Suboxone Treatment Specialist Serving in New York & New Jersey

Suboxone is a prescription medication that is used to treat individuals who are dealing with opioid addiction, whether from prescription or street drugs. The two ingredients that Suboxone consists of are 80% buprenorphine and 20% naloxone. Buprenorphine is an opioid medication that functions differently than other opioids in that it reduces withdrawal symptoms without causing addiction.

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist medication with properties that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The addition of buprenorphine to naloxone prevents individuals from potentially misusing Suboxone.

Suboxone is taken either sublingually or buccally, which means that it comes in pill form with directions to place it under the tongue (sublingual) or between the gums and cheek (buccal) until it dissolves. Its safety and effectiveness have been proven in numerous peer-reviewed medical and scientific studies. However, it is imperative to take Suboxone has prescribed to avoid potentially serious complications.

Suboxone, which is known medically as buprenorphine/naloxone, treats opioid addiction and withdrawal symptoms. The key ingredient in Suboxone for treating addiction and withdrawal symptoms is buprenorphine, as naloxone is included primarily to discourage individuals from injecting or abusing buprenorphine.

Buprenorphine works to treat addiction by blocking the effects of other opioids while also reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings. The medical terminology that describes buprenorphine’s function is that it is an opioid partial agonist-antagonist. As such, it blocks the effects of any opioids an individual takes by occupying every opioid receptor in the brain while also minimizing the impact of not taking opioids when suffering from opioid addiction.

Naloxone is included as a safety measure to prevent buprenorphine abuse. When taken sublingually, naloxone has inactive. However, if Suboxone were injected, the naloxone would become active. Since naloxone is an opioid antagonist, it would completely block the beneficial effects of buprenorphine if it were activated, causing intense and instant withdrawal symptoms.

Suboxone and methadone are both mild opioids that are used to treat opioid addiction. However, there are several differences between the two medications involving indications for use, administration, and risks.

For one, Suboxone is a brand name, while methadone is the generic name of the drug. Furthermore, while Suboxone was created exclusively to treat opioid addiction, methadone was initially developed by German providers in World War II to treat acute and chronic pain for soldiers on the battlefield.

Eventually, it was discovered that methadone had excellent properties for treating opioid addiction. However, as a schedule II drug, methadone also has more addictive qualities than buprenorphine and a higher risk of overdose. Consequently, Suboxone, which is a schedule III drug, is the safer choice between the two. With Suboxone, patients have also been known to reach an effective dosage much sooner than with methadone.

For more information about Suboxone treatment or to schedule an appointment with us at Marcellus Wellness & Addiction Services, please do not hesitate to contact us! We invite you to call us today or schedule an appointment online 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week. We serve patients from the states of New York & New Jersey.