What Is The Use Of Suboxone In Heroin Addiction Treatment In South Dakota?

By: Todd Lange

The FDA has recently given approval to Suboxone for heroin addiction treatment and this move has been accepted by the medical world all over the world. Suboxone contains buprenorphine and naloxone and it is to be taken orally. This is used in the treatment of opiate detox treatment program. Suboxone is also used in the treatment of various other prescribed drugs like Oxycontin. Here, the practical implementation of Suboxone in the heroin addiction treatment in South Dakota is explained.

What is Suboxone?

As mentioned earlier the Suboxone is a formulation, which contains buprenorphine and naloxone. This is used mostly in the addiction treatment of heroin addiction. This is not an addictive substance like some others are and hence it is safe for treating the patients in an outpatient heroin addiction treatment.

Why Suboxone is compared with Methadone?

Methadone is also a highly popular form of heroin detox used in the heroin addiction treatment in South Dakota. This method is used since a very long time. But there are various other side effects of methadone, which don't even exist in case of Suboxone. After the FDA gave the permission for using Suboxone, the overall detox treatment has become simple for al the heroin addicts.

The following are the points that show how Suboxone is better than methadone:

1. Methadone is an addictive drug while Suboxone is not at all addictive. Suboxone can be prescribed to the patients without monitoring them while Methadone has to be given under medical supervision. When the Methadone drug is stopped giving to the patient, the patient might show severe withdrawal symptoms but Suboxone has no such addiction on the patient.

2. The methadone treatment is only provided in an inpatient format during the heroin addiction treatment in South Dakota. This treatment is given under the medical supervision of the health care provider. This treatment can be given to the outpatient but the patients will need to visit the treatment center daily once.

3. Suboxone contains naloxone, which is a substance that produces revulsion for the medication in the patient. This will make the patient has serious withdrawal symptoms and hence there will be no further need of giving Suboxone to the patient. This way the patient is safe from getting any addiction towards Suboxone.

4. Suboxone also contains buprenorphine, which is an opiate and it is less addictive too. Thus the Suboxone treatment is much less addictive than the methadone treatment for heroin addiction in South Dakota. Buprenorphine, when given to the patients, triggers the same part of the central nervous system as the drug heroin triggers. Hence, the person will not feel an urge for heroin. The methadone treatment also works on the same principle but methadone is addictive and patients will get used to it. The presence of buprenorphine prevents the Suboxone treatment from becoming addictive for the patients taking heroin addiction treatment.

What is the correct way to consume Suboxone?

Suboxone is a kind of medication used in the treatment of heroin addiction treatment in South Dakota. It is supposed to be consumed orally. The patient will be asked to keep it on their tongue. This will automatically get absorbed. This is supposed to be taken daily. But most patients prefer it taking every alternate day. This way, their heroin cravings stay away from them.

As the Suboxone contains buprenorphine and naloxone, when this medicine is kept on the tongue first the buprenorphine gets completely absorbed. But naloxone remains present on the tongue in small quantity. This way naloxone is prevented form going into patients' bodies in large quantities. If this medicine is not had in this manner more amount of naloxone will enter in the patients body and patient might get severe withdrawal. But taking it orally makes the perfect amount of naloxone to enter patient's body and keeps an addiction to it at bay.

Is it true that Suboxone is a maintenance medication for heroin addiction treatment in South Dakota?

Suboxone is definitely a maintenance medication given to the patients who take treatment for heroin addiction. This treatment keeps the heroin cravings of the patient in control and thus is a very effective maintenance medication of heroin addiction treatment in South Dakota. Those who are already on a methadone treatment can also switch to Suboxone but they will need to do it slowly so that their body agrees to stay without methadone and gets adjusted to Suboxone without any major hassles.