Drug abuse is a self-destructive usage of substances that cause distress. Over 8% of Americans are addicted to drugs and alcohol, resulting in health problems. If you get addicted to drugs, you will not meet your crucial obligations, have relationship problems, and withdraw from society. Medical experts use the information on mental health, laboratory tests and conduct a physical examination to determine whether you are an addict to substance use. The data they gather helps them to determine the treatment of addiction that is best for them. Your therapist may use suboxone to help you quit opioid use and relieve you from pain.
Suboxone is usually used in the United States. Your doctor can prescribe suboxone if you get addicted to opioids. Examples of opioids include prescribed painkillers and heroin. The two active ingredients of suboxone are naloxone and buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is an agonist. Therefore, it can block the drug you are addicted to from attaching to the brain receptor. Naloxone controls the amount of suboxone that enters your brain. It does this by eliciting signs and symptoms of withdrawal when you take the medication. Some of the brand names referring to suboxone include Temgesic, Buprenex, and Zubsoly.
Benefits and Side Effects of Using Suboxone
Buprenorphine is recommended in treating opioid addicts. The medication can help you to quit craving drugs and control withdrawal symptoms. Other benefits you can get when using suboxone include:
- Protection from a drug overdose
- Reduces misuse risk
- Benefit from alternate-day dosing
Suboxone can cause some side effects. It would be best if you let your counselor know whether you are on other prescribed medicines. Substances that you cannot combine with suboxone are alcohol and sedatives. Adrenal changes and impaired liver functioning are severe side effects of suboxone. Mild side effects of suboxone are:
- Headache
- Sweating
- Vomiting
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Constipation
Suboxone Use Safety Precautions
- You should not use any other medication when using buprenorphine.
- Avoid taking suboxone in conjunction with medication that leads to slow breathing
- Let your counselor know whether you are expectant or planning to carry a pregnancy.
- Make it known to your doctor whether you have an underlying liver disease.
- Sharing your medicines with other people is dangerous. Avoid this even if they have similar symptoms as yours.
- You can misuse suboxone because it is an opioid. Therefore, you should ensure that you follow your doctor’s prescription. Naloxone being an ingredient to suboxone protects you from becoming an addict. You will also get protection from side effects from other drugs prescribed to you.
Safe Time to Start Using Suboxone
Your doctor can prescribe suboxone when you are in a mild state of drug abuse withdrawal. It is not advisable to take buprenorphine when your addiction level to opioids is high. The doctor will conduct an opiate withdrawal scale test. The doctor does this to determine the best time to introduce you to medication. You should attain a score of at least six on this scale to qualify for the treatment.
The symptoms that the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) measures include:
- The doctor takes your resting pulse rate. The test is done after you spend over 30 minutes lying or sitting down.
- The doctor also records your sweating score for the previous 30 minutes. Sweating from physical activities is accounted. You should score 0-4 on this scale and have no chilling or flushing reports.
- Measuring your ability to be still for few seconds – The doctor will evaluate your restlessness level when assessing you.
- Determining the size of your pupil – Your pupil’s size could be dilated, pinned, or of a standard size.
- Anxiety level – The doctor will want to know whether you feel the assessment bothers you. The score is ranked from 0-4.
- Your counselor will also observe your tremor levels when you stretch your hands. The doctor observes to identify visible tremors and whether your muscles twitch.
- Evaluation of whether you have joint pain-If you are suffering from joint pain, you may not be able to sit. You are also likely to keep rubbing your joints.
Are you struggling to quit drug addiction? We are available 24 hours a day. You can contact us at 844-903-2111 for help. We have experienced experts who can walk you on the journey to freedom from drug abuse. They will take enough time to assess you and determine the proper treatment for you. You can be sure that they will prescribe the correct suboxone dosage to you to avoid suffering from any side effects.
