Is Suboxone Detox Safe?
As of 2002, Suboxone was approved by the U. S. Food & Drug Administration for use as an opiate addiction treatment, according to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration. While still considered fairly new, Suboxone detox treatment has proven to be an effective opiate addiction treatment approach.
As with most any medication treatment, what cures one problem may just as easily cause another. Each person entering treatment differs in how addiction has affected their physical and psychological health as well as how it’s impacted their daily living conditions. Where Suboxone treatment may work especially well for some people, it may not work so well for others.
When taken as prescribed, Suboxone detox offers a safe, effective approach for helping addicts overcome opiate addiction. That being so, Suboxone may still cause certain side effects for some people. Possible medication interactions and addiction risks also pose safety concerns for those considering Suboxone detox treatment.
Suboxone Detox Treatment
Suboxone is regarded as a safe medication treatment for opiate addiction.
For people entering opiate detox, brain and body processes enter a state of disarray once a person stops abusing opiate drugs. As a result, withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings run rampant in the absence of opiate drug effects.
According to the U. S. Food & Drug Administration, Suboxone detox treatment works to reduce drug cravings and ease withdrawal symptoms by stimulating brain cell sites in much the same way as opiate drugs do. This mechanism of action provides needed relief and lessens the likelihood a person will relapse during treatment.
Possible Side Effects
As Suboxone affects the same brain processes as other opiate drugs, its side effect profile closely resembles the types of side effects caused by commonly abused opiate drugs.
Possible side effects experienced during Suboxone detox include:
- Slower breathing rates
- Coordination problems
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Allergic reactions, such as hives and rashes
- Low blood pressure rates
While these effects pose no real life threatening or safety risks, some effects can potentially impair a person’s ability to perform certain tasks like driving or operating heavy machinery.
Medication Interactions
Suboxone’s effectiveness relies on its being metabolized at certain rate within the body. Any medications capable of slowing or speeding up the rate at which Suboxone is metabolized can impair the drug’s therapeutic effects.
Medications to avoid during Suboxone detox include:
- Sedatives
- Anxiety medications
- Antihistamines
- Antidepressants
- Sleeping pills
Physical Dependence & Addiction Risks
Suboxone is a synthetic opiate drug that falls under the Schedule III classification of controlled substances. Though considerably less addictive than commonly abused opiates, Suboxone does carry an addiction risk. For Suboxone detox treatment purposes, a Schedule III narcotic drug poses less of an addiction risk than other opiate addiction treatments, such as methadone.
Overdose Risks
While intended as an addiction treatment medication, it’s possible for someone in Suboxone detox to abuse the drug during a relapse episode. Combining Suboxone with other opiate drugs can place users at serious risk of overdose and even death. Benzodiazepines, sedative and tranquilizer medications can also trigger overdose episodes when taken with Suboxone.
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