Is Suboxone a Non Narcotic and Is It Good to Take to Get Off Methadone?

Question by b628: Is suboxone a non narcotic and is it good to take to get off methadone?
Okay I don’t know too much about this stuff but I’m trying to help my dad get off methadone. He has stopped for only two days and he really needs some help. We’re from jacksonville florida. Any places we can call for him to take something to get off of it? Please help!

Best answer:

Answer by Mathieu
Suboxone is a drug that combines buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine is indeed an opioid narcotic used to help people stop using other opioids.

Suboxone can be used to withdraw a person off methadone although methadone is most commonly used in the same way as Suboxone, to help get a person off other opioid narcotics like Heroin, morphine, oxycodone, or hydromorphone.

It is also important to understand exactly how Suboxone or methadone works, they prevent opioid withdrawal syndrome because they are opioids and they bind to opioid receptors. However when used correctly they don’t produce a “high” and because Suboxone and methadone have a longer period of action they don’t need to be taken as often.

Was your father taking methadone for pain, for opioid dependence, was he using it recreationally? Opioids, when used for more than a few weeks, should NOT be abruptly discontinued and should be slowly reduced to prevent withdrawal (or only cause mild symptoms). What you can do really depends on the circumstances- a first and often best option is to take him to the emergency department at your local hospital and they can give him some medication to stop his withdrawal and can help figure out the best way to treat his problems. Some people need to take methadone, or something similar, for life, it may be an option for him to be detoxed in hospital or at a detox facility, he may benefit from drug rehab, or something else like using Suboxone may be the best option. The nice thing about going to hospital is that you can get help figuring out what to do and they can stop his withdrawal.

When it comes to methadone or Suboxone withdrawal lasts a long time, much longer than with opioids like Heroin or morphine and it is only at day 3-4 that the withdrawal peaks. So without some medical intervention he will get worse before he gets better. Also if we was addicted (which is not the same as physical dependence) to opioids it is common for people to relapse on them because they are unable to tolerate the withdraw.

Lastly other medications (non-opioid narcotics) can be used in some cases to help withdrawal. Commonly multiple drugs are used to provide symptomatic relief- clonidine, benzodiazepines (diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, lorazepam, oxazepam, temazepam), baclofen, carbamazepine, gabapentin, and pregabalin are drugs that have been used in opioid withdrawal especially clonidine and benzodiazepines.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

 


 

Deerfield Beach FL Treatment Center Call (855) 912-7867 Drug Rehab Deerfield Beach FL – http://rehabsdrugstreatment.com/ Alcohol Addiction Treatment Centers for Alcohol and Drugs The numbers of drug addiction procedure centers show the expanding…

 

Kansas follows Missouri's path in testing suspected drug users on welfare

Filed under: drug treatment programs florida

The expenses depend on who pays for the drug tests and treatment, whether computer systems need modification and if the program requires more staff time. In Missouri, the legislature appropriated $ 493,000 for drug testing for this fiscal year …
Read more on Kansas City Star

 

Unemployment insurance unlikely to pass House

Filed under: drug treatment programs florida

President Barack Obama is holding an event Tuesday morning with individuals who saw their unemployment benefits expire, and calling on Congress again to act swiftly to reinstate the program. House Speaker John …. or the Chinese build better ports and …
Read more on TIME

 

Drug court judge acts erratically, admits she needs help

Filed under: drug treatment programs florida

In the late afternoon, her courtroom was packed with 100 people — graduates of the misdemeanor drug court program, their friends and their families. The event marked the completion of rehab for dozens of offenders and the dismissal of their …
Read more on Sun-Sentinel