Struggling with Opioid Use? Suboxone®Could Be Your Solution

First, some good news: In 2024, 30,000 fewer people in the United States died from a drug overdose than in 2023. This is the largest one-year decline ever recorded. However, 80,000 people died due to overdose. 

Experts think part of the reason for the decline is that naloxone, a drug that reverses overdose, is more widely available. The providers at Apex Medical Center suggest Suboxone®, a combination medicine that contains both buprenorphine and naloxone, to treat opioid addiction when appropriate.  

Opioids

Opioids are powerful medications, and when used in specific situations, such as to control pain after surgery, they serve an important function. Unfortunately, opioids are one of the most dangerous medications, for a few reasons. 

One is that opioids work on particular receptors in your brain to block pain and also increase feelings of pleasure. The pleasure or high feeling you get from opioids makes you want to take them again, and makes you want to take a higher dose. At higher doses, opioids slow your breathing and heart rate. 

Together, the desire to take more and the fact that opioids slow your breathing and heart rate at higher doses, these powerful medications can lead to misuse and overdose. You may become addicted without realizing it. 

Suboxone

Buprenorphine is a medication that mimics the effect of opioids, and naloxone prevents overdose. Suboxone combines the two, and is a medication to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD). People who take Suboxone have a lower risk of death from overdose, and a lower risk of contracting hepatitis. 

Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, which means that it attaches to the same receptors in your brain as opioids, but not completely, so the feeling of pleasure, or high, is blunted. 

If you take opioids regularly and suddenly stop, you may experience withdrawal. Symptoms of withdrawal include: 

• Intense cravings
• Anxiety
• Upset stomach
• Sweating heavily
• Fast heart beat
• Aches
• Insomnia

Withdrawal can make quitting opioids difficult, but suboxone eases those symptoms. Some people only take it to get past withdrawal, while others continue taking it as a maintenance. 

Suboxone and counseling

For many people the best approach is to use suboxone as a MOUD and counseling. The MOUD helps with the physical effects of addiction, while counseling can help you get through the emotional issues, relationship problems, and other factors that often come with opioid use. 

If you’re struggling with opioid use, schedule an appointment at the most convenient location of Apex Medical Center. Our providers are experienced and ready to help you find a healthier path forward.