Suboxone Treatment is Trading One Addiction for Another
2008-08-14 15:43:00 At least, that?s what a lot of people say, right? Stop shooting dope or taking prescription painkillers and start taking methadone or Suboxone as a form of maintenance and people still shake their heads at you like you?re doing something wrong. We talked the other day about stereotypes of opiate addicts. It comes from those in the medical profession, people in government who make laws regulating opiate prescriptions and opiate addiction treatment, the average guy on the street.
By: Suboxone Blog
Frequently Asked Questions About Suboxone Treatment
2008-05-07 19:19:00 So lots of questions have popped up on this blog about different aspects of Suboxone and its effects that haven?t been touched upon in different posts. In an effort to answer those questions, I?ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions below.
Happy Half-Birthday to Me!
2008-05-02 20:38:00 Well! It’s been a while since I’ve made a post here, and I have missed y’all something terrible, but I can’t think of a better reason to break my writer’s block than this: This week marks the six-month anniversaryof me beginning Suboxone treatment! Woot! I can hardly believe that a half of a year has already passed, ...
By: Suboxone Blog
How to Know When You?re Ready for Opiate Withdrawal
2008-04-29 21:24:00 Some people say that you can?t be successful in recovery if you?re not ready. Others say it goes deeper than that, that you have to lose everything before you can fully understand how vital it is to get clean. Personally, I don?t agree.
By: Suboxone Blog
Find Support at The Second Road During Suboxone Detox
2008-04-27 14:59:00 My last post discussed ways to get through an NA meeting when you?d rather be anywhere but sitting in a metal folding chair listening to other addicts. This was based on another post about finding support wherever you can when you?re on a Suboxone detox. However, Erin of What Winners Do commented that as an organization, Narcotics Anonymous isn?t known for embracing those who are on any kind of medical maintenance (like methadone) or medical detox (like Suboxone), and she?s right. In an effort to come up with new ways to help people find the support they need, I turned to my own support system, the online world of bloggers who share their day-to-day struggles in recovery and The Junky?s Wife provided a valuable resource: The Second Road.
3 Ways to Save a Narcotics Anonymous Meeting
2008-04-25 20:13:00 When you?re undergoing an outpatient treatment using Suboxone or methadone, it?s important that you find your resources for support wherever you can. One of the most common ways people choose to do that is to take advantage of the many 12-step support groups like Narcotics Anonymous. Free of charge with meetings every day of the week and, in many towns, many times a day, there really isn?t a more convenient or cheaper way to get the help you need.
How to Get Support in Drug Addiction Recovery
2008-04-23 14:18:00 When you?re running your own outpatient recovery like a Suboxone treatment, it?s crucial that you put some effort into creating a strong support network. You need peers who are going through the same thing you are to commiserate with and mentors who have been there and done that who can give you advice. You also need a little impartial guidance. So how do you get the support you need during outpatient Suboxone detox? Just ask.
Interview With a Methadone Mommy
2008-04-12 02:59:00 Part three in our interview series checks in with a mother who?s on methadone. A heroin-free addict, our methadone mama went through pregnancy on the juice. She talks about what it was like and gives some advice to other methadone mamas.
Interview with a Buprenorphine Study Participant
2008-04-03 05:09:00 So the Interview with a Methadone Addict garnered such a huge response that I felt that a sequel was in order. Today, we speak with a 30-year-old guy who stumbled into a really incredible opportunity, a buprenorphine study. Here?s what he had to say:
By: Suboxone Blog
Handling a Percocet Withdrawal
2008-03-22 03:59:00 Percocet is the brand name for a drug that combines oxycodone and acetaminophen. This same combination but in different strengths can also be found in the brand name drugs, Roxicet, Tylox and Endocet, but Percocet is by far the most popular prescription painkiller.
Are Generic Drugs as Addictive as Brand Name Drugs?
2008-03-18 20:30:00 Chances are that about half of you who have prescriptions for Vicodin or Lorcet or Norco don?t receive a little bottle from the pharmacy with the brand name on it. Most likely it will use the generic name: Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen. Is there any difference between brand name and generic prescription painkillers? And more importantly, is either more or less addictive than the other?
