Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of opiate withdrawal symptoms experienced by those undergoing opiate detox after heroin addiction, OxyContin addiction, Percocet addiction, and addiction to other painkillers. Once billed as a drug that was impossible to abuse, reports are showing now that Suboxone abuse has been a growing problem in the past two years.

The Good Side of Suboxone

Suboxone can be a crucial component to opiate detox. For those living with long-term heroin addictions or an addiction to a narcotic painkiller, a Suboxone prescription can dramatically change their lives, providing them with a far smoother and safer detox experience than they would have without it. Patients who use Suboxone to detox off of opiates report that their withdrawal symptoms are far less severe than without the drug; some even report that Suboxone provides some anti-depressant effects.

Additionally, Suboxone is available by prescription. Methadone, another popular drug used in opiate detox, is given to the patient daily and in person – he or she has to go to a methadone clinic to get their dose of the drug. Many felt freed from the stigma associated with these clinics when they found that they could get help for opiate addiction with a prescription they could take in the privacy of their own home. It made recovery from addiction finally seem possible for thousands who had previously considered the prospect of treatment to be far too emotionally and physically damaging to attempt.

The Bad Side of Suboxone

One of the drug’s biggest selling points was that it couldn’t be abused. Though Subutex, or a pure form of buprenorphine is used in the first few days of opiate detox, Suboxone includes a drug called naloxone, which can cause immediate withdrawal symptoms in users who attempt to abuse the drug or augment it with heroin and other opiates. Supposedly overdose proof and abuse proof, it seemed like a miracle drug for opiate addiction.

It appears now, however, according to the latest anecdotal evidence and early reports, that Suboxone not only has the capacity to be abused but could be highly dangerous when used incorrectly. Some say that while combining Suboxone and heroin is ineffective, combining Suboxone with methadone can increase the euphoric effects of both drugs. Some even say that, in low doses, patients who have a low opiate tolerance will experience a high when snorting the crushed Suboxone pills.

Fighting Suboxone Abuse and Addiction

The growing concern about Suboxone has caused many doctors, previously certified to prescribe this heavily regulated drug, to stop dispensing prescriptions. Though not impossible to find a prescription for the drug, many who are interested in getting the addiction treatment help they need are turning to private drug rehabs for assistance. If you would like to learn more about our addiction treatment programs here at The Canyon, contact us today for more information.

One of the biggest characteristics defining those in addiction is the inability to avoid acting on impulse. This means that when you feel like getting high, you do it. When you’re angry, you lash out. When you’re depressed, you mope or stay in bed. There is little thought given to the consequences of any action and most decisions are fueled purely by emotion rather than practicality. Doing the hard thing in favor of what’s best for you is often eschewed in favor of doing the easy thing that is most gratifying in the moment.

How Addicts in Early Recovery Usually Eat

The same process usually applies to eating habits for those in recovery after drug and alcohol addiction. If you happen to realize that you’re hungry while you’re standing in front of a fast food joint, you’re likely to step inside and grab a hamburger and fries. Unfortunately, foods like these can make you feel more tired and rundown when you’re done eating, providing you with more fat calories you need and not enough nutrients to stay healthy.

Why Eating Poorly is a Bad Idea in Drug Addiction Recovery

The negative feelings associated with poor eating choices can make you more prone to relapse. If you already don’t feel well or if you’re tired and rundown, little stressors will make more of an impact and you’ll respond more quickly and more emotionally than if you feel calm and healthy. If you have low energy, you’re less likely to make it to your 12-step meetings or therapy, put in the effort at work, or seek out positive friendships. Good nutrition can give you that baseline of positivity that you need to make good decisions in recovery and to stay dedicated to your treatment plan.

Making Good Nutrition Easy in Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery

For starters, eating small meals a few times a day can help you get and maintain a steady level of energy. Choosing healthful foods for those meals (e.g., whole grain breads, lean protein like chicken or nuts, fruits, vegetables, and a little bit of dairy and oils) can mean that your body is constantly getting the good nutrients it needs to keep going. If you’re on the go or if you want to save money and avoid buying premade salads or sandwiches while you’re out, pack healthful snacks and bring them with you. A piece of fruit, fiber bars, and sandwiches on whole grain bread travel well and will keep you going without wasting your money. Cooking healthful meals in advance and portioning them out, putting a few in the freezer and a few in the refrigerator can help make sure that you always have something healthy available to you at home, too.

