Suboxone Treatment - Medication Isn't Enough

The 5 secrets to finding success with Suboxone: What you need to know about Suboxone addiction treatment for heroin or pain pills.

How to Avoid Opioid Overdose
© Mannaz

No more preventable deaths! If you or someone you love takes opioids you need to know how to prevent and respond to overdoses.

Opioid Addiction During Pregnancy

When pregnant women are struggling with opioid addiction, typical forms of treating the addiction come into play. Pregnant women may be in fear of methadone treatment, but does it cause a negative ...

Avoiding Overdose when Starting with Methadone

Your risk of overdose is higher during the first 2 weeks on methadone than it was before you started. Learn how to stay safe until you get stabilized.

7 Reasons Why Street Suboxone Won't Help You
© Linus Ekenstam

Why does it matter where you get the Suboxone? Well, when you buy street Suboxone you still associate with dealers, you rarely get counseling, you're not forced to make life changes and you use it ...

MAT Tapering: Avoiding Common Problems
© SeanMcGrath

If you choose to taper, don't trip-up on common problems - learn how to handle fear, complacency, physical/emotional withdrawal and cravings.

Suboxone for Teens – When It Makes Sense
© Ethereality

This article will explore the appropriateness of Suboxone for teens and examine some of the pros and cons of medication assisted treatment (MAT) for adolescents.

Dangers of Benzos on Suboxone/Methadone
© Shawn Carpenter

Using benzodiazepines with Suboxone or methadone is more dangerous than using illicit opiates! Learn why benzos and methadone/Suboxone just don't mix.

Cocaine and Suboxone or Methadone Treatment
© Paris

Here are 4 excellent reasons to avoid cocaine use while on Suboxone/methadone: cocaine reduces the effectiveness of Suboxone or methadone (which means more opiate withdrawals), increased risk of ...

Methadone Blind Taper – The Pros and Cons
© Jason Michaels

Learn the advantages and disadvantages to a blind methadone taper. Would not knowing the reduction schedule ease your anxiety or would you rather stay in control, so you can plan coping strategies ...

Suboxone or Methadone: 15 Steps to Success
© Darkmatter

Using or thinking about using Suboxone or methadone? Work through the 15 recovery steps outlined in this article and greatly increase your odds of long-term success.

OTC Meds for Suboxone Withdrawal Symptoms
© Danielle Zeda

A list of SAMHSA recommended medications for managing the withdrawal symptoms that occur during Suboxone tapering.

Methadone: Tapering Readiness Self-Test
© Lina Menazzi

Start tapering before you’re ready and your odds of success aren’t great. Take this 16 question self test and find out if you're ready to start reducing your daily dose.

Suboxone: How Long Does Treatment Take?
© Zamboni.Andrea

Four pieces of advice on how long you’ll need to use Suboxone from one of America’s leading experts on the use of the drug.

8 Lies about Methadone Exposed
© Hkoppdelaney

Think you know methadone? Be careful, because a lot of what’s passed as common knowledge about this controversial medication has little basis in fact. Here are 8 common methadone myths exposed and ...

Methadone Side Effects
© Emanuele Rosso

Thinking about using methadone but worried about the side effects? Well, firstly, know that while there are some side effects associated with the drug, it is a very well tolerated medication and most ...

Finding a Suboxone Doctor
© Waldo Jaquith

The DATA 2000 Act made it possible for doctors to treat opiate addiction with controlled substances from clinics and private offices. Office based treatment with Suboxone is convenient and perfectly ...

What Is Suboxone?
© Dude Crush

Suboxone is an opiate replacement drug that takes away opiate withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings without getting you high. Suboxone is a medication that works similarly to methadone, but unlike ...

Inside (28 articles)

How to Prevent, Identify and Respond to Opioid Overdoses © Mannaz

No more preventable deaths! If you or someone you love takes opioids you need to know how to prevent and respond to overdoses.

When pregnant women are struggling with opioid addiction, typical forms of treating the addiction come into play. Pregnant women may be in fear of methadone treatment, but does it cause a negative effect?

Your risk of overdose is higher during the first 2 weeks on methadone than it was before you started. Learn how to stay safe until you get stabilized.

7 Reasons Why Buying Street Suboxone Won't Help You Get Clean © Linus Ekenstam

Why does it matter where you get the Suboxone? Well, when you buy street Suboxone you still associate with dealers, you rarely get counseling, you're not forced to make life changes and you use it more like drug than a medication.

The Dangers of Cocaine Use while on Suboxone or Methadone © Paris

Here are 4 excellent reasons to avoid cocaine use while on Suboxone/methadone: cocaine reduces the effectiveness of Suboxone or methadone (which means more opiate withdrawals), increased risk of overdose, poly-drug addiction and resumption of a drug seeking lifestyle.

Blind Methadone Detox – The Pros and Cons of a Blind Taper © Jason Michaels

Learn the advantages and disadvantages to a blind methadone taper. Would not knowing the reduction schedule ease your anxiety or would you rather stay in control, so you can plan coping strategies for temporary upswings in withdrawal symptoms?

OTC and Prescription Medications Used to Alleviate Suboxone Withdrawal Symptoms © Danielle Zeda

A list of SAMHSA recommended medications for managing the withdrawal symptoms that occur during Suboxone tapering.

Methadone: Are You Ready to Start Tapering? Take This Self-Test and Find Out © Lina Menazzi

Start tapering before you’re ready and your odds of success aren’t great. Take this 16 question self test and find out if you're ready to start reducing your daily dose.

