How Long is Suboxone Treatment

Suboxone

Suboxone is a prescription pain medication used for the treatment of opiate dependency and withdrawal. Suboxone is widely considered a safer and less addictive alternative to Methadone, and can even be taken in the comfort of one’s own home. Suboxone is effective on any opiate based drug including heroin, morphine, oxycontin, oxycodone, vicodin, percocet, even methadone. One of the major reasons why suboxone is so effective at treating opiate withdrawal symptoms is because of its long duration effect. Because the effect of suboxone lasts much longer than other opiates, it gives the patient a longer duration of relief from their painful withdrawal symptoms.

Getting Started

If you are suffering from an opiate addiction and need relief from your opiate withdrawal symptoms, starting a suboxone regimen might be your best solution. However, before getting prescribed suboxone you must first visit a licensed subxone clinic and speak with a physician who is legally allowed to prescribe suboxone. There are currently dozens of reputable and affordable suboxone clinics all over the state of California that can help you to beat your addiction. Many of these clinics are even covered by most insurance plans.

Before starting your suboxone treatment, your doctor will advise you not to take any other opiates for at least 48 hours since your last dose. It is vital that you are currently in a state of mild withdrawal before taking suboxone, or you will suffer immediate precipitated withdrawal after taking the medication. If you have high levels of another opioid in your body when you begin suboxone, it will interfere with the drug and make the patient go into an instant severe state of withdrawal.

Beginning of Treatment

It is important to remember that your first few doses will need to be taken at the suboxone clinic under the direct supervision of your suboxone physician. They will need to monitor the effectiveness of the drug, as well as any complications our allergies that could arise. Once the patient has received their initial dose they should expect to feel relief in about 10-20 minutes. It is common that the doctor will want you to come in for the first few weeks of treatment until they have determined the right amount of suboxone to effectively treat your condition. Once this stabilizing dosage has been determined, the patient will be permitted to take the rest of the medication at their own discretion.

How Long Does Suboxone Treatment Last?

The amount of time an individual needs to be on suboxone varies from person to person and can be several days to several months. An average treatment lasts anywhere from 3-6 months depending on the severity of the addiction. Most suboxone doctors will start slowly weaning the patient off of suboxone after the first few months, until they no longer need to take the drug. Suboxone should always be taken as part of a larger treatment program that involves drug counseling and addiction therapy.