Any tips you’d like to share about how you stay healthy and eat well during recovery?

Though there are not medications FDA-approved to aid in the treatment of addiction to all illicit substances, there are quite a few medications that work quite well to help fight withdrawal symptoms for certain drugs or reduce the cravings that many experience when they try to quit drinking or getting high. Each drug works differently and in different doses for different people according to their drug history and other co-occurring disorders. Medications may not be appropriate for everyone in recovery. But for those living with an addiction and looking for the most effective treatment available, it’s certainly a viable option and one worth exploring.

Medications that Stop You from Getting Drunk or High

Some medications have one purpose: to subvert a patient’s attempt to relapse during recovery. For those fighting alcoholism, Antabuse is a common medication – this drug will make the patient nauseous if he or she attempts to drink while on the medication. Even though many recovering alcoholics know that they are on the drug and how it will affect them if they attempt to override it, they drink anyway and get very ill.

For those struggling with opiate addiction, naltrexone is a commonly prescribed drug. This drug doesn’t make the patient ill if he or she attempts to use heroin or take opiate painkillers, but it does block the receptors in the brain so that the patient will not experience the euphoric effects, or high. It has the same effect on alcoholics, though, when an alcoholic drinks, they will experience the other side effects of alcohol – slurred speech, slow reaction time, et cetera. They just won’t get high from the experience.

Detox Medications

For those who are detoxing off of opiate painkillers, there are a couple of other medication options that work to help the patient immediately stop taking their drug of choice without experiencing the bulk of the withdrawal symptoms. Methadone is the most common. Taken daily, it blocks the effects of opiates like heroin when it is taken in doses of 80 milligrams or more. It is more often used for patients with a high-dose heroin habit and helps them to transition off of heroin more quickly and avoid a painful detox as they begin the process of rebuilding their lives without drugs.

Suboxone is the latest in opiate detox and addiction treatment medications. Approved by the FDA for nothing but opiate addiction treatment, it combines naltrexone and buprenorphine. It is generally most suitable for patients with low-dose heroin or opiate addictions and can be prescribed by any physician certified to dispense the medication.

Are Medications Right for You?

Do you think a medicated detox would work for you? Have you gone through a medicated detox and have any tips or words of caution to offer? Tell us what you think!

Buprenorphine is the latest drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of heroin addiction. Different from methadone, little is known about the drug, but studies are coming out annually to support its efficacy in the treatment of opiate addiction. Many heroin addicts who use buprenorphine for low-dose addiction treatment report how easy it is to use and applaud the anti-depressant effects of the drug.

The drawback? Many are not fond of the taste or the need to allow multiple lozenges to dissolve under the tongue every other day. But it’s not a bad trade-off, in the opinion of most, and the heroin addiction detox benefits are undeniable.

Here are a few quick facts about the drug, for those who are unfamiliar with what it is or how it works:

1. Buprenorphine was first created as an analgesic in England in 1969. During the 1970s, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) researchers recognized that the drug could be an effective treatment for addiction and, in 1994, the organization contracted the original developer to market the drug in the United States. Buprenorphine was approved by the FDA in 2002.
2. Buprenorphine is sold as Subutex (pure buprenorphine) and Suboxone (a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone).
3. Buprenorphine can be prescribed by a physician, allowing you to take the medication at home rather than come into a drug rehab facility daily as is necessary for methadone addiction treatment. It is the first drug that can be taken at home for the purposes of treating opiate addiction.
4. Approved for opiate addiction treatment by the FDA in 2002, buprenorphine is the only drug that is approved for no other purpose. Even methadone is approved for pain management.
5. Buprenorphine works by binding to the opiate receptors in the brain but does not trigger the pleasure pathway like other opiate drugs.
6. Buprenorphine in the form of Suboxone cannot be abused because the naloxone blocks the effects of other opiates.
7. Buprenorphine is highly regulated by the federal government; it is necessary, for example, for the prescribing physician to undergo a special training in order to be qualified to prescribed the drug.
8. As of yet, there have been no reported deaths due to buprenorphine overdose. Though it is possible to take too much of the drug and experience negative effects, the risk of overdose is far lower than for comparable opiate addiction medications.
9. Buprenorphine has a low level of opiate dependence so those who stop taking the drug experience minimal withdrawal symptoms as compared to methadone.
10. In the middle of 2010, it was estimated that more than 19,000 doctors were certified to prescribe buprenorphine across the United States.

