Statistics reveal that Suboxone abuse such as heroin and opioid kills more Americans than during the Vietnam War. Suboxone abuse is rampant and devastating whole neighborhoods. Regrettably, opioid and heroin derivatives are so addictive that it is among the most challenging and extremely harmful drugs to stop.
Suboxone abuse and addiction of opioids (including heroin addiction and prescription painkillers), when the use is discontinued or when the familiar amount is reduced, present complications. Retraction symptoms are frequently treated with other medications and treated with them. In 1947, methadone was adapted from its traditional use for the treatment of Suboxone abuse, a few years after its initial introduction in the USA. Methadone is now both well-known and well-established. The scene is newer, with similar actions but fewer potential adverse effects. Buprenorphine is newer.
Buprenorphine is a partial opiate stimulant which means that it doesn’t cause heroin or methadone to the same level of pleasurable effects. The development of retreat symptoms associated with Suboxone abuse can even be stopped by low doses of buprenorphine. The built-in “ceiling effect” is that buprenorphine does not change the amount of intake above moderate dosage. Buprenorphine is, therefore, less likely to be misused and less likely than other opioids to have milder side effects.
The brand is known for its buprenorphine, in combination with the drug naloxone. Naloxone is non-addictive and will not affect users without opioids. In 2002, opioid addiction treatment in the USA was approved for Suboxone abuse (and in Europe in 2006). In pill form and also in the dissolvable film, it is available.
Both naloxone and buprenorphine are opioids, and clinical trials have shown that the combination of this medicine is as effective as methadone. Research shows that the sedative effects of Suboxone abuse are not high and high doses do not cause methadone to be high.
Suboxone abuse is associated with fewer and equally effective risks than methadone and therefore is clinically employed as an alternative to methadone therapy.
Definition
It is the prescription brand name for the treatment, illegal or prescription of opiate addicts. Buprenorphine and naloxone are ingredients. A partial opiate agonist, buprenorphine blocks the receptors of the opiates and reduces an individual’s pressure. Naloxone, the second component, contributes to reversing opioid effects. These medicines work together to prevent symptoms of opioid withdrawal and Suboxone abuse.
People receiving opioid therapy usually take the drug to handle withdrawal during opioid detoxification. Subsequently, the medication is usually used to control appetite and withdrawal during treatment and rehab. Suboxone should be a helpful part of the recovery process and not a cure for opioid addiction.
Suboxone, which has a medical value but also has a moderate risk for addiction, is classified in the US as Schedule III controlled. As a consequence, Suboxone abuse may be prescribed only by doctors certified by the Department of Health and Human Services. The drug is made in films and tablets that can be dissolved.
The Difference with Subutex
Both terms encompass buprenorphine and are FDA approved for the treatment of opioid dependence. The main difference is that Subutex contains buprenorphine only and that Suboxone contains naloxone and buprenorphine. Subutex was also initially formulated, but it was often injected by users. Suboxone was created to reduce this abuse, as injected withdrawal can cause very unpleasant immediate effects.
Suboxone Abuse
While its purpose is to help stop the addiction of opioids (or opioids), it has been proven that the ointment flies in terms of its use. This drug is increasingly prescribed to fuel a divert into the hands of unprescribed users. Unfortunately, some legally binding retailers recognize its economic value and on the street market sell or trade-in their medications.
Some reports indicate that most Suboxone abuse victims use this drug to self-medicate withdrawal symptoms from other narcotics in interviews with medical practitioners and street buprenorphine users. Suboxone abuse is a risk that the use of these dangerous medicines by an opiate abuser can help because of minimized withdrawal effects. Some drug dealers have reportedly sold heroin and together with this medication. A big proof of the power of dependence is that somebody would purchase both a poison and an antidote and consume it one by one Suboxone Abuse.
Does the Drug Help in the Treatment of Addiction?
In different treatment phases, Suboxone can be used and provides a long-term solution for managing opioid dependence. The drug can eliminate opioid cravings if included in a comprehensive recovery plan.
Rather than speed up patients, the drug slows them down because it is mostly used as a depressant and not a stimulant. Individuals that are victims of Suboxone abuse may notice:
- Pain Relief
- Calmness and general wellness
- Fewer problems and lower stress levels
- Relaxing feeling
Those that are more Prone to an Addition
Suboxone abuse is not as intense as injection heroin as a person is high when snoring or injecting it. Researchers have found that the least likely to become victims of Suboxone abuse are people recovering from high heroin dependency. But people in recovery are most likely to use it to have a less intense or short-lived disease addiction. It may not be as severe as heroin high since the high one is abused by, and previous heroin users may not become so addicted to it.
Which Medications are Mostly Abused Alongside the Med?
To most abusers, Suboxone abuse requires the simultaneous abuse of another drug. Adderall, alcohol, and benzodiazepines are some common substances that people use with the drug to get very high.
