You have probably come across the term MAT – Medication Assisted Treatment. Essentially, Suboxone is the medication part. Typically, Suboxone is used for the treatment of opioid addiction – also known as opioid use disorder. To understand how Suboxone works, it is critical to evaluate its substance and what it is made of.
What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a compound developed from multiple elements. Essentially, it is a sublingual film that contains two particular active ingredients. These are:
- Naloxone
- Buprenorphine
In essence, the two compounds are responsible for the unique properties in the substance that minimize the potential of overdose or misuse. In addition, the two components are extremely important in reducing cravings and any other withdrawal symptoms that might arise due to opioid dependency. For this reason, Suboxone is an excellent treatment for opioid addiction and other types of dependencies such as:
- Morphine addiction
- Addiction to fentanyl
- Oxycodone dependence
- Heroine dependence
How Suboxone Relieves Your Addiction
As already pointed out, Suboxone is a compound made of two components; Buprenorphine and Naloxone.
In essence, buprenorphine is the active component in Suboxone. Typically, buprenorphine is a type of medication classified as an opioid agonist. Simply put, this means that buprenorphine is essentially weaker and has fewer effects than other addictive substances such as heroin and opium. Additionally, to achieve the relieving effects, the medicine has some capping ability that prevents an instance of overdose if there is a dosage increase. With this kind of action, the medication reduces dependency and possible side effects from the drug.
Naloxone, on the other hand, is an opioid antagonist. A more descriptive term would be ‘blocker.’ Typically, the drug can only get absorbed into your body if you inject it. Therefore, you will have to get an injection instead of the more popular mouth absorption to activate it. With Naloxone, if you are dependent on any particular opioid, you may experience quite uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Essentially, with this knowledge, then you are discouraged from injecting Suboxone into your system.
Suboxone can be prescribed as a film or tablet that dissolves in your mouth. For a starter, your doctor will prescribe an initial dose that contains about 8 mg of buprenorphine. This first dose also comes with 2 mg of Naloxone. Then, to maintain your addiction, your doctor will recommend a daily dose of 16 mg of buprenorphine and 4 mg of Naloxone.
Typically, for the medication to ease your addiction, you are required to dissolve the tablet or film under your tongue instead of swallowing it. To ensure that the absorption is not interrupted, you should not take any drink or food before the absorption has completed. Once the drugs are completely dissolved, you can expect to experience the effects for up to 36 hours.
Does Suboxone Have Side Effects?
Yes. Just like with other treatment medications, Suboxone comes with its own set of side effects. The most common ones are:
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Lack of sleep –insomnia
- Swelling in legs and arms
- Headaches
- Tongue pain and mouth numbness
In addition to these side effects, you can experience the following withdrawal symptoms.
- Irritability
- Diarrhea
- Shaking
- Cramps in the stomach
- Anxiety
Why Suboxone Is Used to Treat Opioid Addiction
Essentially, Suboxone is an excellent treatment for you if you are an opioid addict. From the above explanation of the drug, you understand that the medication is not as habit-forming as other substances such as heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, heroin, or morphine. In addition, it reduces the addiction effect of narcotic side effects and therefore prevents possible dependency. The other reason Suboxone is used to counter opioid addiction is its ability to block the opioid effect.
Essentially, buprenorphine is an opioid agonist and activates the pain-blocking receptors in your brain. In addition, this drug component helps the brain produce endorphins that give you a feeling of pressure. Typically, this lowers the pain and discomfort from the withdrawal symptoms. This way, you can handle the cravings for the addictive drug and keep the adverse effects of the opioid at bay.
In a Nutshell
To wrap it up, we can say that Suboxone alleviates your addiction problem by promoting less experience with the withdrawal symptoms. Typically, this is done through the blockage of pain receptors and stimulation of pressure to reduce the withdrawal side effects. In addition, the drug helps you in recovering by reducing dependence on the opioid drug. Typically, Suboxone is also less habit-forming than other addiction treatments such as methadone. So, if you are going through a rehabilitation program or wondering what the best way out of opioid addiction is, talk to your doctor before you take Suboxone. For more on Suboxone and opioid treatment medication, contact us today at 833-846-5669.