An Interview With a Methadone Addict
2008-03-12 22:56:00 Personal stories are really important when it comes to drug withdrawal and addiction treatment. Each individual?s circumstance is affected by and affects his or her drug use and recovery. Here?s an interview with someone who started experimenting with heroin in his teens and became an addict in his early 20s. He?s now 40 years old, a heroin-free junky on methadone. Here?s what he has to say:
Things to Consider in Lortab Withdrawal
2008-03-12 01:43:00 Lortab, a combo of hydrocodone and acetaminophen like Lorcet, Norco and Vicodin, seems to be a supplemental drug of choice for those addicted to OxyContin and other oxycodone derivatives. Note: I have met a handful or two that somehow stumbled onto Lortab without realizing the addictive effects and ended up ?strung out,? but more often I hear people say that they are addicted to other drugs and then couldn?t keep up with their body?s tolerance and so supplemented with Lortab.
Taking the Plunge
2008-03-11 02:53:00 When the folks here at Suboxone Blog asked me to write a few guest posts, I was flattered and really excited. I also thought the writing would be easy. It's easy enough for me to bang out posts over at Diary of a Quitter, after all.
By: Suboxone Blog
Loving an Addict And Loving Yourself
2008-02-29 21:43:00 There are a number of blogs out there written by women who are married to addicts, mothers of junkies or otherwise connected (and deeply scarred by) someone else?s addiction. Among my favorites are The Junky?s Wife, Married to an Addict, Married to My Ex, and Mother to an Addict. Whether or not the writer is ...
What Winners on Suboxone Do is Blog
2008-02-29 04:12:00 There are two excellent blogs out there run by a rad lady in recovery named Erin. One is What Winners Do and the other is her latest addition to the recovery blogging family, The Suboxone Help Spot.
The Difference Between Naltrexone and Naloxone
2008-02-25 13:42:00 There seems to be a little confusion about the difference between the two ?nal-xone? drugs, naltrexone and naloxone. Two very different drugs, the similar names are confusing but what makes it worse is the fact that both are related to the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse. Hopefully this will clear up the misconceptions.
Protect Yourself From a Methadone Overdose
2008-02-19 20:57:00 Now, I really mean it this time: this is the last I?m going to say about overdoses for awhile. I thought I?d pretty much gotten it out of my system with the urban myths about overdoses and the tips on how to avoid an overdose and how to know one when you see it. But yesterday, someone I know quite well overdosed unintentionally. They have had a lifetime methadone maintenance slot for years now, and if ever there was a success story to support methadone maintenance, he was it: after a lifetime of being a street junkie addicted to heroin and doing crimes to pay for his habit, he?s managed to hold onto the same job (even move up in the company), married a great gal and had a baby with her. Then yesterday, he had a migraine, happened to run into an associate from the old days who offered him a pill to wipe out the headache. He went home, had a couple of beers and woke up two days later in a hospital.
Family Day at VH1 Celebrity Drug Rehab
2008-02-18 09:15:00 So this week on VH1?s Celebrity Rehab, it was family day and, as Dr. Drew points out, addiction is a family disease so if an addict is going to succeed, the family needs to be involved in drug addiction treatment. To demonstrate that point, all the recovering celebs came to a big support group/therapy meeting whether or not their family members showed up, and it was surprisingly honest despite the cameras. The range of statements made, from disappointment to love to support to ambiguity, were all incredibly indicative of what anyone recovering from drugs and alcohol would experience in a family support group setting.
What to Expect if You Overdose
2008-02-17 12:38:00 We?ve talked a lot about how to recognize an overdose when you see it, what not to do it if it happens to a friend of yours and certain risks you can avoid to keep yourself out of the emergency room, but in most cases, if you overdose, you aren?t going to know what hit you, much less what to do about it. So if the worst happens and you end up flat on your back on a gurney, here?s what the medical professionals will most likely do.
Know an Overdose When You See One
2008-02-17 00:38:00 You may know what to do when someone you are with overdoses and you may know what not to do as well, but if you don?t know what an overdose looks like, that knowledge isn?t going to help very much. An opiate overdose is often difficult to discern in its early stages as the effects of opioid-based drugs can be pretty overwhelming. But there are a few signs and symptoms that can tip you off before things get out of hand.
5 Risk Factors for Opiate Overdose
2008-02-14 16:49:00 So to continue this string of posts in my self-proclaimed Overdose Awareness Week, today we are going to tackle the topic of risk factors. Knowing the risks that you are taking is crucial when it comes to preventing an undesired outcome, and with opiate overdose, there are 5 specific things that are red letter risks. Want to avoid an opiate overdose? Then pay attention.
