I'm Addicted to Opioids: Can Suboxone Help Me?

Addiction recovery can be scary. While some might think those with addictions deserve to suffer, there’s no good reason for unnecessary pain and illness associated with withdrawal. Prescription suboxone can help relieve your symptoms, reducing the likelihood of relapse.

At CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center, with multiple locations in Maryland, our team of board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists helps patients suffering from opioid addiction use suboxone to find their way back to sobriety with minimal withdrawal symptoms and maximal chances of success.

Suboxone basics

As the opioid epidemic took off, researchers began looking for ways to improve the chances of recovery and reduce the terrible symptoms that come with abrupt withdrawal. 

Suboxone and methadone contain full or partial agonists to aid in this process. Both activate opioid receptors in your brain, temporarily calming cravings and helping you avoid typical withdrawal symptoms. 

What makes suboxone unique is that in addition to being an agonist, it’s an opioid antagonist. That means that while it activates your opioid receptors, it blocks those same receptors from making you feel high. That makes suboxone difficult to overdose on or misuse.

Suboxone and methadone aren’t interchangeable, so if you’ve been on methadone before or are currently in a methadone program and considering a switch, make sure you tell the doctors at CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center. 

We can help you decide which option is right for you and help you transition into treatment. 

The suboxone process

We perform a complete physical exam and medical history for every patient entering our suboxone program. That rules out contraindications and alerts us to health conditions that may be concerning for people going through withdrawal. 

Ideally, you’re already in the withdrawal process before receiving your first dose of suboxone. You may miss the high that opioids provide, but the cravings are greatly diminished, and you don’t feel as sick or obsessed as you might have in previous rehab attempts. 

Your maintenance dose of suboxone is provided as a sublingual film, not a pill. You put the film under your tongue, and it dissolves for rapid dissemination into your system. 

We generally start you on a moderately high dose depending on your stage of withdrawal and symptom severity, then step you down as your body responds. 

Creating your personalized recovery plan

Everyone’s treatment plan is different. Many factors can affect how long you’re on maintenance suboxone, such as how many times you’ve been in rehab, your usual dose of opioids, and how your body responds to withdrawal and the drug.

Depending on your individual situation and the existence or lack of a support group, we may recommend any or all of the following:

• One-on-one psychological therapy
• Joining a support group
• Working with a recovery coach 

We may also recommend a healthy diet and exercise plan to help strengthen your body and mind. A hobby can be a way to focus on something besides opioids and make a circle of friends that doesn’t include other addicts. 

A suboxone prescription can be part of a caring, compassionate, and honest recovery plan that aims to help you stay sober long-term without having to suffer for your efforts. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone with CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center today.

Our Maryland offices are in Hyattsville, Gaithersburg, Lanham, Dundalk, Oxon Hill, Rosedale, and Olney, and we have two in Baltimore.