Choosing Suboxone to treat one's opioid addiction is an appropriate decision in many cases. There are other treatment options available such as a supervised medical detox from opiates or methadone maintenance. Suboxone was originally marketed as a short-term opioid replacement therapy to help patients detox from heroin and other opiate-based pain medications.
Following confirmation of Suboxone's success and its commendable safety profile, the medical community began to utilize Suboxone for longer term use (known as maintenance therapy). Today, Suboxone is commonly used in a maintenance application to help patients remain in treatment longer, be comfortable during that process, and to then gradually taper once they have established a solid foundation for longer term recovery.
The utilization of suboxone in treating opioid addiction has evolved in recent years, and now comprises four distinct stages:
- Induction (The process of being initially introduced to suboxone and arriving at a daily dosage level which eliminates one's opioid withdrawal.)
- Stabilization (A period of time following induction in which the patient is beginning to learn about addiction, recovery, and is attaining new skills for preventing relapse. One's dosage may still be subject to adjustment.)
- Maintenance (In this phase, the patient is now stable and continuing to work on and experience improvements in their daily functioning and meeting of responsibilities. The patient is on a set suboxone dosage and may begin to consider their readiness for tapering off of suboxone.)
- Medical Taper (The patient begins to reduce their suboxone dosage under the supervision of their suboxone doctor. The process of medical taper is to gradually decrease one's dosage with the end result being no further need for suboxone and no presence of opioid withdrawal.)
Patients successfully taper off of suboxone every day. Medical supervision and input are important before and during tapering. It is helpful to remember that tapering off of suboxone is a gradual process that is tailored to the individual patient. Your suboxone physician will guide you through this process. If you become uncomfortable with the taper, you can stop tapering and allow yourself more time to adjust to dosage decreases.