Is there an Opiate Replacement Safe for Teens?
Opiate use in teens is a rising problem. The Centers for Disease Control is calling opiate, particularly prescription opiate addiction and overdose a problem reaching epidemic proportions. With this startling fact, it is little wonder that teens and young adults are falling victim to the perils of opiate abuse.
Opiate abuse is deadly. Abuse very often leads to overdose and overdose sometimes means death. Opiates are also extremely difficult to stop using once you start. Most opiates users cannot stop using once they have started. The withdrawal process although not deadly, keeps them from quitting the drug. Once someone begins to experience, withdrawal symptoms they tend to relapse quickly without supervision. Fortunately, there are opiate replacements for teens to use. One of these treatments is Suboxone.
What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is one of the only replacement drugs approved by the FDA for use for teens. It is a mixture of buprenorphine and Naloxone. This combination blocks the withdrawal symptoms and the cravings that normally plague opiate addicts.
Why use Suboxone for Teen Opiate Addiction?
Suboxone treatment will help prevent opiate withdrawal symptoms.
Teens are in a sensitive point in their lives, drug addictions can ruin them socially and emotionally for several years. It is important that the drug treatment be a private matter. Privacy is easy to achieve when using Suboxone to keep an opiate user from going into withdrawal while tapering the opiates. No one but the teen and their parents need know about the opiate addiction problem.
Suboxone is less expensive than most other treatments available. Most other drugs and treatments including going cold turkey in a treatment center are more expensive than a tapering regiment of Suboxone.
What are the Dangers of Suboxone?
The dangers of Suboxone for teens are the same as the dangers of Suboxone to adults. Suboxone is addictive and cannot be stopped suddenly. There are some side effects to Suboxone such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and anxiety as well as breakthrough withdrawal symptoms.
It is also possible to overdose on Suboxone, which is why Suboxone treatment should be closely monitored. Doctors usually dispense only enough Suboxone for a short period and parents should monitor the Suboxone use of their children.
Who is a Good Candidate for Teen Suboxone?
There are teens that are good candidates for Suboxone treatment and ones that are not. According to the Food and Drug Administration, teens that are good candidates are:
- addicted to opiates for a year or longer,
- have tried other methods to quit, and
- are over the age of 16.
A good Suboxone program involves both counseling and medication management. Those who have not tried to conquer their addiction with other methods or teens who have only recently started an addiction are not good candidates for Suboxone treatment.
Where to Find Suboxone Treatment for Your Teen
You can find Suboxone treatment centers for your teen by calling us at 888-646-0865 (Who Answers?) . We can help you find the help that your teen needs to beat an opiate addiction.
