How well does it really work?
You are interested in Suboxone treatment for opiate addiction, but you want to know what are your chances for success. Additionally, you would like to know how it compares to other treatments. So, what is the success rate of Suboxone treatment?
A basic comparison.
There are three medications used to treat opiate addiction. Let us see how they compare:
- Methadone: This powerful opioid drug is used in methadone maintenance programs. To be in one of these programs, you must initially go every single day. While it generally has a bad reputation, many negatives are actually myths. For some people, this may be the best option. Methadone has the longest track record, and it tends to keep more people in treatment than Suboxone does.
- Buprenorphine: This drug, buprenorphine, is contained in brands such as Suboxone, Subutex and ZubSolv. While Methadone is the gold standard of treatment for opiate addiction, Suboxone treatment works best with many people’s lifestyles. When on Suboxone, you will want to get back to your regular life. Fortunately, Suboxone treatment allows you to see your doctor on a monthly basis. In addition to convenience, Suboxone is a safer drug overall compared to Methadone. There is no single success rate for Suboxone, because success can mean staying in treatment, staying off of other opioids, or simply staying alive.
- Naltrexone: While this drug is most often associated with the monthly Vivitrol injection, it also comes in the form of affordable generic tablets. This opiate blocker can help with opiate addiction and alcoholism. One benefit is that it is not an opioid like the first two drugs listed here. This fact is appealing to many people. One downside is that it is difficult to get started because you must be clean from opiates for a longer period of time before starting naltrexone. The monthly naltrexone injection can work about as well as Suboxone for people who are able to get started on it, but many people never get past that first step.
Which one should I choose since the success rate of suboxone treatment is no better than the others?
This is an excellent question. While you may be thinking that Suboxone is not the best choice, it is right in the middle as far as being safe and convenient. It is easy to get started and it works very well for many people. My opinion is that it is the best choice for initial treatment for the majority of patients. That being said, I would still recommend discussing options with your doctor. Methadone, while not as safe or convenient, will be the best option for a select group of patients. It should not be completely ruled out as an option.
Is the success rate of Suboxone treatment good compared to rehab?
While some rehab programs are now including Suboxone treatment, many do not believe in the use of MAT (medication assisted treatment). This means that they use only a very short term period of Suboxone treatment or none at all. A program that uses no drug therapy is called an abstinence-based program. Unfortunately, for opiate addiction, most people who complete one of these programs return to opioid use, often within weeks, and the risk of overdose is higher at that point because tolerance has dropped. Hence, you can see that Suboxone treatment compares very well. People who stay on Suboxone or methadone are far less likely to die of an overdose than people who stop. And if you stick to the program as directed by your doctor, you will improve your personal chances of long term success.
How can I find a Suboxone treatment program?
If you are in the South Florida area, particularly Broward County and Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Leeds is currently accepting new patients. We have a caring and compassionate program with a focus on empathy and listening carefully to our patients to address their individual needs. If you are not close by our Fort Lauderdale location, there are many good Suboxone treatment programs around the country. Here is an article to help you find an MAT ZubSolv program near you. While the article specifies ZubSolv, a brand similar to Suboxone, the methods listed to find treatment programs are the same.
This article is educational. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Decisions about starting, continuing, or tapering any medication should be made with your own physician.