With almost 900,000 heroin users in the United States, buprenorphine is increasing the ability of medical professional to provide treatment to those who need it. It is most effective when used as part of a larger, overall program that addresses opiate addiction on multiple levels. If you would like to find a heroin rehab that can address heroin addiction effectively and safely, contact us at the number listed above today.

Get Your Flu Shot, Tetanus Shot, and Your… Anti-Cocaine-Craving Shot?

Testing for a possible cocaine vaccination has been conducted on lab mice within the last several months. It is common knowledge that rodents share a certain degree of physical characteristics with humans. However, in the analysis of drug addiction in humans as it relates to mice, I have to wave a flag of skepticism. Yes, both animals are structurally similar – but mice do not battle with the phenomenon of reason. Mice don’t have to decide between Bar A or Club C on Friday nights. They don’t live with a moral conscience that kicks in when drug cravings hit. Unfortunately, I just don’t see this vaccine panning out as intended.

To start, consider the statement by a renowned doctor in the field of addiction treatment. As stated in the online edition of Molecular Therapy, on January 4^th, 2010 quotes Dr. Crystal. She is one of the key doctors engaged in the development process. Dr. Crystal states,

“The human immune system doesn’t naturally tag cocaine as something to be destroyed, just like all small-molecule drugs are not eliminated by antibodies. We have engineered this response so that it is against the cocaine mimic. Our very dramatic data shows that we can protect mice against the effects of cocaine, and we think this approach could be very promising in fighting addiction in humans.”

Addicts of cocaine report intense physical cravings, a compulsion to use cocaine despite their best intentions to stop, and a mental preoccupation with the drug. In theory, the vaccine will preclude cocaine from affecting the brain as it historically has in its unaltered state. Through the vaccine’s effects, addicts who succumb to temptation in terms of cocaine would reap disappointing results:

“The antibody immune response produced in lab mice by the vaccine binds to cocaine molecules before the drug reaches the brain and prevents any cocaine-related hyperactivity. The vaccine effect lasted for an incredible 13 weeks, the longest time point evaluated,” states a January 5^th, 2010 article in Medical News Today entitled New Cocaine Vaccine May Squelch Cravings; Remedy Addiction.

Herein lies the rub. Vaccines designed to counter drug cravings might pull drug addicts away from the deep-seated emotional work, a necessary stepping-stone in maintaining abstinence from chemical dependency. Comprehending and managing the mental component of addiction is extremely important to long-term sobriety. By simply relying on a shot injected in the upper arm, a cocaine addict risks losing the inclination to participate in recovery-based work, such as:

• Maintain a regular therapy schedule or regular appointments with an addiction specialist
• Enroll in an inpatient rehabilitation center for drug addicts in which the client will learn invaluable life skills, stress reduction techniques, and bond with other addicts
• Participate in 12-step meetings such as Cocaine Anonymous
• Corral family members to attend family therapy sessions
• Commit to treatment in cases where an intervention is hosted by family and friends

Hopefully the vaccine provides nothing more than a supplemental option, to be integrated into a multifaceted treatment regimen for cocaine addiction. We hope that the link between the reaction seen in mice, and the reaction inherent in humans, continues to be researched and more clearly defined. We also retain optimism that the birth of a cocaine-craving curb does not reduce discretion on behalf of young partygoers. “Well, I can try some coke… there’s a vaccine I can take in the unlikely event that I become addicted!” We’ll keep our fingers crossed until further notice.

With the rise in prescriptions handed out for painkillers like OxyContin and Percocet, benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium, and a variety of stimulant medications, more and more people are concerned: what exactly is addiction and how do you know when you are in danger of developing an addiction to your prescription?