3 Tips to Avoid a Codeine Overdose
2008-02-12 20:57:00 Codeine is a highly addictive opioid-based prescription medication. Taken every six to eight hours based upon your level of pain, it doesn?t take longer than a few weeks to build up a tolerance and require a larger dose to get the same initial pain relieving effects. However, even though you may not feel the effects of the codeine, it doesn?t mean that the drug isn?t in your system. Some may make the mistake of taking more than the prescribed dosage in order to self medicate their pain. Even taking the drug exactly as it is prescribes can result in an overdose. Unless you are vigilant, if you are taking codeine, you are at risk for a codeine overdose.
Naltrexone and Gene Variants Studied in Addicted Patients
2008-02-11 20:00:00 So there?s a new study out that focuses on a specific gene variant that is commonly found in addicts and how those who possess that particular gene react when taking naltrexone. Turns out, the overall outcomes of treatment for these people was far better for those on naltrexone than on those without.
Substitution in Drug Addiction Treatment
2008-02-09 06:42:00 Some knock the use of Suboxone to detox off of opioid-based drugs by saying that it?s merely substituting one addictive drug for another. In a sense, yes, Suboxone is addictive so if you replace your current opiate of choice with this form of buprenorphine then you are substituting one drug for another. The difference is that Suboxone is a partial agonist and opiate painkillers are full agonists. In terms of their action in your brain, partial agonists manage to trick your body into thinking that you are still getting your old drug so you don?t go into withdrawal when you quit taking it. However, you won?t get that cloudy feeling when you take Suboxone, the one that comes with other opiates, especially when they?re abused.
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Jaimee Foxworth
2008-02-08 23:10:00 One of the youngest on VH1?s Celebrity Rehab is Jaimee Foxworth. She was a star at the age of 5 and soon became a singer before landing a role on the series 'Family Matters' as Judy Winslow. Now, at the age of 28, she?s one of the quietest characters on the show. No drama, straight shooting. In my opinion, she may be more likely to succeed than some of the others. By not getting involved in the dramatic happenings around the house but still making friends and building a community of support, hopefully her focus is on her recovery, which is where it should be.
By: Suboxone Blog
Heath Ledger Dies of Accidental Overdose
2008-02-07 21:39:00 So it turns out that the initial speculation was correct: Heath Ledger did accidentally overdose on a variety of prescription drugs including oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. This information was released by the New York medical examiner?s office, so it?s pretty much an accepted fact. I apologize to those who don?t want to believe that it?s true, but like I?ve said before, Heath?s death only proves that even with a ton of money, even when everything is legally prescribed and you have all the medical attention and treatment you could possibly want, overdose is still a real possibility.
By: Suboxone Blog
Drug Addiction and Organ Transplantation
2008-02-06 19:52:00 It?s common knowledge that addiction can tear up your body, especially your kidneys and liver for prescription painkillers and alcohol and your lungs, gums and mouth if you smoke, not to mention the not so healthy decisions you make while under the influence that put the rest of your body in harm?s way. So it should make sense that a number of drug addicts and alcoholics end up needing an organ transplant of some kind. A big area of concern is that transplant patients with a history of addiction will relapse after the surgery and in effect, ?waste? the organ by destroying it with drugs and alcohol. But according to a study published in the Liver Transplantation journal and online, only about 6 percent of former alcoholics and 4 percent of drug addicts relapse in a given year after their transplant.
By: Suboxone Blog
Methadone is Deadly Even When Taken as Prescribed
2008-02-05 06:04:00 There?s a new study out by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University that doesn?t paint methadone in a very pretty light. It seems that through their work, they have found that methadone can be deadly even when it is taken as prescribed whether the goal is pain management or drug addiction. Even at therapeutic levels, methadone can be the cause of sudden cardiac death, according to The American Journal of Medicine.
Subconscious Signals Trigger Drug Craving
2008-02-04 19:24:00 The word ?trigger? is a common one heard in drug rehab and support group settings and refers to just about anything that makes you want to get loaded, get drunk or get high. It could be something negative like dealing with family members who stress you out or something positive like a New Year?s Eve celebration where everyone else is under the influence. New research on brain imaging, however, says that triggers to use can start in addicts even before an obvious stressful trigger event happens.
