Buprenorphine (Probuphine, Suboxone)

Buprenorphine is one of the most effective medications in the addiction treatment and rehabilitation sector. This is because it can be applied in the management of various addictions involving opioids like heroin, and prescription pain relief medications. Read on to find out more;

Understanding Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine is typically prescribed for the management of pain that is severe and adverse enough to require the use of opioid analgesics. It can only be prescribed if you have tried other alternative treatments but they proved to be inadequate in the management of your pain.

Today, there are two primary forms of Buprenorphine that are also available for use in the management of substance use disorders involving opioids. These forms of the drug include Suboxone and Probuphine.

1. Suboxone

Suboxone is a brand name formulation of Buprenorphine that is used in the treatment of addictions involving opioids - both prescription and illicit opioids like heroin. It is comprised of naloxone and buprenorphine.

The buprenorphine component of this medication works as a partial opioid agonist. This means that it will effectively block your opiate receptors as well as reduce your urges to abuse opioids in the future.

On the other hand, the naloxone ingredient is effective at reversing the effects that taking opioids causes. In combination, both naloxone and buprenorphine will help you reduce the risk of suffering painful symptoms of withdrawal as a result of your opioid use disorder.

Today, Suboxone is one of the most preferred medications in the treatment of this type of addiction. It is even prescribed more often than methadone - especially because methadone can be addictive and habit-forming.

Suboxone is also unlike many of the other opioid replacement medications - most of which would require that you receive it while enrolled in a specialized addiction treatment program. This is because even a doctor can prescribe Suboxone.

You can use this drug at the start of your addiction treatment, but still take it during your continuing recovery and treatment. The important thing is to ensure that you do while working on a personalized and customized addiction treatment plan.

Although Suboxone is effective at the management of the withdrawal symptoms that will arise when you stop abusing opioids, it is also essential that you ensure that you are enrolled in a comprehensive drug rehabilitation program by the time you start taking it.

The therapy and counseling provided through these programs can help you deal with all the reasons why you were abusing opioids in the first place, as well as teach you how to find new, healthy ways to cope with your stress and pain.

Suboxone Uses

Doctors typically prescribe Suboxone for the management of dependence on short acting opioids, including both prescription pain relief medications and heroin. However, this drug is not recommended for use in the management of dependence involving long acting opioids - which would typically require the use of medication that only contains buprenorphine.

That said, when you take Suboxone properly, you will no longer experience cravings for the opioids that you used to abuse. The drug can also manage your withdrawal and help you start feeling normal at the start of your addiction recovery journey. It is for all these reasons that Suboxone is considered to be one of the most effective types of drugs for use in dealing with an opioid use disorder.

When you start taking Suboxone, it could also ensure that you experience the following benefits:

  • Calmness
  • Overall well-being
  • Pain relief
  • Perceived reduction in your worries
  • Reduced stress levels
  • Relaxation

Suboxone Side Effects

Although Suboxone is used in the management of opioid abuse and addiction, it can also cause you to become dependent. The drug might also come with the following negative side effects especially. These side effects include:

  • Flu-like symptoms
  • Headache
  • Low energy
  • Stomach pain
  • Sweating
  • Vomiting

2. Probuphine

Probuphine is another form of buprenorphine that you can use in the management of your opioid use disorder. This drug works effectively in preventing physical symptoms of withdrawal and opioid cravings.

The buprenorphine component in this drug will be released by the Probuphine implant. After that, it will flood the brain receptors where opioids typically attach themselves to. As a result, the drug can help you reduce your negative symptoms of withdrawal. These symptoms include but are not limited to irritability, insomnia, and nausea.

Benefits of Probuphine

There are many benefits that come with taking Probuphine for an opioid use disorder. These benefits include but are not always limited to:

  • It is much safer to get Probuphine than to have buprenorphine in the home where children might use it accidentally
  • Since it is an implant, you won't have to worry about taking your daily injections or pills
  • Since it is only available as an implant, it means that Probuphine cannot be diverted and sold on the street
  • The formulation of Probuphine means that you have a lowered risk of forgetting to take it; further, you won't be able to lose it and no one can steal it from you
  • The Probuphine implant will disperse the buprenorphine medication throughout the body and in an even way; this means that it can proved to be very effective in the management of your withdrawal symptoms while also reducing your risk of relapse
  • The use of Probuphine will remove your choices; after it has been inserted, you will have it for the next six months

At the moment, Probuphine has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration - or the FDA. The drug is also available on the global market as an effective aid in the management of opioid use disorders.

However, you might not always know if this is the right solution for your addiction to opioids. The only way you can do so is by going through a thorough assessment and evaluation after checking into an addiction treatment program. From this assessment, the doctors and the other addiction recovery professionals at the program could inform you if Probuphine is the right choice for you.

Getting Help

Both Suboxone and Probuphine can prove useful in the management of the negative consequences that arise after a period of opioid abuse and addiction. Talk to an addiction treatment professional today to learn more about how these forms of buprenorphine can help you get started on your journey to full recovery from opioid use disorders.

CITATIONS

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00772785

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/medications-to-treat-opioid-addiction/efficacy-medications-opioid-use-disorder

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4283787/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5436774/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5521298/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937811004479

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