Posts Tagged ‘Part’
Part Two of Suboxone, a New Paradigm
In Part One of this article I described the problems with traditional treatment of opiate addiction. Suboxone is a revolutionary alternative.
Suboxone consists of two drugs; buprenorphine and naloxone. The naloxone is irrelevant if the addict uses the medication properly, but if the tablet is dissolved in water and injected the naloxone will cause instant withdrawal. When suboxone is used correctly, the naloxone is destroyed in the liver shortly after uptake from the intestines and has no therapeutic effect. Buprenorphine is the active substance; it is absorbed under the tongue (and throughout the mouth) but destroyed by the liver if swallowed. There is a formulation of buprenorphine without naloxone called subutex; I have used this formulation when the patient has apparent problems from naloxone, including headaches after dosing with suboxone. I have also treated addicts who have had gastric bypass, where the first part of the intestine is bypassed and the stomach contents empty into a more distal part of the small intestine. In such cases the naloxone escapes ‘first pass metabolism’, the process with normal anatomy where the drug is taken up by the duodenum and transferred directly to the liver by the portal vein, where it is quickly and completely destroyed. After gastric bypass naloxone can be taken up by portions of the intestine that are not served by the portal system, causing blood levels of naloxone sufficient to cause brief, relatively mild withdrawal symptoms.
Opiate Detox: Suboxone, a New Treatment Paradigm: Part One
Suboxone is a relatively new medication for opiate dependence that will result in a sea change in addiction treatment. Physicians currently prescribing suboxone are aware of the usefulness of this medication, and news of the medication has reached ‘the street’ to such an extent that opiate addicts often call addictionologists and ask for the drug by name. Word of mouth is spreading the news about suboxone without the benefit (or need) of television commercials. My experiences with suboxone make me wonder if we are at the verge of an entirely new approach to opiate addiction, and in turn to other addictions as well.
GS With GS – Heroin Addiction Among Teenagers – Part 2.mp4
Heroin Addiction: GS with GS – Heroin Addiction Among Teenagers – Part 2.mp4
Heroin Addiction Among Teenagers – Hear from the experts about this epidemic.
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Heroin Addiction: US docs are overprescribing drugs, study finds
U.S. doctors are too quick to reach for their prescription pads, according to a new report urging them to think more about side effects and non-drug alternatives.
Read more on MSNBC
Related Heroin Addiction Information…