What Is Suboxone Detox?
Suboxone is a medication that comes in the form of a pill and is a combination of two active ingredients: buprenorphine and nalaxone. Each medication that makes up Suboxone serves a unique purpose. Buprenorphine eases the horrible withdrawal effects suffered by addicts who try to quit opiates. Opiates are Vicodin, Percocet, OxyContin, heroin and methadone. Keep in mind that Suboxone works only for opiate addiction. Naxalone undoes the effects of opiates. Suboxone has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use with opiate detoxification.
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Detoxification
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Detoxification is the procedure of encouraging the body to purge itself of a drug. It is that detox is medically supervised and managed. Before any type of drug treatment program can be started, detox has to be the front-line approach. Detox will not work to combat addiction alone. Shortly after the addictive substance is stopped, withdrawal symptoms generally begin. How long the withdrawal will last and how severe the symptoms will be depend on the substance being abused. During Suboxone detox, the brain's opiate receptors are cleaned of opiates while the patient basically sleeps.
Why use Suboxone?
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The purpose of Suboxone for detox is to decrease the pain and discomfort of withdrawal. Suboxone can be administered during the withdrawal period, which lasts up to a week, and then formal treatment can begin, but it is nearly impossible to keep an addict from using without relieving him during withdrawal. The first thing a doctor will do is evaluate the patient's medical history to see if he is a candidate for Suboxone detox.
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Administration
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The first dose of Suboxone is administered after the withdrawal symptoms begin, because if the Suboxone is taken too soon it can be counterproductive and actually trigger withdrawal. The withdrawal symptoms do not have to be severe but at least indicative that enough of the opiate has been purged from the body.
Considerations
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The initial dosage of Suboxone will be administered by your physician so she can adjust your dose if she needs to. Sometimes Suboxone is administered and managed on an outpatient basis, and other times it is used as part of a residential treatment program. Patients may be given a prescription of Suboxone to take home. It is crucial that this medication is taken as directed. Suboxone comes in a pill that is positioned under the tongue until it completely dissolves. It cannot be swallowed.
Time Frame
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Suboxone can be taken either short term or long term, dependent on what the treatment specialist suggests. When it is used for the short term, it is used for the sole purpose of getting the user through the difficult withdrawal time. The formal treatment approach would continue. Sometimes the user can continue taking Suboxone at home after the withdrawal period and function at full capacity while often continuing on the medication for long periods of time.
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