Making the decision to stop or decrease your use of opioids takes bravery. Using medication to help overcome addiction (now referred to as opioid use disorder or OUD), can be scary. The road to recovery may be long and hard, but with the right treatment and support group at your disposal, you’re already making significant strides towards a healthier you. If this is your first time to get treatment for your opioid use or your first experience with Suboxone, here's a guide to help you navigate this important phase.

What is Suboxone Treatment?

If you’ve been struggling with stopping or cutting down on opioid use (previously this has been called “getting clean”) but can’t make it past the withdrawal phase, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) could be the right treatment for you. Suboxone is an effective treatment for all opioid use (sometimes referred to as narcotics) including heroin, fentanyl, pain pills, pressed pills, percocet, oxycodone, just to name a few. Aside from medication alone, it also incorporates counseling and therapy to provide a holistic approach to support your recovery.

Wondering what Suboxone is and how does it work? This medication is a key component of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and is made up of four parts of buprenorphine and one part naloxone. As a partial opioid agonist, the buprenorphine in Suboxone helps to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings, while the opioid antagonist naloxone helps Suboxone be used the right way. The combination of these two drugs allows you to feel less severe withdrawal symptoms and to control cravings for opioids once your body is opioid free. Suboxone does have generic forms that are more affordable for people that do not have insurance. The medication is available as strips and tablets that dissolve under the tongue or beside the cheek but are never swallowed. Swallowing Suboxone makes it ineffective. 

The 3 Phases of Taking Suboxone

During the induction phase, your chosen healthcare provider will go through your medical history and records to come up with a medication assisted treatment plan that will help you get past the withdrawal stage. You may be prescribed comfort medications to also assist with withdrawal as the opioids fully leave your system. This process can take several days. You will be checking in with your medical provider frequently as you adjust to the dose your body needs.

Once you have achieved a stable dosage and progress, you will be moved on to the next phase, which is maintenance. At this point, your Suboxone dosage will still be closely monitored and modified by your provider, if needed. Most people establish a maintenance dose very early on in treatment and find this dose helps them to feel stable in recovery, abstain from opioids, and start to achieve goals in their personal life that may have seemed hard while they were actively using opioids. Individual counseling and group therapy are highly encouraged during this phase to manage your stress and improve your coping skills.

As you transition to the maintenance phase, you and your provider will work together to decide whether it's time for you to continue with your current Suboxone dosage or begin the process of tapering off. This decision is based on your overall progress and needs. Since everyone's journey is different, some patients may find themselves off the medication soon, while others may continue on it for an extended period of time. Best practices through years of research in addiction medicine encourage patients to continue Suboxone, as recovery is a life-long journey.

When to Take First Dose of Suboxone

To avoid precipitated withdrawal, the induction phase with Suboxone should start only when you're already feeling several withdrawal symptoms like shaking, sweating, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, stomach cramps, or nausea. Your provider will discuss this with you at your first appointment. Suboxone and comfort medication will help make your withdrawal manageable. Many people can safely do induction from the comfort of their homes.

Breaking chronic opioid use can be a difficult battle, but it can be done and you don’t have to face it alone. By seeking a medication-assisted treatment, you are making an important first step towards sustainable recovery. MAT combines medication with counseling and therapy, providing a comprehensive approach to address both the physical and psychological aspects of your addiction.

Consider an online addiction center to access the benefits of MAT. These treatment programs allow you to get quality care from the comfort of your own home, especially if you live in a remote area, have work commitments, or face mobility challenges. Addiction treatment centers like Klinic provide the same level of care as in-person centers, and will ensure you get all of the essential resources needed for your recovery.