Opioid Dependence Treatment in Las Vegas
If you or a loved one has become addicted to opiate-based medications or substances, Wolfson Medical Center offers treatment for physical dependence to opioids. The practice offers a Suboxone opioid detoxification program to aid addiction recovery and operates three convenient locations in Las Vegas, Nevada. To find out more about treatment with Suboxone, call today.
Suboxone Q&A
What causes opioid addiction?
Powerful opioid drugs like oxycodone (Percocet or Oxycontin) cause physical dependence as your body grows to rely on the drug over time. If you don’t take the opioid, you suffer withdrawal symptoms.
As you take opioids over time, your body requires more of the drug to feel the same effect. This is known as drug tolerance. The length of time it takes to grow physically dependent on opioids varies from person to person.
When you stop taking opioid drugs, your body goes into withdrawal. It takes time to recover. However, treatments like Suboxone, when taken as part of an opioid detoxification program, can make your recovery less difficult.
What are the symptoms of opioid withdrawal?
Withdrawal symptoms come in stages. Early symptoms may start within 12 hours of the last usage, and include:
- Muscles aches
- Agitation and anxiety
- Inability to sleep
- Runny nose
- Sweating
- Yawning
As your withdrawal progresses, you may experience:
- Stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
- Dilated pupils
- Nausea or vomiting
- Goosebumps
Although your symptoms can be quite uncomfortable, they aren’t life-threatening. Medications like Suboxone help by producing similar effects to opioids, thereby easing withdrawal symptoms.
What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is the brand name for buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is a type of medication known as an opioid partial agonist-antagonists. This class of drugs counteracts some of the effects of opioids.
Suboxone may be taken alone, or with a drug called naloxone, to help stave off withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking opioids. These drugs work by producing similar effects to opioids.
Suboxone comes as a sublingual film, which you place under your tongue until it completely dissolves. Your provider at Wolfson Medical Center determines the appropriate dose of Suboxone. Typically, you take it once a day.
What happens during Suboxone treatment?
If your provider at Wolfson Medical Center determines you’re a good candidate for Suboxone, you take the treatment at Wolfson Medical Center’s office. You usually begin with a low dose and your provider gradually increases your dose for one to two days, then switches you to a combination of Suboxone and naloxone.
However, your treatment plan may vary, depending on the type of opioid you were taking. In some cases, your provider may recommend you begin with Suboxone and naloxone right away. During treatment, he or she may adjust your doses depending on your response.
Help is available for opioid addiction. To learn more about our opioid detoxification program at Wolfson Medical Center, call today, or book a consultation online.