Although Suboxone so far remains less well-known than its counterparts such as Methadone or OxyContin, this powerful synthetic opiate holds the same dangers for dependency and addiction as the others. People already addicted to street opiates such as heroin turn to Suboxone as a means of withdrawal from the other illegal drug. Suboxone is a prescription medicine.
Taken as prescribed, under the care of medical professionals, it is highly effective in helping people wean themselves off illegal drugs. Suboxone is available from drug treatment centers and physicians who help drug addicts leave their addictions behind. Since the medicine is an opioid, however, some users of it start abusing the drug in order to get the familiar euphoric high.
Suboxone abusers can find themselves in serious trouble before they realize what they have gotten themselves into. When untreated, addiction to Suboxone leads to the same negative physical and social consequences of street drugs. As a matter of fact, the street or illegal market for Suboxone has grown substantially in recent years.
One side effect of Suboxone is its users’ tendencies to become dependent on it. Physical dependence is one step short of addiction. In drug dependency, the user grows accustomed to the feelings brought on by Suboxone. When trying to do without the medicine, the user craves more of it.
It is not just that the Suboxone user trying to do without thinks that he or she would like another dose. The body itself feels the need. Although not yet addicted, the Suboxone taker can experience mild feelings of withdrawal when stopping dosing with the medicine.
Addiction and abuse set in when people start taking Suboxone in larger doses than prescribed or at times when it is not strictly necessary. Although Suboxone is a legitimate medicine when prescribed, it has worked its way out into illegal circles. Someone who wants more than the doctor has allowed may try to falsify prescriptions in order to obtain extra or stronger doses.
Suboxone is available on the streets as well. This can be as innocent-looking as someone giving their own prescription meds to a relative or selling a few doses to a friend. Either way, this method of dispensing Suboxone is illegal.
Strangers may offer the medicine on the literal streets, approaching people they think are scouting for illegal supplies. The drug has worked its way into jails and prisons too. Smugglers send illegal Suboxone in to inmates who then use it themselves or sell to others on the inside.
Once again, some well-meaning friends or relatives may try to get Suboxone to loved ones who are imprisoned ought of an effort to help. They may know that the inmate is struggling with withdrawal from heroin, for example, and want him or her to have Suboxone to ease the physical and emotional discomfort. They may not realize that Suboxone itself holds the potential for addiction; the smugglers are enabling drug abuse whatever their motives.
People who feel they are growing unable to control their craving for the medicine can talk to doctors or other medical professionals. The pros know how to treat Suboxone addiction. They can help protect patients from unpleasant withdrawal symptoms as well as from getting in trouble with the law.
For people concerned about loved ones’ possible Suboxone abuse, there are warning signs that help pinpoint abuse and addiction. Symptoms of withdrawal such as agitation, extreme anger, and unusual restlessness may indicate that the body is experiencing a lack of the drug to which it has grown accustomed. Some symptoms of overuse may also show themselves if the user is not in withdrawal but has begun taking more Suboxone than recommended.
These symptoms include depressed breathing, slow heart rate, and lack of coordination. Dizziness or excessive tiredness may also indicate that the person has taken too much Suboxone. These are overdose symptoms and some of the warning signs that excessive amounts of a drug have been ingested.
A behavioral clue to drug abuse is a person becoming secretive. He or she may spend excessive time alone or start seeing a new group of friends very different in temperament than the old crowd. Changes in behavior can signal drug abuse in operation.
If the Suboxone user has remained forthright about how much he or she is taking, a concerned loved one may notice that the doses are being taken more frequently during the day or that the medicine is running out more quickly. If more than one person in the household holds a prescription for Suboxone, it may become apparent that one person is borrowing or stealing medicine from the other. Standards symptoms of drug abuse and addiction apply to Suboxone.
Denial is often seen in people addicted to drugs. It is one stage of drug dependency. The user may sincerely believe that he or she is not getting into trouble with the drug, whether it is a prescription medicine like Suboxone or another drug with addictive qualities. Help is available for drug addiction through physicians and clinics.
