How Can You Treat One Opiate Addiction with Another Opioid?

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Several treatment methods are available to help people break free from an opiate addiction. Although the terms opiate and opioid are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Opiates are directly derived from the poppy plant, while opioids are synthetic or semi-synthetic drugs. This means that while all opiates are opioids, not all opioids are opiates.

One of the most common treatments for opiates, such as morphine, codeine, or opium, includes a synthetic opioid such as buprenorphine. You might wonder how it’s possible to treat an opiate addiction with another opioid medication. Here are some of the details about why and how using a synthetic opioid can be a useful and safe part of opiate addiction treatment.

How Buprenorphine and Similar Drugs Work

Opiate medications bind to the opiate receptors in the body. This produces a euphoric feeling or “high” in many users. Drugs used in OxyContin addiction treatment, such as buprenorphine (Subutex), include either a synthetic opioid or, in combination with naloxone (Suboxone).

If you’d like to know more about how stepping down to synthetic opioids can help you, the friendly experts at 800-934-1582(Sponsored) are always happy to answer your questions.

Naloxone is especially important in the treatment of opiates because it blocks the opiate receptors, so you can’t get high from the drugs. Buprenorphine is sometimes formulated with naloxone (Suboxone). However, this can cause “precipitated withdrawal” when it is taken with an opioid drug like OxyContin or heroin. The desired effect of Suboxone is to help you develop a natural desire to avoid narcotics.

Using Synthetic Opioids in Detox and Rehab

Using a medication maintenance program can help you feel like yourself again.

Many people fear trying to get clean because they expect to go through terrible withdrawal symptoms. Their only previous experience with quitting opiates might be from trying to quit cold turkey. But going through a professional OxyContin addiction treatment program has a wide variety of available tools to help the addict get off drugs with as minimal discomfort as possible.

A medically supervised detox period is one of the safest and most effective ways to begin a treatment program. Many programs use synthetic opioids or combination drugs like Suboxone to help reduce the intensity of drug cravings.

Short- and Long-Term Maintenance Therapy

One of the most useful benefits of buprenorphine and similar drugs is to help opiate addicts resist the urge to continue abusing drugs like OxyContin and heroin. The initial goal is not necessarily to achieve total sobriety, but rather as a harm reduction technique. Using synthetic opioids like buprenorphine creates a “ceiling effect” so that more harmful drugs are less effective, thus making the user unable to get high.

Some people may only continue taking synthetic opioids for a relatively short period of time as they step down from active addiction to more harmful substances. However, other people may use these medications for long-term maintenance. These drugs can be appropriate and safe for long-term use, especially when compared to the dangerous side effects and risky behaviors associated with drugs like OxyContin or heroin.

Is Alternative Opiate Addiction Therapy Right for You?

If you don’t like the idea of taking medication for your opiate addiction recovery, alternatives such as acupuncture, massage, yoga, or aquatic therapy may interest you.

Use in Chronic Pain

Many people become addicted to opioids such as OxyContin and prescription painkillers after suffering from severe injury or chronic illness. Tolerance to these medications tends to build quickly, which leads to unintended consequences, like addiction. Even when people decide that they want to be free from an addiction to opioids, they still have underlying pain issues that need to be addressed.

Because synthetic opioids like buprenorphine are also analgesics, they can relieve pain while also helping addicts to discontinue use of other drugs. The patient may still be physically dependent on a narcotic medication, but the inability to abuse the medication will reduce the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors such as illegally seeking out more prescriptions.

OxyContin addiction treatment is the best way to try to break free from dependence on medication. When you keep an open mind and consider including the use of alternative medications, your chances of success are much greater.

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