Is Suboxone Treatment Right for Me? – Benefit & Risk Considerations

Recovering from chronic opiate addiction entails an oftentimes lengthy process made up of stages of development and growth. Without the needed treatment supports in place along the way, your recovery efforts can quickly be thwarted by untimely relapse episodes.

Suboxone treatment offers recovering addicts added support in terms of stabilizing the body’s chemical systems and helping a person feel more like him or herself. While Suboxone treatment does offer certain therapeutic benefits, what works for one person may not be the best treatment solution for someone else. Understanding the benefits and risks that come with Suboxone treatment can help you make an informed decision as to whether this course of treatment is right for you.

Suboxone’s Effects

Suboxone works as a type of medication therapy specifically designed to relieve the withdrawal and cravings effects that remain after a person stops using opiates. According to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, Suboxone’s effects in the brain work to restore a normal chemical balance by producing many of the same effects addictive-type opiates without posing a high addiction risk. Suboxone also contains an ingredient that blocks the effects of the drug should a person attempt to abuse Suboxone by snorting or injecting it.

Suboxone Treatment – Benefit & Risk Considerations

Suboxone treatment may cause feelings of depression.

As with any type of treatment medication, Suboxone treatment comes with pros and cons that can vary depending on how a person’s body responds to the drug’s effects. Suboxone’s effectiveness also depends on other factors, such as a person’s prior treatment history, history of relapse, stage of treatment and overall addiction severity.

Overall, Suboxone pros include:

• Easy access to treatment as Suboxone can be administered out of a doctor’s office
• Prolonged effects per dose, with dosage effects lasting up to three days
• Helps reduce drug cravings
• Discourages relapse attempts

Suboxone cons include:

• As a synthetic opiate drug, Suboxone still carries a low risk of addiction
• Requires a long taper process once a person is ready to discontinue treatment
• Can cause constipation
• May cause feelings of depression

Individual Circumstances

Your individual circumstances have a tremendous bearing on whether Suboxone will benefit your recovery efforts, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. As medication-assisted therapies are typically used to treat severe forms of opiate addiction, someone who’s dealing with a mild to moderate addiction problem may not actually require a medication therapy.

The stage of treatment you’re in can also help determine whether Suboxone will be of benefit. In general, Suboxone effects work best as a long-term maintenance treatment, so someone just entering the detox stage may want to consider another form of medication therapy to help overcome the more severe withdrawal symptoms that develop during detox.

Lastly, someone who’s made multiple attempts at drug treatment and relapsed on more than one occasion may well benefit from Suboxone’s “anti-abuse” component.

8 Facts about Suboxone you Need to Know

Treatment Considerations

Suboxone treatment also includes a behavioral component that works to address the damaging effects of addiction on a person’s thinking and daily habits and routines. This part of the treatment process addresses the addiction problem head-on as the workings of an addiction take root in the mind and not the body.

If you or someone you know is considering Suboxone treatment and have further questions or concerns about how Suboxone works, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 888-646-0865 (Who Answers?) for more information. Our phone counselors can also help connect you with Suboxone treatment programs in your area.