“Should I consider suboxone for my son?”
My son is addicted to opioid medication and is going to a day program for rehabilitation. I want to suggest suboxone because I've heard of its benefits. Is this really something that I should consider for my son?
2 Answers
Hi! I'm glad your son has chosen to get help! Buprenorphine (which is found in Suboxone) can help with cravings. Having said that, it should only be started if he is still using opiates because it too can be addicting. There are other options available if he has been off opiates for awhile such as the Vistaril injection and naloxone tablets. He should sit down with his doctor and discuss which treatments would work best based on the stage of recovery he is currently in. Good luck!
The answer depends somewhat on your son's specific circumstances. For almost everyone, abstinence alone ("just stop using" and go to rehab or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings) fails 95% of the time. Opiates rewire the brain to the extent that it's not possible to experience pleasure with anything except using, and this effect often lasts for months after you stop. The craving is overwhelming, and it's just too hard to quit. Yet 75% of rehabs are ideologically committed to abstinence and won't support Medication Assisted Treatment with Suboxone or Vivitrol. They refuse to treat anyone on Suboxone because "It's just another mind-altering drug." It can be hard to find physicians who will prescribe Suboxone. But the science is clear: Suboxone saves lives and dramatically improves the likelihood of success.
