Suboxone Treatment

What is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a prescription medication that, combined with services like counseling, treats opioid addiction and withdrawal. Dr. Michael Blubaugh is a certified provider of Suboxone and runs Carolina Medical Center’s suboxone program.

The active ingredients in Suboxone, buprenorphine and naloxone, reduce the physical symptoms of opioid dependency, which often include:

• Aches and pains
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Restlessness
• Sweating
• Watery eyes
• A fast heart rate
• Insomnia

With the correct dosage prescribed by Dr. Blubaugh, suboxone helps limit your cravings for opioids and partially decrease their effects.

How does Suboxone work?

Withdrawals from opioid dependency stem from the opioids leaving your brain’s opioid receptors. The active ingredients in suboxone cling to those receptors, filling them and suppressing troublesome withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

In the simplest terms, suboxone takes up space in your brain previously occupied by the opioids without producing harmful effects.

When Dr. Blubaugh prescribes your suboxone dosage, he weighs several factors, including your:

• Age
• Weight
• Metabolism
• Medical history
• History of drug abuse

What are the stages of Suboxone treatment?

Your treatment typically involves taking daily doses suboxone and should begin soon after your last use of opioids, or during the early stages of withdrawal.

Throughout your treatment, Dr. Blubaugh monitors your progress. As your body stabilizes and recovers from dependency, and your physical withdrawal symptoms improve, Dr. Blubaugh adjusts your dosage accordingly.

The final phase of treatment, the maintenance phase, involves gradually decreasing your dosage until you no longer need suboxone. Dr. Blubaugh may recommend continuing complementary dependency services like counseling.

A crucial part of Dr. Blubaugh’s work with the suboxone program treating opioid dependence involves working closely with the local Commission for Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Walterboro, South Carolina and New Life Center in Hampton, South Carolina.

Are there any side effects associated with suboxone?

Studies have shown that suboxone can be safely administered at home, is very safe for use by most people, and is highly effective in treating opioid dependency. However, some side effects are associated with suboxone treatment, including:

• Blurred vision
• Constipation
• Headaches
• Stomach pain
• Trouble sleeping
• Vomiting

More severe side effects are possible but are very rare. As always, you should feel comfortable discussing any questions or concerns you may have about suboxone with Dr. Blubaugh.

To learn more about how you or a loved one can benefit from suboxone treatment for opioid dependency, call or schedule an appointment online today.