How Can Suboxone® Treat My Opioid Addiction?
Oct 14, 2024
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Opioid addiction and overdose-related deaths have been on the rise for years now, putting millions of people at risk. While opioids can play an important role in pain relief when prescribed and used properly and responsibly, they possess unique qualities that significantly increase the risks of abuse and addiction.
What’s more, opioid addiction can be difficult to overcome, requiring medical therapy focused on breaking the addiction cycle while minimizing potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. In recent years, a medication called Suboxone® has emerged as a safe, highly effective tool for addiction treatment, offering hope and success for people suffering from addiction issues.
At Free Range Mental Health in Northfield, Minnesota, our team offers patient-centered, compassionate treatment for opioid addiction, including customized Suboxone treatment. Here, learn how Suboxone works and how it can help you break the cycle of addiction.
Opioids are very potent pain-relieving agents widely used to treat pain following surgery or extreme injury. Prescription opioids work by binding with special nerve receptors, blocking nerve pathways that carry signals from an injury site to your brain.
It’s tempting to think that a desire to relieve pain is what drives opioids’ addictive potential. But the abuse and addiction cycle is much more complex.
In addition to altering pain pathways, opioids trigger the release of neurotransmitter chemicals that cause intense feelings of relaxation and pleasure (euphoria). These intense feelings of euphoria compel many people to misuse opioids to relieve stress or simply to enjoy the “feel-good” effects of the drug.
Abuse and addiction happen when the third effect happens: tolerance. When you take opioids for a prolonged period of time, use prescription opioids at high doses, or use illicit opioids, your body becomes used to their effects.
In fact, the body actually responds by “turning off” some opioid receptors to regulate your physiologic response. As a result, people need to take more opioids at stronger dosages in order to feel those euphoric effects.
Over time, both psychological and physical dependence develop. If you try to taper off opioid use once dependence develops, you can wind up with unpleasant and even life-threatening side effects.
Suboxone is a medication composed of two agents: buprenorphine and naloxone. Both of these agents work synergistically to combat the effects of addiction.
Like opioid medications, buprenorphine and naloxone bind strongly with opioid receptors on nerve cells. As a result, fewer receptors are available to bind with opioids, which means their action is significantly reduced.
At the same time, Suboxone creates its own “euphoric” effect, but at a much lower intensity than opioids. The result: The “high” you feel is much closer to the effects produced by your body’s own neurotransmitters, reducing the cravings that drive abuse.
Overcoming addiction is a complex process, and Suboxone therapy requires careful monitoring to ensure maximum benefits, particularly as your addiction begins to wane. During your therapy, you’ll have regular “check-in” visits to monitor your progress and adjust your dose as needed.
Other types of therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can help eliminate the anxiety, depression, and stress that may have contributed to your addiction in the first place.
Opioid addiction can have devastating consequences for you and your loved ones. With Suboxone therapy, we can help you break the cycle of addiction and pave the way toward a healthier, happier life.
To learn more about Suboxone therapy and how it can help you, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Free Range Health today.