Suboxone Withdrawal: Everything You Need to Know
Did you know that Suboxone has been approved by the FDA as an effective way to withdraw from opioids with significantly less discomfort? Opioid addiction is at a record high in the United States, and both addiction and subsequent withdrawal can be uncomfortable and even fatal.
This is where Suboxone withdrawal comes in. It blocks your opioid receptors and can dull cravings for opioids while you withdraw and go through addiction treatment or therapy. It’s a safe, effective, and affordable way to withdraw.
If you or a loved one struggles with addiction and you’re looking for more information on this method of opioid withdrawal, read on!
How Does Suboxone Withdrawal Work?
Opioids attach to specific receptors in your brain, triggering the release of dopamine. The longer you use opioids and the greater doses you take, the more dependent your brain becomes on these substances to get dopamine.
This is known as your brain’s reward system. Essentially, every time you take opioids your brain rewards you by feeling good. This is why opioids are so addictive.
Suboxone is a brand of an opioid antagonist called buprenorphine. Buprenorphine binds to the same opioid receptors without the symptoms. It essentially blocks the receptors from accepting opioid particles, tricking your reward system.
This allows you to go through a withdrawal with fewer cravings and symptoms. This is generally used during the tapering period as you get off the drug, and then Suboxone treatment is stopped.
Suboxone Withdrawal Symptoms
While using Suboxone can reduce symptoms, it will still result in a bit of a chemical imbalance in your body as you get rid of the opioids and replace them with Suboxone. During a Suboxone detox, you will experience symptoms similar to the flu with body aches, nausea, and fevers.
Suboxone Withdrawal Timeline
Suboxone is administered usually with one dose every day. In the first 24 hours of your first dose, you’ll experience your first withdrawal symptoms due to a lack of opioids in your system. These first symptoms will feel like you’re coming down with a cold.
Withdrawal symptoms will slowly worsen, even with the Suboxone. They’ll peak about three days into the process, with a fever, body aches, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Shortly after the peak, you’ll experience a turning point in which the symptoms will start to get better. Within a week, the major physical symptoms will be gone.
After the initial withdrawal, there will still be some residual symptoms like drug dreams, substance cravings, depression, and anxiety. Suboxone treatment is therefore considered most effective in conjunction with therapy.
Suboxone Treatment
Suboxone treatment can be very effective if you or your loved one struggles with opioid addiction. Many addicts relapse during the withdrawal phase because the symptoms are so severe and the cravings so strong. This is why many addicts feel powerless in the face of their addiction.
Suboxone allows you to take control over your addiction by relieving the symptoms and making them manageable. You can make an online Suboxone doctor’s appointment, to get yourself started with some medical advice.
Consider Suboxone Today
Hopefully, this article will have given you a sense of how Suboxone can help you overcome your addiction.
Many addicts feel hopeless, but hope and help are always available to those who reach out. Don’t be shy to ask a doctor about Suboxone withdrawal. It can give you the freedom of a life without addiction.
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