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Chyna, AKA Joan Marie Laurer
2008-02-02 07:24:00 In the ring, she?s known as Chyna, but in the world of VH1?s Celebrity Rehab, she?s better known as Joan or Joanie. In her former life, she was considered "The Ninth Wonder of the World" (Andre the Giant being the eighth). However, with Dr. Drew Pinsky and the rest of the celebrities undergoing drug rehab, she can?t decide whether or not she?s actually an alcoholic and addict. This ambiguity, although unexpected in this context, is common in rehabs across the country.
Texas Draws a Hard Line on Needle Exchange
2008-02-01 19:41:00 Texas, apparently, isn?t quite as progressive as it could be when it comes to needle exchange programs and the prevention of spreading HIV through dirty needles among intravenous drug users. ?Should they or shouldn?t they? is the question before Bexar county health officials this month as they debate whether or not to open the state?s first (legal) needle exchange program. To make sure that everyone knows who?s boss, however, Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed has made it clear that anyone caught distributing needles in the meantime will be prosecuted despite the pending ?revolution.?
Are Patients or Doctors Responsible For Opioid Medication Abuse and Addicti
2008-01-31 07:39:00 Peggy Compton, RN, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the UCLA School of Nursing, Los Angeles and recently published an article online at Pain-Topics.org, "Should Opioid Abusers Be Discharged From Opioid-Analgesic Therapy?" Basically, she says that those who are using prescription opiates are in a precarious situation and that abruptly stopping their medication is dangerous. A thorough exit plan is a necessity when doctors take on the responsibility of prescribing opioid-based medications like Vicodin, Norco, Fentanyl, OxyContin and others.
New Studies Link Brain Patterns To Addiction
2008-01-30 18:24:00 Ever wondered why you can tell yourself over and over that you?re not going to do something and then, the second you stop thinking about it, you realize you?re doing it? Whether it?s indulging in another chocolate chip cookie or picking up when you?re trying to stay clean, these compulsive behaviors are linked to specific parts of the brain. A recent study has been studying this part of the brain to learn more about addiction and how it develops.
New UGA Study On Barriers To Effective Drug Addiction Treatment
2008-01-30 03:56:00 Statistics say that more than 23 million Americans over the age of 12 need to be treated for drug addiction, yet only about 10 percent of them get the treatment they need. Of the 10 percent who do get treatment, more often than not, they are matched into a program that isn?t designed to help their specific issues.
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Ricco Rodriguez
2008-01-28 23:14:00 The self-proclaimed first guy to be suspended from the UFC for cocaine use, Ricco Rodriguez made an appearance on this week?s episode of VH1?s Celebrity Rehab. He?s a heavyweight fighter by trade but in his introduction he places his motivation for undergoing treatment as getting his child back.
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Seth ?Shifty? Binzer
2008-01-27 21:41:00 Seth Binzer, otherwise known as Shifty, is one of the celebrities sharing his drug addiction recovery with the world on VH1?s Celebrity Drug Rehab. Born in LA, he moved around in his childhood only to return to the City of Angels for his teen years. He immersed himself in the West Coast hip hop scene and became a graffiti artist, meeting all the people who would help him start his music career. His high point came when he was the lead singer for Crazytown and their singles ?Butterfly? and ?Starry Eyed Surprise? were at the top of the charts.
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Brigitte Nielson
2008-01-26 08:03:00 Brigitte Nielson hit her peak in the 1980s as an international supermodel and actress, famously marrying Sylvester Stallone and infamously recording a pop album or two. In this century, she has found something of a comeback on reality TV shows that highlighted her drunken antics and now it?s those same drunken antics that have her ...
By: Suboxone Blog
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Jessica Sierra
2008-01-25 06:13:00 The biggest complaint about Jessica Sierra?s appearance on VH1?s Celebrity Drug Rehab reality TV show is the fact that she?s not really a celebrity. Where everyone else in the house has logged years in the entertainment industry, Jessica Sierra entered a contest and lost. Granted, it?s one of the most-watched contests on TV--American Idol--and she wasn?t the first one cut or anything, but as far as celebrity goes, you have to define the word pretty loosely to include Sierra.
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Daniel Baldwin
2008-01-25 03:10:00 Daniel Baldwin is better known for his association with his two brothers, Alec and Stephen, than for his own acting career. He?s done a bit of producing and directing work as well, but his most famous exploits are off camera, including a cocaine-induced streaking incident in New York?s Plaza Hotel and arrest for grand theft ...
