For most of the last century, the ability of doctors and addiction treatment centers to help opiate addicts has been limited by the federal government. The Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914, originally designed as a tax act, was interpreted by the Supreme Court to prohibit the prescription of opiates to opiate addicts, even in the course of their treatment. From then on, an entire line of practice - the tapering of opiate dosage to ease the pain of withdrawal - was against the law.
One exception was methadone. When used properly, methadone can be an effective treatment for opiate addiction. However, the idea of maintaining addicts on a substitute drug led the Federal Government to restrict methadone so tight that the drug can only be prescribed by specific clinics. These clinics vary widely in the quality of care they provide. In addition, methadone causes euphoria (a high), which has led to some addicts using methadone clinics to subsidies their opiate addiction and abuse methadone. Also, methadone maintenance clients eventually reach a point where it is nearly impossible to ever successfully detox from the methadone, as it\'s withdrawal symptoms have been reported to be 10 times more severe than those of heroin and lasting sometimes as long as 3 to 4 months in duration, compared to the 7 to 10 days of withdrawal symptoms that an average heroin addiction can produce. The combination of these factors has limited the effectiveness of methadone not only for maintenance, but for detoxification as well.
The \'Drug Abuse Treatment Act of 2000\' allows the prescription of Suboxone to opiate addicts to ease the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Whereas drugs like morphine, heroin and methadone are opioid receptor agonist - meaning they fully bind opioid receptors - buprenorphine is a partial opioid receptor agonist. This gives Suboxone the ability to relieve the symptoms of opiate withdrawal without producing the euphoria (high) of the full agonist drugs like methadone. For the first time, physicians and drug detox centers can use Suboxone to provide a comfortable drug detox for opiate addicted patients. Call the national addiction helpline NOW for help at 1-800-511-9225.
OPIATE ADDICTION TREATMENT and OPIATE DETOX WITH SUBOXONE®
The problem with using Suboxone on an outpatient basis for opiate detox is the patients tend to return to their old friends and surroundings leading them back to their addiction to opiates. The problem is not with the drug itself, but which environment the drug produces the best long term results. Suboxone is reported to produce excellent results when used as part of a opiate detox or drug detox within a medical detox unit. In conjunction with 24 hour support and medical supervision, the withdrawal symptoms associated with opiate detox are greatly minimized, not to mention the structure provides the patient with ongoing support during the drug detox process.
Research has shown us that inpatient drug detox produces much better results than outpatient drug detox due to the fact the patient is provided with continuing medical support and 24 hour supervision. We don’t want to mislead you, opiate addiction can be treated on an outpatient basis, but the relapse rate is extremely high with many never making it through the actual opiate detox process. Suboxone, utilized as part of a detox protocol in an inpatient detox program, will provide an excellent first step in opiate addiction treatment.
For immediate help with your drug addiction, call the national addiction helpline at 1-800-511-9225.
