Monthly Archives: November 2014

Methadone or Suboxone

addiction-is-treatable-2A common question among those seeking help is whether methadone or suboxone is the best choice for opioid replacement therapy. It reminds me of the age old debate … which is better, Ford or Chevy? Methadone has been used in opioid addiction treatment for about 45 years. Suboxone has been available to the public for 12 years. Each of these medications has been shown, through conclusive research, to be highly effective in eliminating opioid withdrawal. Both methadone and suboxone achieve a similar outcome, but with subtle differences. [view our comparison chart]

When opiate withdrawal symptoms are no longer a daily preoccupation and source of anxiety, individuals are free to invest their energy & time in productive, meaningful activities. Avoiding withdrawal sickness is the single greatest driver of continued opioid use, and often pushes an individual to desperate measures to maintain a supply of opiates so that they will not get sick.

People unfamiliar with addiction sometimes believe that an addicted person “just wants to get high”. To the contrary, most people with a chronic opioid addiction are just trying to get by, to get through the day without becoming sick all over again. Opioid withdrawal sickness is an exhausting roller coaster ride that rarely slows down long enough to allow an individual to escape. Their relief from opioid withdrawal sickness is typically short-lived, and they then begin feeling sick all over again. Quite a vicious cycle.

This is why suboxone (buprenorphine) and methadone are so valuable as a medical treatment for opioid addiction. These synthesized opioid replacement medications have a slow onset, long duration of action. This means that they don’t quickly spike to maximum levels in a person’s bloodstream like heroin. They reach maximum benefit several hours after they are taken. They then remain active in a person’s system for more than 24 hours and consequently keep painful withdrawal symptoms away. With no fear of being sick, a person can finally live their life and refocus their time where it needs to be: work, school, family, home, etc.

Methadone is a full opioid agonist whereas buprenorphine (the active ingredient in suboxone) is a partial opioid agonist. Because suboxone is a partial agonist, it is somewhat less susceptible to causing overdose and is considered easier to taper off of as individuals lower their daily dosage. As a result of methadone being a full opioid agonist, it is typically more effective with severe, long-term opioid addictions. Suboxone has a peak benefit at 24-32 mg per day whereby higher dosages than this will not produce additional withdrawal relief. However, methadone has no such “ceiling effect” and much higher dosages can be utilized as needed to eliminate a patient’s opioid withdrawal.

Welcome Access Recovery Solutions

ars-locationAccess Recovery Solutions (ARS) Delray Beach is a newly opened outpatient opioid treatment program that offers both methadone and buprenorphine. They are a member of Addiction Medical Solutions who have other methadone clinics across the country.

ARS specialize in medication assisted treatment and have a unique Maintenance to Abstinence program designed to assist patients in eventually becoming free of opioid medications once they have experienced a period of stability. The program is built on a two year continuum of care treatment model.

The ARS clinic provides individualized treatment planning for patients, and their counseling approaches include cognitive-behavioral and motivational approaches up to and including an intensive outpatient program (IOP). IOP is a SAMHSA endorsed, evidence-based addiction treatment that is in widespread use across the United States due to its effectiveness in helping patients learn about and apply effective recovery tools.

ARS offer a variety of other programs and services to serve the Delray Beach community including a Speakers Bureau. With advance notice, the company can provide speakers to educate professionals and non-professionals on substance use disorders and addiction issues. Interested parties can reach the organization at: 561-865-2550. The contact person for ARS Delray Beach is Mike Errico.

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Family Support of Methadone Treatment

methadone-treatmentWhen patients enter treatment for opioid addiction, their families are usually relieved yet apprehensive. They may have seen previous recovery efforts not be sustained and their loved one return to active substance use. So, families often learn to be cautiously hopeful.