Heath Ledger Dies of Prescription Painkiller Overdose
2008-01-23 07:11:00 The story according to the New York Post is this: Heath Ledger, the Oscar-nominated actor, died of a pain pill overdose. Was it suicide? They don?t think so. He had prescriptions for the Vicodin and Xanax that were the apparent cause of his death.
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Mary Carey
2008-01-22 06:52:00 Mary Carey is one of VH1?s Celebrity Drug Rehab stars, a 27-year-old porn star with a penchant for politics, drugs and alcohol. An obvious combination, right? Well, she?s pretty successful in all of her ventures. She has an exclusive contract with Legend Films, a tenth place holding out of 135 candidates who ran in California?s recall election in 2003 and now a bed in the most famous reality TV show rehab in the country.
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Jeff Conaway
2008-01-21 09:03:00 Jeff Conaway is one of the celebrities on VH1?s Celebrity Drug Rehab, a popular new reality TV show that I?ve talked about here before. I?ve been doing celebrity drug profiles this year as a way to encourage you?either by an example to shoot for or by showing you how bad it can get?and it seems to make sense to do a celeb drug rehab profile on each of the celebs currently sharing their very painful experiences on national television.
Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Winona Ryder
2008-01-20 06:56:00 A beautiful woman and an incredible acting talent, Winona Ryder is unfortunately best known for her performance on a security camera in a Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue in November of 2002. She was convicted of grand theft and felony vandalism (i.e. shoplifting) but her sentence took into account the large amount of prescription painkillers in her possession at the time of her arrest and she was ordered to go to drug counseling in addition to paying a $10,000 fine.
United Amerindian Center Closes Down Due to Lack of Funds
2008-01-20 04:55:00 In Green Bay, Wisconsin there is an organization called United Amerindian Center. They provide medical services and drug and alcohol counseling free of charge to American Indians who don?t live on reservation land. Or they did. The center has been forced to close its doors to due to a lack of funds, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Local Programs Break the Culture Barrier in Drug Addiction Treatment
2008-01-19 04:55:00 The problem with many of the federally funded studies that provide valuable information to treatment and rehabilitation centers across the country is that their main study samples are usually made up of white men. The majority of people in treatment in the United States are white men, so in the beginning, this approach to research studies made sense. However, now that the basic epidemiological studies have been done, it?s about time to focus on different cultures and ethnicities that may have characteristics that affect the outcome of drug addiction treatment.
Needle Exchange Pilot Programs Launch In New Jersey
2008-01-17 09:45:00 Since the end of November, injection drug users in New Jersey have been the subject of much speculation and controversy. In Atlantic City, a needle exchange pilot program was launched a few days after Thanksgiving with the intention of quelling the spread of HIV among IDUs. A similar harm reduction effort is expected to open in Camden soon, with more needle exchanges scheduled for Newark and Paterson by the end of the year.
By: Suboxone Blog
Celebrity Rehab Drug Profile: Ozzy Osbourne
2008-01-16 06:26:00 Ozzy Osbourne isn?t known as ?The Prince of Darkness? for no reason. His antics on stage and rock and roll behavior are legendary. From inadvertently biting the head off a live bat to running around on fire while under the influence, the stories he?ll one day tell his grandchildren are innumerable.
By: Suboxone Blog
Addictionologist Agresti Comments On VH1?s Celebrity Rehab
2008-01-15 10:50:00 Dr. Mark Agresti is a leading addictionologist and the operator of Meditox, one of the fastest growing, outpatient opiate detox programs in the United States. He?s seen VH1?s latest reality TV show hit, Celebrity Rehab and, to be blunt, he?s not impressed.
By: Suboxone Blog
George W. Lifts Ban On Funding For Needle Exchange Programs In Washington D
2008-01-14 08:43:00 There?s a new spending bill that affects those of us interested in substance abuse treatment and it actually has Georgie W. on the positive side of things: The bill is HR 2764 and its signing means that there is no more ban on city funding for needle exchange programs in the district of Washington DC. For the past eight years, the nation?s capitol has been the only place in the country where local funds were not allowed to be spent upon harm reduction measures in the form of needle exchange, a strange irony.
By: Suboxone Blog
|
|
 |
|
 |
