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Does Suboxone Help With Fentanyl Withdrawal?
To answer this question, yes, suboxone can help significantly with fentanyl withdrawal and break opioid addiction.
Still, it is worth knowing a little more about this medication as it can also have adverse effects if not administered correctly.
Treating opioid addictions such as fentanyl nearly always requires medical intervention as withdrawal from these substances can be intense and challenging, and suboxone is often used to assist with managing symptoms.
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What Is Fentanyl?
Before we take a look at suboxone and how it can help with fentanyl withdrawal, let’s take a look at what fentanyl is and how it affects users of this powerful substance.
In short, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever and can be prescribed for patients suffering from painful conditions such as advanced cancer.
This drug is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine, so it’s not surprising that there has been a significant increase in producing and selling the substance illegally, sadly leading to addiction, overdose, and even death.
Synthetic fentanyl is commonly mixed with other substances like heroin or methamphetamines, making it more cost-effective and profitable for illicit manufacturers.
The stark reality of the matter is that many users are completely unaware that their preferred choice of drug is laced with fentanyl and have no idea that their consumption can result in deadly outcomes.
Fentanyl is an extremely powerful drug and is taken mainly for pain relief, relaxation, and experiencing feelings of euphoria. These effects are somewhat short-lived, prompting the user to consume more and so the cycle continues, leading to heavy addiction and/or overdose.
As if that’s not enough, there are more complications when someone attempts to withdraw from the substance. Attempting to go “cold turkey” to kick the habit, is not advisable due to the severity of the withdrawal symptoms and one should always seek professional medical help to guide and assist them through the process.
Vomiting and diarrhea are only two of the main symptoms of fentanyl withdrawal, but they are the two principal factors giving concern when coming off the drug.
When someone has persistent vomiting accompanied by diarrhea, this causes dehydration to the point where the sodium levels in the blood become abnormally low (hyponatremia) and may lead to cardiac arrest. This is why it is fundamental that fentanyl withdrawal is overseen by a healthcare professional to ensure the procedure is safe and treated correctly.
Medically assisted detoxification is the first stage and the recommendable procedure to address fentanyl use, where a clinician can determine the most effective addiction medicine, such as suboxone, and act upon any precipitated withdrawal symptoms.
What Is Suboxone And How Does It Work?
Suboxone is the brand name of a prescribed medicine that helps people addicted to opioid substances and is commonly used for withdrawal from fentanyl. The medication has two active ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone.
Buprenorphine can help with reducing cravings and minimizing the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms, whilst naloxone assists in preventing people from abusing suboxone itself.
Suboxone has a similar effect of binding tightly to the same receptors in the brain as opioids, such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone. In this way, it breaks intoxication with these drugs, preventing severe cravings and unpleasantness and allowing patients to make the transition back to a normal and stable life.
The initial stage of treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone (suboxone) is known as the induction and stabilization phase, when it begins to work on mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms.
Before induction, it is important that a patient only shows mild to moderate symptoms; otherwise, suboxone removes fentanyl from the receptors in the brain, causing a precipitated withdrawal that can be a very unpleasant and dangerous experience.
Does Suboxone Block Fentanyl?
As we have already mentioned, suboxone can block the effects of fentanyl by binding to the same receptors in the brain. Because suboxone is a partial opioid agonist, it works by the buprenorphine contained in the medication, binding to the opioid receptors before fentanyl can, blocking the effects that fentanyl has.
However, this can only happen if a high enough level of suboxone is taken; otherwise, fentanyl may still have an effect if not enough suboxone is administered.
To summarise, suboxone efficiently blocks the effects of fentanyl as a result of the action of the main ingredients, buprenorphine and naloxone.
Can Fentanyl And Suboxone Be Taken Together?
When someone is still taking fentanyl, taking suboxone will not have much effect as the fentanyl will be battling with the buprenorphine to bind to the opioid receptors in the brain, meaning that the full benefit of the medication isn’t accomplished and overdosing on fentanyl is still a possible risk.
