What is Suboxone & its Role in Recovery?

If you have been suffering from Substance use addiction and are finding it very hard to stop on your own, there is medication that is designed to help you reach and maintain sobriety. This medication is commonly know as Suboxone and it is a usually prescribed as part of a MAT Program; MAT combines multiple tools to increase the patients success. Suboxone is a brand name of a buprenorphine/naloxone medication. Other brand names include Sublocade, and Subutex; all medications are FDA approved and commonly used as the Gold Standard to treat Addiction in the United States.
 

How Suboxone helps with drug addiction?
The buprenorphine in Suboxone helps to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings, while the naloxone blocks the effects of opioid drugs if someone attempts to misuse the medication. This combination allows patients to feel relief from withdrawal while also providing an extra layer of protection against relapse.

When buprenorphine and naloxone are combined to make Suboxone, they can work together to support recovery by:

• Blocking the pleasurable effects of opioids to decrease dependency
• Stopping pain-blocking receptors in the brain activated by opioid use
• Reducing patients cravings for opioids
• Decreasing the severity of withdrawal symptoms
• Helping to regulate brain chemistry
• Greatly Decreasing and preventing overdoses

The role Suboxone or Medications that are similar are used in treatment when a patient is participating in a program called Medication Assisted Treatment or MAT.
 

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) has been highly effective helping patients lead a normal life again. It is clinically proven to lessen withdrawal symptoms & symptoms of opioid use, and has significantly decreased the number of overdoses in the In Kentucky since its importation. Medication Assisted Treatment utilizes FDA approved medications combined with counseling to provide an individualized treatment plan for each patient. Every patient is unique and requires different needs! Recovery Well will always meet the patient where they are in their treatment at that current time. Recovery Well provides quality individualized care backed by evidence based practice to every single patient that walks through our doors. The journey to overcome the disease of Substance use Addiction is not simple and no one size fits all. At Recovery Well, every patients treatment plan will be different and tailored to what each patients current needs in regards to treatment.

Suboxone or Medications that are similar are used in treatment when a patient is participating in a program called Medication Assisted Treatment or MAT. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) has been highly effective helping patients lead a normal life again. It is clinically proven to lessen withdrawal symptoms & symptoms of opioid use, and has significantly decreased the number of overdoses in the In Kentucky since it’s importation. Medication Assisted Treatment utilizes FDA approved medications combined with counseling to provide an individualized treatment plan for each patient. Every patient is unique and requires different needs! Recovery Well will always meet the patient where they are in their treatment at that current time. Recovery Well provides quality individualized care backed by evidence based practice to every single patient that walks through our doors. The journey to overcome the disease of Substance use Addiction is not simple and no one size fits all. At Recovery Well, every patients treatment plan will be different and tailored to what each patients current needs in regards to treatment.

What is Suboxone? How does treatment using Suboxone work? Here is an overview:

• Step 1- meet with your provider and create a safe and individualized plan tailored to where you are in your recovery at the moment. Your provider may prescribe medication as part of MAT right away or prescribe medication that can help ease symptoms until the patient can safely start taking Suboxone or Buprenorphine. 
• Step 2- Once you have made it through the withdrawal process, the provider will follow up with you on how well the Suboxone helps you manage your cravings and the provider will see that doses be modified as needed to help prevent cravings, making it easier for you to maintain sobriety. That patient will continue with psychotherapy and other tools to help manage their recovery and manage their stress. 
• Step 3- continuing to show up and completing your goals in recovery, the provider may eventually decide that it is time for you to start tapering off the Suboxone, although we do not even push clients to taper if they’re not ready; maintaining sobriety is our priority at all times. If a patient decides to taper, it usually does not take place until after many months or years of sobriety. In some cases, your doctor may recommend that you continue taking Suboxone indefinitely, it all depends on your personal Recovery Journey. 

  
Medication plays a vital role in helping patients stay sober and continue to progress towards recovery. As an FDA approved medication, Suboxone is one of the most effective medications used to treat opioid addiction and can be a powerful tool in combatting addiction.