Suboxone® Treatment & Testing
Suboxone treatment is an effective and relatively safe detoxification method for patients suffering from dependency or addiction to narcotic painkillers or other opiates.
Once your detox is complete, Suboxone will continue to ease your withdrawal symptoms during the maintenance phase of treatment.
What Is Suboxone?
Suboxone is an alternative to methadone in the treatment of drug addiction. Compared to methadone, Suboxone has a lower potential for addiction and is less likely to result in an overdose.
Suboxone comes in varying strengths and is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone.
- Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist – meaning it delivers some, but not all, of the effects of opioids. This reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings for opioids, delivering a reduction in the potency an addicted patient may be used to. When taken as prescribed, it does not get you high.
- Naloxone, meanwhile, is an opioid antagonist – which blocks the euphoric effects of other opioids (e.g., oxycodone, morphine, heroin). It helps to prevent relapse.
Suboxone is available as a daily pill designed to dissolve under the tongue – or as a monthly injection.
Stages of Suboxone Therapy
Effective treatment of drug addiction requires comprehensive attention to all of an individual's medical and psychosocial issues. Pharmacological therapy alone rarely achieves long-term success. Thus, Suboxone treatment should be combined with behavioral therapies for a successful recovery.
This is the medically monitored startup phase of Suboxone therapy. The therapy is administered when an opioid-addicted individual has abstained from using opioids for 12-24 hours and is in the early stages of opioid withdrawal.
When a patient has discontinued or greatly reduced the use of his or her drug of abuse, no longer has cravings, and is experiencing few or no side effects, the Suboxone dose may be reduced during the stabilization stage.
After successfully completing the previous stages, the patient can control his or her cravings with Suboxone instead of heroin or painkillers. With a gradual reduction in the dosage, and the support of family, friends, and a medical team, patients can achieve a drug-free life.
Suboxone is not intended for long-term use; rather, it is used to slowly wean a patient off drugs, which can take several months. Suboxone should only be taken under the care of a medical professional who can appropriately monitor symptoms and patient progress.
Drug Testing as a Routine Part of Suboxone Treatment
Patients undergoing our Suboxone treatment will be regularly required to provide urine samples, which will be tested while you wait. The samples may also be sent to an off-site laboratory for more extensive analysis and to confirm the results found in the office.
These tests are performed to detect the presence of Suboxone and other opioid drugs. We expect your first visit drug screening to be positive for the opioid you are coming to us for help in quitting. After that initial visit drug test, we expect future visit drug screenings to be positive for Suboxone and your prescription medications – and negative for other drugs.
Opioid Addiction Treatment in NJ
Are you or someone you know struggling with an opioid addiction or dependency? Please call United Medical at the New Jersey office closest to you: in Lyndhurst at (201) 460-0063, in Bayonne at (201) 339-6111, or in Clifton at (973) 546-6844 to schedule a visit with one of our Suboxone specialists. You can also request an appointment now.