- Side Effects for the Combination of Suboxone Abuse and Adderall: Since Adderall is a stimulant and the med is a depressant, both medicines can eliminate certain effects together. The user can therefore feel that the desired effects are not achieved and take more of either the substance or the two. The risk of overdose can be increased.
- Side Effects of Suboxone Abuse and Alcohol Mixture: It can be extremely hazardous and fatal with other depressants such as alcohol. Combining this drug with alcohol can increase the effects of both substances, producing harmful effects, including loss of awareness or breathability. Alcohol can also increase the brain’s production of GABA when taking the drug, which may lower your heart rate, body temperature, and breathing.
- Side Effects of Suboxone Abuse and Benzos Mixture: Benzodiazepine and its mixture may cause extreme sedation, coma, or even death. Despite the risks, about two-thirds of buprenorphine-treated persons also took benzodiazepines in one 2007 study.
Can a Person Become Addicted to this Drug?
Suboxone abuse can make a person addicted to the medication. DEA says that the dosage of euphorias and sedation can be dose-related as other narcotics and that buprenorphine is approximately 20-30 times more powerful than morphine. Many people who use it are high-drug addicts and are supposed to help them overcome their initial dependence on opioids and Suboxone abuse issues.
While the naloxone component is designed to avoid Suboxone abuse, some people have managed to circumvent the pill or dissolve the film strip by pulling the solution. Dependence to this drug may also be more common among people who have not been or have never been addicted to opioids before. In cases where the user gets it illegal without a prescription, for example by a friend, this can more likely happen.
Where can You Get the Drug?
You need a prescription to obtain it from an approved prescription physician to prevent Suboxone abuse. For any other conditions other than what is prescribed, the medication should not be taken. Because of the nature of the active substances, you will need to check the status of your treatment frequently with your doctor.
Learn More
Suboxone Has Gained a Variety of Nicknames as It Has Become Well Known on The Streets, Including:
- Bupe
- Stops
- Oranges
- Box or boxes
- Sub or subs
U.S. prescribers filled approximately nine million Suboxone Abuse and buprenorphine prescriptions in 2011, according to the National Pain Report. The availability of prescription medications on the street market increases the risk of abuse. The misuse of buprenorphine led to more than half of the 30,000 hospital visits in 2010. Currently, it’s not possible to make an accurate assessment of the number of overdose deaths due to the absence of testing for buprenorphine.
Signs of A Suboxone Overdose can Be Detected and Include:
| · Coughing/hoarseness | · Dizziness |
| · Feeling hot/warm | · Fever or chills |
| · Headache | · Lower back pain |
| · Sweating | · Painful urination |
Further Details
A detailed article on the advantages and disadvantages of buprenorphine in The New York Times gives the tragic side of the problem of abusing human faces. In 2010, Miles Malone of Maine, 20 years old, died recreationally with friends, after using buprenorphine. He also smoked marijuana and was victim of Suboxone abuse; this made him become very intoxicated. Later that night, he fell asleep, not to wake up again. Malone died from buprenorphine toxicity and Suboxone abuse, the medical examiner concluded.
Although the amount of buprenorphine was high only for having taken two pills, there was no other drug or alcohol in its system apart from marijuana. Malone was convicted of distributing fatal doses of buprenorphine illegally, and in his 1920s too, of 71 months imprisonment.
Duration of Time that the Drug Remains in your System
During Suboxone abuse, it is detected as an opioid through a medication test. The duration of your system stays with it will vary greatly from one factor to another, like your metabolism, your weight, co-occurring diseases, and any other medications you use with the drug.
Individuals who recover from Suboxone abuse can worry about medicine testing for use. Although buprenorphine can be identified in the urine by a medicine test, in most cases a drug test is not performed for use. It has become more prevalent, however.
Treating Suboxone Abuse
Suboxone abuse is unique in comparison to other drugs since it is used most often to keep another opiate in use. It is a drug that is addictive and that means that withdrawal symptoms will appear after stopping or decreasing regular use. During detox, addiction specialists should also treat addiction to the abuse of all other opioids including heroin, methadone, or prescription pain relaxants like OxyContin or Vicodin in addition to treating the retreat from the drug.
Suboxone abuse treatment is complex and should be conducted under a structured rehab program. We have an experienced team with decades of experience in treating opiate addiction. Contact us today to find out more about how we can assist your friend or family member to begin a new life in recovery. Reach out to us today to learn more about Suboxone abuse.
Ben Lesser is one of the most sought-after experts in health, fitness and medicine. His articles impress with unique research work as well as field-tested skills. He is a freelance medical writer specializing in creating content to improve public awareness of health topics. We are honored to have Ben writing exclusively for Dualdiagnosis.org.