Tag Archives: opioid treatment

What is Methadone Treatment ? Facts On This Opioid Addiction Treatment

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Methadone Treatment Basic Facts

Information on the website of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) features the following information about methadone treatment for people who are having problems with opiate addiction:

  • Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) began in the 1960’s. Medication along with vocational and social counseling is part of methadone treatment
  • Untreated Opioid Addiction costs 20 Billion dollars per year

    Methadone Treatment and Methadone Maintenance

    Methadone Treatment and Methadone Maintenance

  • Up to 10,000 people die per year from IV drug use
  • Methadone Treatment stops opioid cravings
  • Methadone Treatment stops opioid withdrawal
  • Methadone is taken once per day
  • 70-80% of Methadone Patients have Hepatitis B
  • Methadone Maintenance Treatment is very effective
  • Methadone Treatment is available in most cities

Problems with opioids have gone back hundred’s of years. Some treatment approaches need a very high level of motivation (abstinence, therapeutic communities, step programs) and are not helpful for many. Methadone treatment can help on it’s own, or help those where other addiction treatment has not helped. So what’s in it for you?

The Benefits of Methadone Treatment:

  • Patients stop or reduce injecting drugs
  • Reduction of the use of opioid drugs
  • Decrease of transmission of blood borne illnesses
  • Patients have healthier babies
  • Patients have more stable employment and a more stable family
  • 30% reduction in early death
  • Less criminal activity

Methadone Treatment : How Safe is It?

Using an opioid that is prescribed and monitored by a physician for the treatment of opioid addiction has been used in the United States since the 1800’s.  In fact, around 1914 several thousand doctors went to prison for prescribing opioids to their addicted patients after the Harrison Act. It prohibited this type of drug treatment. Only until recently, have patients been getting steered by society toward treatment. Between 1914 and around 1970, addiction was basically criminalized and many simply ended up in jail.

Methadone treatment has been studied since the 1960’s.  The White House Drug Policy Fact Sheet on Methadone states the following “When methadone is taken under medical supervision, longterm maintenance causes no adverse effects to the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, bones, blood, brain, or other vital body organs.”  When taken appropriately, methadone doesn’t have serious side effects.  The are some side effects of methadone (and a related medication suboxone).

When taken as directed, methadone will not cause a problem with your employment.  You will not suffer from a change in your intelligence from methadone treatment. You should be able to drive without problems with being sedated.  Although methadone is an opioid medication, at the correct dose, it will not cause a person to “get high” and it will prevent any opioid withdrawals from occurring.

Methadone treatment has been the standard for treating opioid addicted pregnant patients.  The substance abuse and mental health administration has a pamphlet that discusses this information in more detail. We now have 40 years of experience managing patients on methadone who are pregnant.

Finally, methadone treatment is highly monitored. In fact, it is one of the most monitored treatments in the United States.  The chain from the methadone manufacturer all the way down to the requirements of clinic are watched closely.  The Drug Enforcement Administration along with State Agencies keep close tabs on the clinics to ensure their safety.

Summary of Methadone Treatment Facts:

Methadone treatment is a highly monitored, safe treatment for opioid addicted individuals.  We have over 40 years of experience with the use of methadone and it has been well studied.  Methadone has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals break the cycle of addiction, get back their families, and maintain employment. It keep people out of prison and improves their lives. See the links below for more methadone treatment information including suboxone treatment.

Here are some other methadone treatment useful links:

Suboxone Treatment : This is another alternative for the treatment of Opioid Addiction. It is a medication based treatment and works well.  This site has a suboxone doctor directory and helpful articles on suboxone.

Centers for Disease Control : This link will bring you directly to the the source pdf for this article.

White House Drug Policy : This link brings you to more information on methadone and other sources. It is another pdf file.

Suboxone Treatment Directory And Methadone Treatment Directory

Dr. Rich is a Board Certified Psychiatrist with licenses in Texas and Hawaii. He specializes in the treatment of opioid addiction with buprenorphine and runs a FREE locator service to find Methadone Treatment including Suboxone treatment of oxycontin addiction. Find a Suboxone Treatment Clinic in your area.
Dr. Rich has written more articles on the cost of oxycontin, buprenorphine (Suboxone) including frequently asked questions and a recent post : How Do I Find A Suboxone Physician?

Can the Chronic Administration of the Combination of Buprenorphine and Naloxone Block Dopaminergic Activity Causing Anti-reward and Relapse Potential?

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We describe a mechanism whereby
chronic blockade of opiate receptors, in spite of only partial opiate agonist action, may ultimately block dopaminergic activity
causing anti-reward and relapse potential. While the direct comparison is not as yet available, toxicity to buprenorphine
can be found in the scientific literature. In considering our cautionary note in this commentary, we are cognizant that, to
date, this is what we have available, and until such a time when the real magic bullet is discovered, we will have to endure.
However, more than anything else this commentary should at least encourage the development of thoughtful new strategies to
target the specific brain regions responsible for relapse prevention.

Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-19DOI 10.1007/s12035-011-82…

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Suboxone Treatment Methadone Alternative : What is it?

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What Is Suboxone Treatment (Buprenorphine Treatment)?

Suboxone Treatment Methadone Alternative

Suboxone Treatment Methadone Alternative

Suboxone treatment is another type of treatment for opioid addiction. It contains many similarities to methadone maintenance treatment. Opioid addicted patients usually relapse when trying to get off opioids such as oxycontin, heroin, vicodin, and other narcotics. Most addicts are unable to get through the withdrawal periods and don’t even last a several days.  Others get off, but at the first major stressor in their lives, they return to opioid use. Suboxone treatment can help stop this continuous relapse cycle.

