Suboxone® Detox & Addiction Facts

RDD Center can help free you from Suboxone Addiction

Important: Are you considering Suboxone^® as a method to quit drug addiction?
Please read this letter from a real person who became addicted to Suboxone^® after trying to quit other drugs.

This letter really captures the pain that people feel when they realize they have now become addicted to Suboxone^® :

I have been on Suboxone^® for the last few years after being addicted to pain pills from my many surgeries. I was never told about the many negative side effects from this drug. After reading about them I realize I suffer from all of them. I went from a happy, confident, popular guy to now having no friends, very depressed, and isolated, basically feeling like hell. I’ve been trying to get off of it for more than 6 months now and every time I stop taking it, the month or two of withdrawal outlasts my will.

I need help to get off of it and if I don’t, my fear is I won’t be alive in a year. It has ruined me in every way; most of all financially. I need advice, please help me.

Suboxone^® Addiction

Buprenorphine, (Subutex, Suboxone^® ) is an addicting opiate drug with agonist/partial agonist and receptor agonist/antagonist actions. The antagonist action is not useful and has no effect when a person uses this drug sublingually (under the tongue). The Naloxone (antagonist) in this medication is only activated when the Buprenorphine (Suboxone^® ) is delivered intravenously (the person shoots it up). It was first marketed in the 1980s by Reckitt & Colman as an analgesic, available generally as Buprenex in a 0.3 mg/ml injectable formulation in the United States. In October 2002, the FDA approved Suboxone^® and Subutex, Buprenorphine’s high-dose sublingual pill preparations for opioit addiction, and as such the drug is now also used for this purpose. It has been a Controlled Substance/Schedule III drug under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances since it was rescheduled from Controlled Substances Act Schedule V (the schedule with the lowest restriction and penalties) just before FDA approval of Suboxone^® and Subutex. In recent years, buprenorphine has been introduced in most European countries as a transdermal formulation (“patch”) for the treatment of chronic pain.

Buprenorphine is a thebaine derivative with powerful analgesia properties. Its analgesic effect is due to agonist activity at the µ-opioid receptors. Buprenorphine also has very high chemical binding affinity for the Mu opioid receptor. An overdose cannot be easily reversed (although overdose is unlikely in addicted patients or people with tolerance to opiates, especially if there are no benzodiazepines involved). Use in persons addicted and physically dependent on opiates may trigger opioid withdrawal that also cannot be easily reversed and can last over 24 hours, as the drugs mean half-life is 36 hours.

Depending on the application form, buprenorphine is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain or for pre-operative analgesia. For the treatment of chronic pain, the transdermal formulation (not currently available in the U.S. as of January 2008) is preferred. It can be used both for chronic cancer pain as well as chronic non-malignant pain (e.g. musculosceletal and neuropathic pain). The intravenous formulation is mainly used in postoperative pain (e.g. as a PCA – patient controlled analgesia) and the sublingual formulation can be used as a medication for patients with basic transdermal treatment.

Call us at 1-866-399-2967 or just contact us to learn more about how we can help you overcome Suboxone^® addiction.

Suboxone^® Side Effects (From Pharmaceutical Literature):

Drowsiness, dizziness, weakness, constipation, headache, nausea, or vomiting, slow, shallow breathing, mental and mood changes, depression, stomach/abdominal pain, dark urine, yellowing eyes and skin, vision changes. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing.

Symptoms Reported to Rapid Drug Detox – That Is Not Listed in Pharmaceutical Literature While Taking Suboxone^® 

Profuse sweating, decreased libido, lack of motivation, sadness, low energy levels, decreased hormonal levels such as decreased testosterone in men, decreased muscle mass, tone and strength, lack of zest for life and flat effect, feeling little emotion and hopelessness, urinary retention.

We encourage you to contact the FDA at: 1(800) FDA-1088 and report any negative side effects you have experienced from taking this drug.

Suboxone^® Addiction Effects

Like full agonist opiates, buprenorphine can cause addiction, drowsiness, vomiting and respiratory depression. Taking buprenorphine in conjunction with CNS depressants such as sedative, tranquilizers, and ”especially” benzodiazepines can be particularly dangerous. Falling asleep while abusing this drug, especially while combining it with other central nervous system depressants can be extremely dangerous and thus greatly increases the chance of serious complications or death.

Common adverse drug reactions associated with the use of buprenorphine are similar to those of other opiates and include: nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, itchy skin, dry mouth, orthostatic hypotension, male ejaculatory difficulty, decreased libido, urinary retention. Constipation and CNS effects are seen less frequently than with other opiates. Hepatic necrosis and hepatitis with jaundice have been reported with the use of buprenorphine especially after intravenous injection of crushed tablets.

As with other opiates, addiction/dependence and tolerance often become a problem when used daily. There is little evidence that buprenorphine is less likely to cause such problems. Many doctors, especially those working in in-patient 14-28 day drug treatment facilities, prescribe this drug for withdrawal/addiction, never telling the patient the addictive nature of this drug. This is just trading one opiate drug for another. Many patients are led to believe that maintenance dosages can remain at the same level indefinitely. The enormous and continued profits received from prescribing this drug are without question. It is proving to become a common and accepted answer to addiction and many call it the “doctor’s office methadone”. We have even heard of some Anesthesia Detox Facilities giving it to patients for up to 8 months after the detox procedure and approximately 98% of in-patient rehab centers are using it. These patients do well while taking the drug but when discharged, in about 3 days, patients are typically very sick and suffering withdrawal and seeking help from this addiction.

