Suboxone and Medication-Assisted Treatment for a Family Member

When someone you love is dealing with an addiction, having to stand by and watch can be one of the most painful things a human being can experience. You don’t have the power to stop the addiction with sheer force of will because no one can effectively treat an addiction for the addict. The substance abuser in your family has to make their own decision and they have to take their own steps toward the ultimate goal of sobriety.

However, just because you can’t “fix” the addiction for the person you love, you do have a vital role to play. You can be part of the support system that they need. You can offer emotional backing for each part of the treatment and recovery process. One function you may end up performing is that of a researcher.

When people decide it is time for treatment, that treatment needs to begin immediately. The decision to quit is a terribly important one to make, but it is also a difficult one to maintain due to the draw of the addiction. As a family member, you can begin researching treatment options before your loved one desires to seek treatment. That way, everything is in place when the decision is made and the process can start as soon as possible.

If your family member is abusing opioids, medication-assisted treatment may be the best option for dealing with their addiction. For additional information regarding medication-assisted treatment, get in touch with SuboxoneDrugRehabs.com at 888-646-0865 (Who Answers?) and speak with someone who can offer references and resources.

Opioids

Suboxone can be administered in a doctor’s office, instead of at a treatment center, providing patients with more privacy.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Opioids are medications that relieve pain. They reduce the intensity of pain signals reaching the brain and affect those brain areas controlling emotion, which diminishes the effects of a painful stimulus.” Common opioids include:

• Methadone
• Morphine
• Hydrocodone
• Buprenorphine
• Oxycodone
• Heroin
• OxyContin
• Percocet
• Vicodin
• Percodan
• Tylox
• Demerol

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medication-assisted treatment is a great way to help people with opioid addiction recover from their substance abuse disorder. Rest assured, medication is not the only component of this type of treatment. There are actually three parts:

• Medication
• Counselling
• Support from loved ones

Treatment with medication is often the best choice and the research that you do for your loved one will support this. Medication allows an addict to regain stability, without the highs and lows associated with drug use. It reduces withdrawal and cravings, letting your loved one give their complete focus to treatment.

Keep in mind that the medication for addiction is not like medication for diabetes or heart disease. It isn’t substituting one addictive substance for another. When used with the oversight of a medical professional, medication will not begin a new addiction.

How to Tell your Family you Want Suboxone Treatment

Suboxone

Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone that takes the form of sublingual film to take under the tongue or a pill.

According to the US National Library of Medicine, “Buprenorphine is in a class of medications called opioid partial agonist-antagonists and naloxone is in a class of medications called opioid antagonists … buprenorphine and naloxone work to prevent withdrawal symptoms when someone stops taking opioid drugs by producing similar effects to these drugs.”

Plus, suboxone is prescribed by a doctor and can be administered in private without having to enter a treatment center. For some treatment choices, it is the best option.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, medication-assisted treatment, like that which includes suboxone, has been shown to:

• Improve patient survival
• Increase retention in treatment
• Decrease illicit opiate use and other criminal activity among people with substance use disorders
• Increase patients’ ability to gain and maintain employment
• Improve birth outcomes among women who have substance use disorders and are pregnant

For the health of your family member, it is time to look into suboxone and the role it can play in the treatment of your loved one’s addiction. For more information, contact SuboxoneDrugRehabs.com at 888-646-0865 (Who Answers?) and speak with someone today.