Buprenorphine Detox & Treatment

Buprenorphine is intended for the treatment of pain and opioid addiction. Qualified physicians, under the certification of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), were given approval to prescribe this narcotic drug.

There are matters to discuss regarding buprenorphine with your healthcare provider as well as your physician. The most important thing to tell your doctor is if you are allergic to buprenorphine or any drugs at all. You should also let them know if you have a history of:

Clinical research led to the development of buprenorphine, which is a medication used for the treatment of opiate addiction, like heroin. The success of buprenorphine is due to its long acting mu opiate agonist. It acts on the receptor but doesn't produce the same high people get with heroin or other opioid drugs, nor does it have dangerous side effects.

Buprenorphine is the only opiate addiction therapy drug that can be prescribed in a physician's office; others must be dispensed in a clinic. For some people there is a stigmatizing effect that can come along with clinic-based therapy, so buprenorphine reduces this effect because of its office availability.

I know a lot of people, good people, who found themselves addicted to opioid medications like, Vicodin, Oxycontin or other pain relievers. These people either had a surgery; tonsillectomy, appendectomy, knee replacement, or they’ve been suffering from chronic pain due to an accident that occurred many years ago. Either way though, before they knew it they felt they couldn’t live without ‘their’ drug. The fear, pain, and ability to cope with the day to day pressures of life just seemed to be too much.

It really all comes down to accepting the fact addiction is not a moral weakness, and it takes much more than willpower to just up and quit. This chronic medical condition, whether it is alcohol or opioid drugs like painkillers, results from changes in the brain with certain people. This circular pattern of drug detox, buprenorphine treatment, and then relapse can become a life long struggle once it begins.