Suboxone treatment will stop the dreaded opioid withdrawals. Since suboxone is another opioid, it will stop these withdrawals.  It also stops with cravings that an addict is going through.  Many addicts return to opioid use because of these creavings. Suboxone replaces the opioid in the patient’s system.  It has to be prescribed and monitored by a doctor.  If one is unable to get off opioids, it is better to be on one that is supervised, rather than getting it off the street with all the problems that come with doing this.  Eventually for many, the hope is to get off the suboxone treatment with the aid and medication from a physician. Some are able to get completely clean.

Why Suboxone Treatment ? Why Not Just Quit Suddenly

Getting on and staying on a narcotic such as methadone or suboxone works better than stopping suddenly.  When a patient is not having to be preoccupied with constant cravings they are able to focus on treatment.  When they don’t have to worry about losing their next job from being late getting high, they can focus on treatment. The point of suboxone treatment is to stabilize the person to get other areas of their life better first.

Opioid dependence destroys patient’s lives.  Heroin addicts frequently have legal problems.  Others are forging prescriptions from their doctor or they are doctor shopping. Not being able to hold down a job cause financial instability. Marriages split apart because of all the arguing and sneaking around. It is hard to pay attention to these areas of one’s life when a person is spending their time looking for drugs. Narcotics can found and taken by children. Relatives learn to distrust you.  People seek suboxone treatment to stop all these problems.

Is Suboxone Treatment a Hassle?

Suboxone treatment is much less of a hassle and more convenient than methadone maintenance treatment. The psychiatric evaluation is done in a private doctor’s clinic. Getting stabilized on suboxone can be done in a matter of hours or a few days. The nice thing about suboxone treatment, it that when one is finally doing well with the medication, they only need to go to their doctor’s office once per month to get the medication.  Those familiar with methadone maintenance understand that methadone clinics require going to the clinic daily.

Suboxone treatment is less public than methadone maintenance. They see their own doctor and are not around other substance abusing individuals. It is easier to get in and see a suboxone doctor than to get seen at a methadone clinic. During the treatment process, patients will go to their own therapist or to 12 step meetings for counseling. In most cases, they get to determine who they will see.  Suboxone is a tablet and is taken under the tongue.

In summary, suboxone treatment is a great alternative for opioid dependence.   Although not all patients talking methadone for addiction treatment will successfully be able to convert to suboxone, many can.  Now methadone is not the only medication that will work for opioid addiction. Be aware the generic name for suboxone is buprenorphine.

Suboxone Clinic Directory Find a Suboxone Physician Near You

Dr. Rich Senyszyn is a Board Certified Psychiatrist with licenses in Texas and Hawaii. He specializes in the treatment of opioid addiction with buprenorphine and runs a FREE locator service to find help with  Oxycontin including Suboxone treatment of oxycontin addiction. Suboxone Clinic in your area.
Dr. Rich has written more articles on the cost of oxycontin, buprenorphine (Suboxone) including frequently asked questions and a recent post : How do I find a Buprenorphine Doctor?

Compensation Effects on Clinical Trial Data Collection in Opioid-Dependent Young Adults.

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Conclusion: These findings suggest that variations in the amount of compensation for completing assessments can differentially affect outcome measurements, depending on treatment group assignment. Scientific Significance: Adequate financial compensation may minimize bias when treatment condition is associated with differential dropout and may be a cost-effective way to reduce attrition. Moreover, active users may be more likely than non-active users to drop out if compensation is inadequate, especially in control groups or in groups who are not receiving active treatment.
PMID: 21936751 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher] (Source: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse)

CADTH Rapid Response Report: Clinical evidence for Suboxone® (buprenorphine/naloxone) for short-term detoxification

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Source: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)
Area: News
This Rapid Response Report from the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) discusses the available evidence regarding the comparative clinical efficacy and safety of short term (<4 weeks) use of Suboxone® (buprenorphine/naloxone) compared with other opioid detoxification agents such as buprenorphine alone, methadone, and clonidine, and placebo.
 
The results of their limited literature search are described and summarised in the report (see link below); the main conclusions drawn were as follows:
 
. The evidence comparing the clinical effectiveness of short term Suboxone® detoxification with other alternative medications in the treatment of patients with opioid…

Combined liquid chromatography-coulometric detection and microextraction by packed sorbent for the plasma analysis of long acting opioids in heroin addicted patients.

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Authors: Somaini L, Saracino MA, Marcheselli C, Zanchini S, Gerra G, Raggi MA
Abstract
The sublingual combination of buprenorphine and naloxone (Suboxone(®)) and Methadone Maintenance Therapy have been found effective in treating heroin addiction. A new analytical method suitable for the simultaneous determination of buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, methadone and naloxone in human plasma by means of liquid chromatography with coulometric detection has been developed. The chromatographic separation was achieved with a phosphate buffer-acetonitrile mixture as the mobile phase on a cyano column. The monitoring cell of the coulometric detector was set at an oxidation potential of +0.600V. A rapid clean-up procedure of the biological samples using a microextraction by packed sorbent te…

How Is Suboxone Treatment Different than Drug Abuse?

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Physicians who treat opioid addiction also have the option of utilizing ‘medication-assisted treatment,’ and the most common medications used in the treatment of opioid dependence today are methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine (Suboxone).
Most people cannot just walk away from opioid addiction. They need help to change their thinking, behavior, and environment. Unfortunately, “quitting cold turkey” has a poor success rate – fewer than 25 percent of patients are able to remain abstinent for a full year. This is where medication-assisted treatment options like methadone, naltrexone, and Suboxone benefit patients in staying sober while reducing the side effects of withdrawal and curbing cravings which can lead to relapse.
Methadone
Methadone is an opioid and …

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