Many people believe that withdrawal symptoms equal drug addiction. If they feel ill when they are late taking their prescription, take too little of the drug or try to stop using the pills altogether, they immediately assume that they must be dealing with a prescription drug addiction. This is not the case. Even the DSM-V, the latest version of the diagnostic manual for the psychiatric and medical community, was updated to show the difference between physical dependence as characterized by withdrawal symptoms and substance abuse addiction.

What Withdrawal Symptoms Signify

Withdrawal symptoms mean that you are physically dependent upon your medication. This can happen with a number of different prescription drugs – not just those that are addictive in nature. Certain anti-depressants, blood pressure medications, and anti-spasmodics can create withdrawal symptoms if you stop using them suddenly, but not one of them will get you high or make you psychologically dependent upon the drug to function socially.

When Addiction is an Issue

Though it is true that withdrawal symptoms do not necessarily signify addiction, they are one of the criteria for an addiction diagnosis. In addition to withdrawal symptoms, those who are addicted to their prescription will also exhibit the following symptoms:

• Psychological cravings. If you feel like you simply have to have your drug of choice in order to get through the day, deal with uncomfortable emotions, accomplish tasks during the day, or interact socially then this is a sign of addiction.
• Compulsive behavior. Even those who want to stop using their drug of choice often feel like they can’t. They feel compelled to get high even when their rational self wants to stop using the drugs completely.
• Augmenting prescriptions. Many addicts crave more and more of the drug and when their doctor stops increasing the dose, they will seek other means of increasing the effect. This can mean duplicating prescriptions fraudulently, using alcohol to intensify the effect, or buying street drugs.
• Negative effects due to drug use. Almost everyone who lives with an active drug addiction finds it difficult to function. Money problems, work problems, relationship problems, health problems – the list of negative consequences of addiction are practically endless.
• The inability to quit. Despite the negative consequences of addiction, those who are addicted to their prescription are completely unable to quit on their own. No matter how many times they promise themselves or loved ones, it’s almost impossible to stop using alone. In these cases, addiction is clearly a problem.

How to Treat Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms related to addiction can be treated at a drug rehab center. Through inpatient or outpatient treatment, you can receive the medical care you need to fight the withdrawal symptoms and the psychotherapeutic treatment necessary to combat the other issues inherent to addiction. Contact us at The Canyon today to learn how we can help.

You may know a little bit about drug rehab from public service announcements, TV commercials, and maybe even your friends. But there’s plenty for you to still learn about drug rehab. One of the most wonderful parts of drug rehab is the unexpected. Preconceived ideas go out the door, a new reality first sober living comes into the light. Find out what you may not expect from drug rehab by reading on.

Unexpected Connections With Other Addicts

Their sound one person, that one in the group seems to know how to get your goat. The one person in group therapy that seems to call you out, almost because they like ticking you off. But maybe, just maybe, could they have a point?

Even when they’ve touched on your deepest point of anger, you have hard time arguing with what they have to say. At some point in group, you realize they are much more your ally than your enemy.

Unexpected Ability To Cope With Emotions

The one reason you’ve been avoiding drug rehab because you know exactly why you started getting high. Family members it all sorts of awful things to you when you were a kid, the only way you found escape was after a friend let you try marijuana. And then some pain pills, and meth, plus some alcohol mixed in.

Before you started drug rehab, you thought there was no way on earth could face a flood of shame, depression, and fear. you just about left after the first day. But since then, you’ve found that you can live with your emotions coming out, little by little. It’s not easy or pleasant, but you have a lot of great people around you helping you take it one step at a time.

Unexpected Motivation For Getting And Staying Sober

When you showed up, he wanted nothing to do with drug rehab. You only doing it because it was either this or jail. Your plan was denied your head, go along with things, and forget about all that garbage as soon as you were done.

But something different happened after you were there for a few days. As much as you wanted to keep cool, you let out a lot of emotion one day. Instead of thinking it was garbage can it actually kind of helped. He found out others thinking a lot like you were. instead of being stuck in your pride, you found yourself wanting to do more. You found motivation to live a better life.

Do these examples surprise you? if you have been through drug rehab once, you may have had a similar experience. Something unexpected happened, in your ideas about drug rehab return on their ear. Thankfully, the unexpected can be just what you need to change your life in drug rehab.