Outpatient Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Buprenorphine
Treatment.
SAVED Health specializes in outpatient medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction. Individualized, comprehensive treatment plans include buprenorphine and Suboxone® alongside counseling and recovery services. We help patients identify what individual recovery looks like and more importantly, how to get there.
Advantages of Buprenorphine.
Approved by the FDA for clinical use in 2002, buprenorphine has been proven to be effective in the treatment of opioid addiction.
The first opioid treatment medication approved for this use, buprenorphine can be prescribed by a medical provider and filled at any pharmacy offering flexibility and freedom from daily program visits.
A long acting medication, a once daily dose prevents cravings and withdrawals for 24 hours or more. As patients stabilize, physicians may reduce the dosing to every other day.
Overdose on buprenorphine is unlikely if patients take the medication as prescribed, following all safety precautions and drug interaction warnings.
Buprenorphine compounds with naloxone act as effective deterrents to misuse.
SUBOXONE® and SUBUTEX® are registered trademarks of Indivior UK Limited.
ZUBSOLV is a licensed trademark of Orexo US, Inc.
BUNAVAIL® is a registered trademark of BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
How Buprenorphine
Treatment Works.
Buprenorphine and buprenorphine compounds reduce the effects of opioid withdrawal and ease the cravings experienced due to those effects. They do this by attaching to the same receptors in the brain that other opioids do, eliminating the physical withdrawals so that patients can focus on their recovery.
Buprenorphine is a partial agonist which activates the opioid receptors in the brain, but to a much lesser extent than full agonists. It has a “ceiling effect”. This means that as you continue to take more of the medication, the effects do not continue to increase. Unlike commonly misused opioids, buprenorphine has the ability to control withdrawal symptoms without being used to “get high”. Additionally, it blocks other opioids from attaching to the receptors in the brain.
Compound medications including Suboxone® and Zubsolv® combine buprenorphine with naloxone. Naloxone causes no opioid effect and has no negative reaction when taken under the tongue as prescribed. However, if misused or injected it will cause immediate withdrawal symptoms. This deterrent helps to reduce misuse and diversion.
