Only a qualified medical professional should initiate Suboxone therapy with a patient who is trying to wean off other opioid painkillers. Used to treat opioid addiction, Suboxone should be given when a patient is already suffering from an opiate withdrawal syndrome. If Suboxone is given too soon after other opiates have been ingested, a precipitated withdrawal may develop. Suboxone contains buprenorphine and is used to manage opiate withdrawal from OxyContin, heroin, Percocet, Vicodin and other drugs. Suboxone, a sublingual tablet, also contains naloxone to guard against misuse. If a patient has high levels of other opiates in the system, the first dose of Suboxone will compete with the opioid molecules and replace them in the body’s opioid receptor sites. This can cause a rapid onset of opioid withdrawal and feelings of sickness. This precipitated withdrawal can be severe. It’s best to take the first dose of Suboxone when you are already in mild to moderate withdrawal. This should make a patient feel better, not worse.

Detoxing from Opiates: Commonly Reported Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal associated with opioid detox includes a host of uncomfortable symptoms that can become quite serious if not addressed properly. Depending on the opiate medication and the severity of the problem, withdrawal symptoms can vary widely. They can include a strong drug craving, tremors, runny nose, chills, sleeplessness, anxiousness, flu-like symptoms, depression, hallucination, delirium, sweating, muscle and bone pain, confusion, extreme irritability and muscle spasms.

Waismann Method Offers Opiate-Free Treatment for Opiate Addiction

Buprenorphine is an opioid and partial agonist. While it can cause euphoria and respiratory depression, its effects are said to be less than full agonists such as heroin. It may have a lower risk of causing abuse and addiction than some other drugs, but dependence is still possible. The Waismann Method of Accelerated Neuro-Regulation offers rapid drug detox for patients dependent upon Suboxone and other opiates. What sets us apart from many other detox programs is that our treatment is opiate-free. We don’t use opiate replacements in our program. The Waismann Method utilizes intravenous medications to cleanse opiates from patients’ receptors while they sleep lightly under anesthesia in a hospital. The procedure itself takes less than two hours and patients are able to return to their lives in a matter of days.