Suboxone^® Withdrawal Symptoms

Suboxone^® / Subutex / Buprenorphine withdrawal can be a painful process, particularly after heavy use. Symptoms are typically experienced within 36 hours of stopping the use and can last up to several weeks after depending on the intensity of Suboxone^® use. Symptoms of Suboxone^® withdrawal can include severe anxiety, sweating, malaise, anxiety, depression, cramp-like pains in the muscles, leg kicking (kicking the habit), severe and long lasting sleep difficulties (insomnia), diarrhea, goose bump skin (cold turkey), cramps, abdominal pain, dehydration, convulsions, thoughts of suicide and fever. Some patients complain that these symptoms last up to 2-5 weeks. All of these symptoms can be quite pronounced causing the patient to experience such intense and uncomfortable symptoms that a “cold turkey” withdrawal is very uncomfortable causing the patient to revert back to their original drug use. Many patients have said the withdrawal is worse than it would be for their original opiate.

Rapid Anesthesia Suboxone^® Detox

The RDD Method^™ for Suboxone^® detoxification under anesthesia is a medical procedure that eliminates most of the withdrawal symptoms. During the procedure the patient is given medication to relax and then put under light, general anesthesia for approximately 60 minutes. Following the procedure, recovery begins under direct medical supervision.

The patient’s vital signs and overall physical and mental reactions to these medications are closely monitored during the detox procedure. In the days that follow, the patient often sleeps more than usual. Administered by professionals as part of a long-term drug-addiction recovery strategy, The RDD Method^™ has been shown to be significantly more effective than other courses of Suboxone^® addiction treatment.

Suboxone^® Addiction FAQs

1. How do I know if I am addicted to Suboxone^®?
2. Short-term users may require a detox program in order to successfully discontinue use because of Suboxone^®‘s addictive traits. Addicts typically require higher doses of the drug and experience cravings for Suboxone^®between doses.
3. How long does Suboxone^®detox take?
4. The detox process for Suboxone^®varies in length depending on the pattern of typical use and on individual differences. The most severe withdrawal symptoms occur during the first several days after discontinuing use making it important to seek immediate professional help from trained Suboxone^® detox professionals.
5. Is Suboxone^®addiction recovery painful?
6. While recovery from Suboxone^®addiction can be painful; the right procedure greatly reduces discomfort. Anesthesia Suboxone^® detox is a procedure that is effective at reducing the pain normally associated with Suboxone^® detox.
7. How do I choose a Suboxone^®detox program?
8. Talking to a trained detox or medical professional is the right first step in choosing the appropriate program. Call us at 1-866-399-2967 or contact us  to learn more.

The Truth about Switching From Methadone to Suboxone^® /Subutex

Many Methdone clinics are making available the Suboxone^® treatment as a way of keeping their patients. We never use other replacement addicting opiates, often prescribed by physicians and detox centers, such as Suboxone^® /Subutex (Buprenorphine) or injectable Buprenorphine. These schedule III controlled opiate drugs under The Federal Controlled Substance Act are routinely and widely used and approved by the FDA for opiate addiction maintenance like Methadone. Many patients find themselves in the same situation as they were before after switching to a Suboxone^® /Subutex drug treatment from their methadone clinic, a private doctor or a drug rehabilitation center. We have heard of some in-patient rehab centers also using schedule II controlled liquid Hydrocodone and Dilaudid “cocktails”. Patients soon realize these replacement drugs cause severe withdrawal once they are discharged from these programs. This causes the patient to seek opiates for relief from the severe discomfort of a Buprenorphine or a replacement opiate withdrawal. The use of these drugs for treatment of opiate addiction is merely switching one opiate drug for another setting the patient up for failure. This does not solve the patient’s drug addiction problem. Stopping these replacement drugs sets the patient up for failure, causing them to immediately seek drugs to relieve their withdrawal symptoms perpetuating their addiction and leaving them feeling hopeless for a solution.

It is important to question treatment centers and learn the truth about their programs. Trading one opiate drug for another is not acceptable treatment and promises of weaning off of these drugs are nearly impossible, misleading and rarely done with any success.

As use of these drugs become more common, we are seeing a steady increase of requests for an anesthesia detox from patients addicted to Suboxone^® /Subutex (Buprenorphine). Currently, approximately 15% of our patients are Suboxone^® addicted. With RDD’s Naltrexone Therapy used as a pellet/implant, injectable “IM” shot or the oral pill form, the patient stays clean and cravings are eliminated.

If you are using opiate drugs to control pain and feel you are using more and more to get the same pain relief, you may be suffering from a common condition caused from opiate drug use; read about this condition called Hyperalgesia. Also, read about hormones and how the chronic use of opiate drugs can decrease the bodies ability to produce the proper amount of testosterone and estrogen.

Suboxone^® letter from the government : [PDF] Buprenorphine is a derivative of thebaine, a major constituent of opium, presently marketed in the United States as an injectable formulation under the brand name of Buprenex for the treatment of pain. It is classified as a narcotic agonist-antagonist, or partial agonist, with an analgesic potency far greater than morphine (buprenorphine is generally reported to have 20 to 30 times the analgesic potency of morphine sulfate in humans).