| 2010-04-20 - Suboxone Treatment for Opiate Addiction |
Close to a million individuals in US are addicted to opioids and yet less than 20% receive any treatment for their addiction. The best management for these chronic addicts is medical treatment which decreases their addiction and improves their social status in society. For the past 4 decades, methadone has been the treatment of choice for the treatment of drug addicts. However, all methadone programs have long waiting lists, have rigid admission criteria and the majority of methadone programs are only found in large urban cities. Current data indicate that buprenorphine, which is a partial opioid receptor agonist, may also be effective for treatment of opioid addiction.
The Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 allowed physicians to provide office-based treatment for opioid addiction. This Federal Legislation allowed physicians to prescribe Schedule III, IV, or V "narcotic" medications that were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for patients with opioid addiction. In 2002, the FDA approved buprenorphine and combination ofbuprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) to manage opioid dependence.
Buprenorphine (Suboxone)
Buprenorphine, is an opioid drug with partial agonist and antagonist activity. Buprenorphine was first marketed in the 1980s as an analgesic, yet today it is primarily used for the treatment of opioid addiction. It has a longer duration of action than morphine, and sublingual administration offer an analgesic effect which lasts 6 to 8 hours. Because the drug can not be reversed by naloxone, it is not recommended for pain control.
When used for opioid dependence, buprenorphine remains effective in the body for up to 48 hours, decreases the tendency for withdrawal symptoms and counteracts the effects of concomitant opioids that may be taken by the patient.
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