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Requirements for Suboxone

Suboxone is a powerful medication for treating opioid and opiate dependency. It is more popular than methadone among many doctors, as it limits euphoric side effects and potential for abuse. There are several specific requirements one must meet to be considered a candidate for Suboxone treatment.

  1. Finding a Doctor

    • An important requirement to consider is that you need to find a doctor who is certified to provide Suboxone treatment. A doctor cannot prescribe Suboxone (or Subutex, a similar treatment) to a patient unless they have a special treatment. If you are interested in pursuing Suboxone treatment for opioid dependency, you may need to look beyond your regular family physician.

    Starting Treatment

    • The most important requirement deals with when a patient begins Suboxone treatment. A patient must be in opioid withdrawal when they take their first dose of Suboxone. If a patient takes Suboxone before they are in withdrawal (i.e., when they are still under the influence of opiates) the drug is actually designed to make the patient sick. For this reason, it should never be mixed with opioids, and treatment must not be started until the patient is feeling physical symptoms of withdrawal.

      On the flip side, Suboxone treatment should not be started after a patient has already passed withdrawal--if administered in this manner, Suboxone may have some euphoric, opiate-like effects. Suboxone is only designed to ease physical symptoms of withdrawal; it should never be used as a replacement for opiates when a patient is experiencing post-withdrawal “cravings.”

    Administration

    • An obvious requirement is that the patient take Suboxone exactly as prescribed. Attempts to abuse Suboxone can result in extremely unpleasant side effects. Suboxone is chemically designed to guard against the possibility of patients liquefying and “shooting” (injecting) the drug. If a user administers Suboxone through injection, the drug will actually take on an opposite effect and put the user into immediate withdrawal. There are also reports of abuse through insufflating (“snorting”) crushed-up Suboxone tablets. This is a very dangerous way to administer a powerful drug and is obviously not recommended. Suboxone should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor, following the exact dosage and schedule prescribed.

    Support

    • One often-overlooked requirement is that the recovering patient be willing to seek help and support on mental and emotional levels. Suboxone only treats the physical symptoms of opioid withdrawal. However, a long-time opiate abuser may experience psychological cravings for the rest of his life--long after the Suboxone treatment has ended. There is no drug that can effectively replace a caring support network.

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