8 Methadone Falsehoods – Forget the Fiction, Learn the Facts © Hkoppdelaney

Think you know methadone? Be careful, because a lot of what’s passed as common knowledge about this controversial medication has little basis in fact. Here are 8 common methadone myths exposed and debunked.

Methadone Side Effects - What to Expect? © Emanuele Rosso

Thinking about using methadone but worried about the side effects? Well, firstly, know that while there are some side effects associated with the drug, it is a very well tolerated medication and most people find the side effects to be very manageable. Secondly, a lot of misinformation surrounds methadone, so some of what you may have heard may be untrue. Learn more about the side effects of methadone and learn if it might be a form of addiction treatment that will work for you.

Treating Acute or Chronic Pain While on Suboxone © vvvracer

Pain often leads to pain medication – which too often leads to addiction – but what do you do when trying to overcome an opiate addiction but still have need for acute or chronic pain management? Here is a brief guide to treating pain while on Suboxone.

Why Is It Sometimes Hard to Find a Suboxone Doctor? The 100 Patient Limit © Waldo Jaquith

The DATA 2000 Act made it possible for doctors to treat opiate addiction with controlled substances from clinics and private offices. Office based treatment with Suboxone is convenient and perfectly suited to the needs and wants of many considering the recovery process, but frustratingly, it is not always easy to find a doctor capable of prescribing Suboxone in your area. Read on to learn why not all doctors can prescribe this medication and to find out how to find a doctor that can!

Suboxone is a medication that can be prescribed in month-long take home doses and that can take withdrawal pains and drug cravings away – letting you get your life back on track. Unfortunately, not everyone can or should take this medication. Find out if you are an appropriate candidate for Suboxone treatment by reading this checklist of situations that would bar you from using the drug.

Getting into a methadone or Suboxone treatment program and off the abuse of opiates is a monumental step to better health and a better life, but medication alone is rarely enough! Those that give themselves the best chances of a lifetime of recovery take the time of stability that medication offers and use it to take back control of their lifestyle, their finances, their relationships and social support network and many other things. Read on to find out what must be done during maintenance treatment before you can begin thinking about tapering off your medication.

Although methadone has long been a somewhat controversial and unfortunately stigmatized medication, it’s also the most effective medication for the treatment of opiate addiction. A daily dose of methadone removes all drug cravings and withdrawal symptoms from even the most severely dependent opiate abuser and lets you get your life back on the right track, free from the pulls of temptation. Methadone has a low entry cost and is easily available throughout America.

Treatment with Suboxone occurs in three phases, the induction, stabilization and maintenance phases. Learn what happens in each phase and how long it takes to move through these stages of care.

Although someone wanting to switch from Suboxone to methadone for the treatment of an opiate addiction can do so easily, switching from methadone to Suboxone can be more complicated. People on methadone will generally first have to reduce their daily dosage down considerably before switching to ensure sufficient withdrawal symptoms relief from Suboxone.

Suboxone is a safer drug than methadone – and so treatment with Suboxone is far less likely to result in tragic overdose (although methadone too, is safe, if used strictly as directed). Suboxone is safer because it is a partial opiate agonist rather than a full opiate agonist and so it can produce only limited effects. It is partially because of this increased safety profile that you can get month long take home doses of this medication.

If you try to abuse Suboxone or you take it for the first time before you're feeling opiate withdrawal symptoms, you can go into precipitated withdrawal - which is a sudden and intense medication caused entry into opiate withdrawal symptoms. Learn how Suboxone can cause precipitated withdrawal and learn how to make sure you'll never have to experience it!

Methadone or Suboxone during Pregnancy? © Michael Sharman

complications including a significantly elevated risk of miscarriage. Although you may wish to quit using opiates entirely upon learning of a pregnancy, the withdrawal symptoms of an opiate detox can be very hard on the fetus and can result in miscarriage as well. Fortunately, methadone (and in some cases, buprenorphine) is proven a safe and effective medication for use by pregnant women. Methadone is the recommended treatment for pregnant opiate abusing women.

You can take a month long prescription for Suboxone home with you and when you decide to taper down and quit using, the withdrawal pains are much less severe than methadone’s. For these reasons and others, many people prefer the idea of treatment with Suboxone over treatment with methadone, but unfortunately, Suboxone won’t work for everyone. Some people will find that only methadone is strong enough to provide full relief from withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.

Are People Using Methadone or Suboxone Still Drug Addicts? © Remuz

If a person uses Suboxone or methadone as prescribed then no more is she a drug addict than is someone physically dependent on blood pressure medications! Addiction and physical dependence are not the same. Although a person on Suboxone or methadone will need to take their medication each day, they will not experience the compulsions or harms from use that are characteristic of addiction.

What Is Suboxone? © Dude Crush

Suboxone is an opiate replacement drug that takes away opiate withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings without getting you high. Suboxone is a medication that works similarly to methadone, but unlike methadone, it can be taken home in month long doses and it doesn’t cause such a difficult withdrawal. If you’re addicted to opiates, Suboxone can get you feeling normal again so you can get your life back on track.

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Overview
  • Opiate Replacement Therapy: Research shows that people in recovery who take methadone as a long term maintenance therapy are far less likely to relapse back to opiate abuse
  • Suboxone’s Limitations: Although a lot of people prefer the idea of Suboxone to methadone, Suboxone isn’t strong enough to provide complete withdrawal symptoms relief to everyone.
Suboxone & Methadone
External Links
Buprenorphine Locator A locator tool run by SAMHSA that can help you find a Suboxone doctor in your area
Buprenorphine Education Comprehensive Buprenorphine Treatment information by NAABT - the National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment

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