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| Suffering from mental problems Photo by Camila Quintero Franco on Unsplash |
Buprenorphine (Suboxone®)-assisted treatment helps people manage their withdrawal symptoms and overcome addiction to opioids. Unfortunately, much misinformation exists about this treatment. Here are several myths about buprenorphine (Suboxone®):
- You can overdose on it.
In almost all fatal overdoses which involved buprenorphine, the overdose was caused by mixing buprenorphine with other drugs. Compared to other opiates, serious medial complications resulting from overdose are uncommon. The medication is a partial opiate receptor agonist and activates certain parts of the brain with less intensity than other opioids. Further, buprenorphine can activate only a few opioid receptors in the brain, making overdose less likely.
- You aren’t recovering if you’re taking buprenorphine (Suboxone®).
The idea has persisted that taking buprenorphine (Suboxone®) means a person is not recovering from an addiction, that they are simply substituting one drug for another. However, addiction is often regarded as a medical condition that necessitates the use of medication for treatment, as outcomes are otherwise generally worse. Moreover, the use of buprenorphine (Suboxone®) often reduces the harm from opioid drugs, by resulting in less illicit drug use, and fewer negative consequences that such behaviors may lead to (time away from work or family to obtain drug, to recover from intoxication or withdrawal, and less illegal activities engaged in to obtain the drug).
- buprenorphine (Suboxone®) should be used briefly.
While different practitioners have different opinions on the length of time their patients should use buprenorphine (Suboxone®), no evidence supports claims on the exact length of time the drug should be used. Generally, a patients may be treated with buprenorphine (Suboxone®) for as long as their doctor safely prescribes it, with many patients successfully treated for several years.
