Opioid Abuse Treatment
According to the Florida Department of Children and Family Services (2022) "Our state and communities did not choose this epidemic, but today we choose to treat this medical and psychiatric illness like any other, with access, evidence-based care, and lifelong comprehensive treatment”. In 2022, there have already been nearly 2,000 fatal overdoses in Florida.
Substance use disorder is a chronic, life-threatening, and relapsing disease that needs to be treated like all other chronic diseases with medical and subspecialty expertise.
What is Buprenorphine?
Buprenorphine is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) as a medication-assisted treatment (MAT). As with all medications used in MAT, buprenorphine should be prescribed as part of a comprehensive treatment plan
that includes counseling and other behavioral therapies to provide patients with a whole-person approach.
Buprenorphine is the first medication to treat OUD that can
be prescribed or dispensed in healthcare provider offices, significantly increasing access to treatment.
Who is a good candidate for Suboxone?
Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who are motivated to
be in recovery and desire treatment with Suboxone are considered good candidates for this therapy.
Why prescribe Suboxone?
Suboxone is a prescription medication used in treating those
addicted to Opioids, illegal or prescription. It contains the ingredients Buprenorphine and Naloxone. Buprenorphine, a partial Opioid agonist, blocks the Opiate receptors and reduces a person's urges. Buprenorphine offers several benefits to those with OUD and to others for whom treatment in a methadone clinic is not appropriate or is less
convenient.
The following buprenorphine products are FDA approved for the treatment of OUD: