are more likely to overdose and die, as their tolerance is lower with abstinence and therefore they are more likely to overdose when they relapse.
There is hope for patients with an addiction to opioids. Treatment with Suboxone (of which buprenorphine is the active drug) is proven to decrease the risk of overdose and death in patients addicted to opioids. Suboxone works by preventing opioid withdrawal symptoms and cravings. It binds the same opioid receptors that drugs like fentanyl, heroin, morphine, and oxycodone do but does so more strongly. Compared to drugs of abuse, such as heroin and fentanyl, the risk of overdose is much lower. By replacing drugs of abuse, Suboxone keeps patients from developing infections from injection drug use such as cellulitis, abscesses, spinal cord infections, osteomyelitis, sepsis, bacteremia, and endocarditis.
Most importantly, Suboxone allows patients with opioid addiction to live a normal life. They no longer need to structure their life around obtaining, using, and recovering from the use of their opioid drug of choice. Patients with addiction no longer need to fear arrest or imprisonment by the police. By erasing the constant need to seek out and use opioids, Suboxone frees patients with addiction from an otherwise endless cycle of opioid use and withdrawal. These patients are now free to spend time with families, pursue their hobbies, and advance their careers.
I have personally cared for patients who have gone from homelessness and despair to become a functioning member of society. The difference before and after treatment is remarkable! With Suboxone, patients no longer have to structure their lives around opioid use and can instead focus on meaningful life activities.
In this way, therapy with Suboxone can substantially improve the quality of life for a patient with opioid addiction in addition to preventing serious medical consequences and death from illicit opioid use. Suboxone does not cure opioid addiction, but it turns addiction into a chronic disease which can be managed like any other.
A common analogy used to describe the use of Suboxone compares it to the use of insulin for the treatment of diabetes. Insulin does not cure the disease of diabetes, but it does prevent the worst complications. Without insulin treatment diabetics would die, but with insulin they can live a normal life. Similarly, with Suboxone a person with substance use disorder can live a normal life as they are no longer burdened with the cycle of highs and withdrawals, the endless quest to obtain a supply of their drug of choice, and the consequences of opioid use (overdose, infections, incarceration).
No one would judge a diabetic for taking insulin, but some do judge patients taking Suboxone for treatment of their opioid addiction. These people claim that Suboxone does nothing to fix the underlying issue but rather replaces one drug with another. This is a shortsighted analysis, however, as it ignores many important outcomes. Abstinence from all drugs is a less important outcome compared to the reduction of risks related to opioid use and the improvement in overall quality of life that Suboxone provides to patients with opioid addiction. It is also difficult for a patient to engage with therapy if they are suffering from opioid withdrawal or still preoccupied with the use of illicit substances.
For some, Suboxone is not necessarily long term and they can taper off of the medication once their opioid use disorder is stabilized and they have achieved recovery in the social and psychological realms of their life. A benefit of Suboxone is that it is long acting and therefore the withdrawal symptoms are not as severe as those of shorter acting opioids like morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, and heroin. Such a taper should only be attempted if and when the patient is in durable recovery and has strong social support. Patients who are younger and have used opioids for a shorter period of time are better candidates for tapering off Suboxone compared to those who are older or who have used opioid for longer periods of time.
For other patients, they may choose to remain on Suboxone indefinitely. There are few risks with daily buprenorphine use and if the drug helps improve their lives, then there is nothing wrong with indefinite use. Certainly, daily use of buprenorphine is far less risky than relapse to the use of illicit opioids. This scenario is analogous to a diabetic taking insulin daily; the insulin is not a cure but rather a treatment which prevents harms from the underlying chronic disease.
Seven Things That EVERY Person Taking Suboxone Needs
Suboxone is a useful tool in treating opioid use disorder and it is lifesaving for many patients. It is not a cure for opioid use disorder, but it does reduce the harms of opioid use disorder and helps improve the lives of the patients who use it.
If you or someone you love is suffering from problematic drug or alcohol addiction use and is seeking treatment, contact the clinic by calling or clicking the “Get Started” button in order to schedule a discovery call and initial evaluation, both of which are free.
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North Tampa Executive Health Clinic is directed by Dr. Jack McGeachy. He provides confidential and comfortable addiction treatments and therapy for opioid and alcohol use disorder. Rather than a rehab or detox, meaning that each patient is cared for one-on-one by a medical doctor, in contrast to other treatment programs. Heed Help? Book your in office appointment in the Tampa office or via video conferencing today.
Helping patients with addictions in Tampa Florida, Temple Terrace, Brandon, Bloomingdale, Carrollwood, Thonotosassa, Town N Country, Lutz, Wesley Chapel, Land O Lakes, St. Pete, Clearwater, Oldsmar, Westchase, Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs and surrounding areas.
