Phoenix is the largest city in Arizona with many cases of opioid addiction. A Phoenix Buprenorphine specialist can help you address your addiction using medicine.
Buprenorphine is a prescription medication used to treat opioid dependence. It is an opioid itself but it is weaker than most opioids hence its use to reduce addiction. One feature of buprenorphine that helps it treat opioid addiction is that it has a ceiling level. That means that if you consume the medicine, you get the effects of opioid use but after a certain point, it has no effect.
There are certain benefits to using buprenorphine to treat addiction including:
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1. Reduces Cravings
Opioids are very strong medicines and so is the addiction to them. It is not safe to stop taking opioids cold turkey as you will have severe physical withdrawal symptoms. The best way to stop your addiction is to gradually reduce the consumption of the substance.
Buprenorphine treatment will start with a high dose of the medicine which will gradually decline. Taking buprenorphine will gradually reduce your cravings for the opioid to which you are addicted. The fewer cravings you have, the higher the chances of stopping your addiction.
2. Reduces Effects of Other Opiates
The reason that opioid medicine is so addictive is that it produces a very strong effect on the body. Most opioid addictions start as a result of taking medicine for chronic pain. Eventually, you start seeking stronger effects from your medicine which leads to addiction. Buprenorphine reduces the effects of the other opioids you consume beside it.
When you no longer get such a strong effect from taking the opioid, you will automatically reduce its consumption. It also helps restore the chemical balance in your brain as the imbalance is what leads to addiction to the opioid.
3. Reduces Withdrawal Symptoms
As stated above, opiates are strong drugs and if you stop taking them, you will have withdrawal symptoms. The withdrawal symptoms are very severe though not as severe as those for hard drugs like cocaine and heroin.
Withdrawal symptoms are debilitating and are the main reason why many addicts continue using opioid drugs. They may include cold sweats, shaking, vomiting, and fevers among others. Buprenorphine treatment will help reduce the potency of the opiate to which you are addicted. With less severe withdrawal symptoms, it becomes relatively easier to stop your addiction than if you were to stop it without buprenorphine.
4. Increases Chances of Success
Buprenorphine treatment will rarely be used on its own as an addiction treatment. Instead, it will typically be part of a treatment program alongside other activities like counseling. Addiction treatment rates are usually very low. It takes some doing to retain patients to a treatment program especially as it pertains to opioid use.
However, including buprenorphine as part of the treatment substantially increases the treatment’s chance of success. All the above benefits of the medicine also contribute to its effectiveness as part of a treatment program. On the other hand, not every addiction patient will respond positively to buprenorphine. Therefore, you need to consult an addiction specialist to know if it is right for you.