With methadone treatment, there is a new component in the recovery process with the addition of medication assistance. Whether it’s methadone or suboxone, families become curious as to how their loved one will handle this new medication. As most readers know, there is considerable misinformation and misunderstanding about what methadone can accomplish. This leads a patient’s family supports to sometimes have a wary attitude toward methadone or suboxone.

I would like to share two stories that illustrate how family attitudes can shift. The first patient we’ll call Mary to maintain her anonymity. Mary was a local realtor who had developed an opioid dependence. She had been able to conceal her addiction from her parents, but finally reached a point where it became evident that something was seriously wrong. She told her parents that she was entering “treatment” and would be attending counseling. They supported this decision, but were unaware that Mary’s treatment would include opioid replacement therapy.

Mary had one relapse early in treatment, but made the necessary adjustment and remained drug free for the next 12 months. Methadone worked extremely well for her eliminating her opioid withdrawal and erasing her fear of being sick. Through counseling, her coping improved and her perspective on living a full life returned. She blossomed before everyone’s eyes with improved mood and energy, mental focus, and a renewed spirit. She interviewed with several real estate agencies and was hired by a prominent national realty company. Mary was both excited and grateful.

After this first year, she approached our staff and asked for assistance in telling her parents that she was in “methadone” treatment. She was concerned that they may not understand how important a role it had played in her success and she wanted some back-up from professionals who could answer all her parents’ questions. Mary was also considering a switch from methadone to suboxone with the intention of tapering down off suboxone over several months.

Her parents came to the treatment center and met with Mary, myself, and our nurse. Mary reviewed her progress with her mom and dad and then told them that she had been receiving methadone each day as part of her treatment. She explained how it had assisted her and then asked staff to help elaborate. Her parents listened as we discussed how methadone was an approved medication and had been successful for many years in helping opioid addicted people change their lives. Mary’s mother responded saying “We knew something was working for her. We are so grateful she found you. We have no problem with the methadone and we will support Mary with this.” We went on to discuss her thoughts on transitioning to suboxone and how this might be accomplished. Her parents talked that day about the huge change they had seen in their daughter since coming into treatment and how much it meant to them to see her happy again and getting well.

After the meeting, Mary literally beamed with relief that her parents had been understanding and so supportive. Within the next month, she switched to suboxone and began tapering down over the next four months eventually becoming medication free. Methadone and counseling became the roadmap to safety and sobriety for Mary. It also stabilized her to the point that her skills and abilities as a real estate professional could again be used to build a new future for herself by generating significant income.

The next case example is about a woman we’ll call Sarah. Sarah came to our agency seeking methadone treatment after several years of heroin addiction that had recently worsened. Amazingly, she was still working full-time although she was exhausted and emotionally depressed. She began treatment and within three months barely resembled the person that had been admitted to our program. She gained weight. The light returned to her eyes and her smile. Her mental clarity improved dramatically, and both staff and patients remarked how her personality had surfaced. Sarah had been fatigued and depressed for so long that it was as if she was buried inside herself covered by layers of pain, and tired from the battle of fighting her addiction.

We watched her come back to the person she truly was. We discovered that Sarah was actually a human dynamo and a very capable person who had been struggling under the massive weight of a chronic heroin addiction. As she progressed through treatment, she met many milestones of success. In due time, she informed her parents that she had been receiving methadone and explained to them how helpful the medication had been. I had a phone conversation with Sarah’s mom who lived in another part of the state. She explained that she did not know much about methadone, but was very appreciative for what we had done for her daughter. As a great job opportunity had surfaced in the hometown of Sarah’s parents, she relocated to their town and transferred her treatment to a clinic there.

Two months after Sarah moved, we received a huge fruit basket in our office from her parents thanking us for being a support to her and informing us that Sarah was doing beautifully.

These are true stories and examples of methadone’s beneficial role in recovery as well as illustrating that family fear can be replaced by understanding & family support. These examples show a stark contrast between what a person looks and feels like when they first arrive vs. how far one can go once they become stable on methadone and moving forward on the path of recovery.

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