Above, a discarded Suboxone film package. Photo by GamblinMan22
Prescription pill abuse is supposed to be running rampant, which I don’t understand. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think they take too many pills already. A multivitamin because we don’t eat well enough, aspirin or ibuprofen for headaches, allergy pills, herbal supplements to relax or get to sleep. Then there are prescription medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, to lower blood sugar or prevent panic attacks. So I can’t imagine voluntarily taking more pills just to get high. And no one wants to mess around with hypodermic needles on a regular basis.
Many addicts are trying to get off the pills – or the heroin so many of them are reportedly switching to because of high prices and the opioid pill crackdown. Add the desire to be drug-free, and the doctors reluctance to prescribe more pills (they are being told to cool it with the ones they’ve already been prescribing) seem to make everybody reluctant to try a couple of medications that almost sound like wonder drugs: Suboxone and Vivitrol. Both are used for opioid and heroin abuse treatment.
I said seem like miracle drugs, but they aren’t. They have drawbacks. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be used cautiously. Both should be available at the best inpatient drug rehab centers.
Suboxone is a pill that combines the semi-synthetic opioid buprenophine with the opioid antagonist naloxone. The buprenophine replaces the addicted opioid to wean you off the drug, while naloxone, if taken orally, has no effect because naloxone can’t be absorbed by the human gastrointestinal tract (stomach or intestines). But, if injected, naloxone can cancel out the effects of opioids, and is used this way to stop an overdose. So if it is dissolved and injected into a vein or muscle, the naloxone will cancel out the effect of the buprenophine, causing painful withdrawal symptoms.
On the other hand, it is an opioid, and if taken orally can get you high, especially if you’re not already addicted to something stronger like heroin.
Vivitrol, a trade name for naltrexone, blocks the effects of opioids, too, and can be given in monthly injections, discouraging abuse and making compliance easier. Vivitrol contains no opioid or opioid substitute however, so the addict should be clean for at least seven days before receiving the injection or severe withdrawal may occur. A stay at a heroin detox center is probably advisable first. Once the addict is clean and on Vivitrol, it should prevent an opioid high, thus discouraging opioid use, though the possibility of overdose is increased if use resumes.
On the negative side, Vivitrol is costly, around $1,000 a shot. And the Food and Drug Administration approved it based on only one study. And it may only work for one in five people.
So while Suboxone and Vivitrol might help, neither is a panacea or a miracle cure by itself. If you’re in need of heroin addiction help, a rehab treatment center with multiple resources and multiple treatments is well-advised.
Prescription pill abuse is supposed to be running rampant, which I don’t understand. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think they take too many pills already. A multivitamin because we don’t eat well enough, aspirin or ibuprofen for headaches, allergy pills, herbal supplements to relax or get to sleep. Then there are prescription medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, to lower blood sugar or prevent panic attacks. So I can’t imagine voluntarily taking more pills just to get high. And no one wants to mess around with hypodermic needles on a regular basis.
Many addicts are trying to get off the pills – or the heroin so many of them are reportedly switching to because of high prices and the opioid pill crackdown. Add the desire to be drug-free, and the doctors reluctance to prescribe more pills (they are being told to cool it with the ones they’ve already been prescribing) seem to make everybody reluctant to try a couple of medications that almost sound like wonder drugs: Suboxone and Vivitrol. Both are used for opioid and heroin abuse treatment.
I said seem like miracle drugs, but they aren’t. They have drawbacks. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be used cautiously. Both should be available at the best inpatient drug rehab centers.
Suboxone is a pill that combines the semi-synthetic opioid buprenophine with the opioid antagonist naloxone. The buprenophine replaces the addicted opioid to wean you off the drug, while naloxone, if taken orally, has no effect because naloxone can’t be absorbed by the human gastrointestinal tract (stomach or intestines). But, if injected, naloxone can cancel out the effects of opioids, and is used this way to stop an overdose. So if it is dissolved and injected into a vein or muscle, the naloxone will cancel out the effect of the buprenophine, causing painful withdrawal symptoms.
On the other hand, it is an opioid, and if taken orally can get you high, especially if you’re not already addicted to something stronger like heroin.
Vivitrol, a trade name for naltrexone, blocks the effects of opioids, too, and can be given in monthly injections, discouraging abuse and making compliance easier. Vivitrol contains no opioid or opioid substitute however, so the addict should be clean for at least seven days before receiving the injection or severe withdrawal may occur. A stay at a heroin detox center is probably advisable first. Once the addict is clean and on Vivitrol, it should prevent an opioid high, thus discouraging opioid use, though the possibility of overdose is increased if use resumes.
On the negative side, Vivitrol is costly, around $1,000 a shot. And the Food and Drug Administration approved it based on only one study. And it may only work for one in five people.
So while Suboxone and Vivitrol might help, neither is a panacea or a miracle cure by itself. If you’re in need of heroin addiction help, a rehab treatment center with multiple resources and multiple treatments is well-advised.