Due
to the high volume of phone calls The Waismann
Method has received this year, we developed a voluntary
study for all visitors to our Web site in order
to better understand the steady growth in the use
of Suboxone ®, a drug replacement therapy for opiates,
as prescribed by physicians. This
study also examined the long-term side effects of Suboxone in patients. Through
our work with Suboxone dependent patients, we have generated a serious
concern with the lack of education and mis-information given by physicians
to their patients when prescribed Suboxone ® as an alternative “treatment” to
an opiate dependency such as OxyContin ®, Vicodin ®, Lortab ®,
and Fentanyl, among others.
Studies conducted in
March of 2007, revealed an increase in interest
in Suboxone ® as a result of a dependency to the
prescription
drug. In
2007, The Waismann Method treated an alarming number of patients with
Suboxone dependency. Among our findings, the most alarming was
that many patients who believed Suboxone to be a “quick fix” suddenly
found themselves physically dependent to the drug after a very short
amount of time. Additionally, in outreach we conducted to managers
of sober-living homes across the country that condone Suboxone ®, the
majority of them indicated they were unaware Suboxone ® is actually an
opiate itself.
People with opiate dependencies
who seek treatment from detox centers are, in many
instances, discharged with a Suboxone prescription
in order to help them maintain a life free of opiates. It is the position
of The Waismann Method that in these instances, patients are not being
detoxed but are receiving drug replacement therapy. We fear that
patients are being misled into believing they are being treated in
these situations.
The Waismann Method
believes professionals within the industry should
share knowledge and understanding of what one another
offer in order to refer patients to a center that
is most appropriate for each individual. The
more choices available to people with opiate
dependencies,
the more successfully patients will be treated
in the way that best suits them.
We understand
that a patient desires to be free of opiates and
not to replace one with another. Therefore,
if The Waismann Method determines that it is in
the best interest of the patient to undergo rapid
detox, we will move forward with treatment. It
is our hope that our colleagues will view treatment
in the same light. Furthermore,
as professionals, we have the social responsibility
to understand the potential outcomes and consequences
of what we have been given the authority to prescribe
as well as educate our patients of these outcomes
to the best of our ability.
For more rapid
detox treatment information, please call
(310) 205-0808 or (888) 987-HOPE(4673) during business
hours or send
us a confidential
email. For after hours and weekends, please call
(310) 927-7155.
call
(310) 205-0808 or (888) 987-HOPE(4673) during business
hours or 
