Addiction treatments are available in many different forms today, and if you’re dealing with a heroin addiction yourself, it’s important to know that you have many treatment options available.
- Suboxone treatments have become a common method for treating opioid dependence, although many people don’t know exactly what suboxone is all about. Here is a quick guide to help you get familiar with this common addiction treatment option:
- Suboxone contains two active ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone. This is a unique drug used to help people who are dependent on opioids; it was approved by the FDA in 2002, and it has been widely used in the U.S. since 2003.
- Suboxone by itself isn’t really a treatment; instead, it’s just one part of the puzzle. It is used to suppress and/or mitigate the physical symptoms of withdrawal when an individual stops using an opioid. These withdrawal symptoms are often the major reason — even the sole reason — why individuals keep going back to a drug that is harmful.
- Suboxone also suppresses the cravings for an opioid by blocking the effects of an opioid for about 24 hours after being consumed, but it does not block the effects of other (healthy) drugs which help the individual to get sobriety. Although patients may feel a “happy sensation” after taking suboxone, they will not experience the same type of euphoria or “high” that pain pills or heroin injections would produce.
- Suboxone is most effective when it’s used in conjunction with other types of addiction treatment, like a therapy program which addresses the problem of drug addiction on a psychological level.
Remember: There isn’t one “perfect” treatment option for everyone. Considering that there are an estimated 2.5 million Americans living with either a prescription opioid dependency or a heroin addiction, there are many ways to approach the problem of a drug addiction. Effective treatments for opioid addictions depend on the individual who’s dealing with the drug addiction. It’s okay to try different addiction treatments, like suboxone, to find out which one will be most effective for you.