If fentanyl and suboxone are taken together, there may be a couple of issues that could arise:
- If someone is in the process of fentanyl withdrawal, taking suboxone can help to reduce unpleasant symptoms and intense cravings.
- If someone is notalready in the process of fentanyl withdrawal, taking suboxone can cause a dangerous precipitated withdrawal.
The outcome of taking both substances together is either one or the other of the above-mentioned; the latter, unquestionably, is to avoid by all accounts.
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What Are The Benefits Of Suboxone?
In summary, the benefits associated with taking suboxone for fentanyl withdrawal are worth mentioning and include:
- Help in minimizing intense withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
- Reduce the risk of abuse or dependence.
- Less risk of overdose.
- Help with ongoing treatment.
- Prescribed and administered by healthcare specialists.
- It may form part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
As with all prescribed medication, it should only be used as directed by licensed healthcare providers and in recommended dosage.
Suboxone can be a life-saving medicine in the treatment of fentanyl and other opioid addictions. Yet, even in today’s age, there are many misconceptions surrounding how drugs are being used and misinformation about addiction.
Where Can I Find Out More About Treatment With Suboxone?
After reading this article, you may want to find out more about suboxone and how it can help significantly with fentanyl addiction.
Seeking treatment can seem daunting, and you may spend several hours flicking through pages of relevant and irrelevant information without finding exactly what you are looking for.
Resilient Recovery is a luxury rehab center in Lancaster, California, providing comprehensive treatment programs under one roof.
We fully understand the difficulties in getting the right answers because we, too, have been there. Many of our team members are recovering addicts themselves and can appreciate how you must be feeling when seeking guidance.
We pride ourselves on having a community of highly qualified staff, all experts in their specific fields, who can offer their guaranteed care and support through every stage of treatment right through to recovery.
Why don’t you call us today to learn about our facilities, services, and effective treatment programs? Our dedicated team will be more than happy to answer all your questions and advise you of our available options to ensure you have every understanding and make your decisions easier.
Conclusion
Getting lifesaving treatment for drug addiction is the reproach people face and a major obstacle for those desperately seeking help. It’s welcoming to know that our outdated perception and opinion of addiction being a social failure is gradually decreasing as we now have an understanding of this disease and its complexities.
Recently, there has been a general surge in addressing the problem with more compassion and introducing enhanced, modern, up-to-date medical care. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go to eradicate substance abuse.
Still, by dismissing myths, correcting misconceptions, and replacing them with current evidence-based treatments, we are on the right path to improving our epidemic of drug addiction.
It is quite normal to want to find out the ins and outs surrounding suboxone, especially when you are unfamiliar with medications and their effects, so it is always a good measure to seek guidance on the matter and satisfy any query you have.
FAQ’s On Suboxone Use
Does suboxone really help with recovery?
Depending on how one defines “recovery”, in current times, suboxone is considered an effective medication for a chronic condition, and since substance addiction is becoming more recognized as a medical condition, the use of this medication is proving to have positive effects on both the treatment and recovery of substance abuse.
Can suboxone be misused?
Like any other opiate and many types of medications, suboxone can be misused. People may misuse it, which means using it illegally, to attempt heroin or fentanyl withdrawal themselves.
Is it easy to overdose on suboxone?
It is much more difficult to overdose on suboxone alone compared to other opiates but when people do overdose on the medication, nearly always it’s because it has been mixed with benzodiazepines which are sedatives and can slow down the breathing rate.
Is therapy needed as well for suboxone to work?
In an ideal world, any addiction treatment should be accompanied by therapy and follow-up coaching but there are around 20% of substance users who are unable to receive adequate treatment either through lack of healthcare insurance or shortage of specialist providers. Nevertheless, suboxone treatment administered on its own without therapy is effective but could prove much more efficient if accompanied by therapy and other supportive measures.
Should suboxone only be taken for short-term use?
There is no evidence to claim suboxone should only be taken for a short time, and between clinicians, there are different theories about the length of suboxone treatment. One of the determiners is the patient’s preferences and needs.