In May of 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved buprenorphine implants for treatment of opioid dependence. Developed to provide constant, low-dose release of buprenorphine into the bloodstream of addicts, opioid addiction treatment implants such as FDA-approved Probuphine are now being prescribed to people in treatment programs who are taking “low to moderate doses of other forms of buprenorphine.”
Non-implant buprenorphine is currently the standard treatment given to recovering opioid addicts. Taken in pill form or as a piece of film placed against the inside of the cheek or under the tongue until dissolved, buprenorphine is an opioid partial agonist, or a drug that causes effects similar to opioids but with much less intensity. However, with each dose taken by a recovering addict, these effects increase until they level off at moderate doses. Doctors refer to this as a “ceiling effect” of buprenorphine that greatly reduces the risk of dependency and misuse often seen in addicts taking methadone to fight a heroin addiction.
Benefits of New Buprenorphine Implants for Treatment of Opioid Dependence
One reason for developing Probuphine implants is the added convenience implants provide to recovering addicts who may forget to take their buprenorphine prescription, lose it or even have it stolen. When inserted under the skin, a Probuphine implant rod (about the size of a matchstick) delivers controlled doses of buprenorphine for six months.
Probuphine further supports MAT (medication-assisted treatment), a proven, cost-effective program for helping people recover from opioid addiction. MAT has also been shown to reduce the number of fatal overdoses, decrease the risk of recovering addicts contracting hepatitis C or HIV and improve the ability of recovering addicts to advance social functioning skills.
Are Detox and Medications Enough to Defeat an Opioid Addiction?
Medications meant to relieve withdrawal symptoms during detoxification are essential for helping 12 Keys clients complete the detox phase of their recovery. Study after study reveals that nearly all addicts attempting self-detoxification fail to achieve long-term sobriety simply because of the severity of their withdrawal symptoms. In addition, it’s just too easy for an addict to get immediate relief by using their drug of choice again.
Although powerfully effective, detoxification and medication-assisted treatment with opioid addiction treatment implants cannot be completely successful without the support of individual psychotherapy, counseling, holistic activities and group therapy offered at 12 Keys.
If you are struggling to break an addiction to opioids, we at 12 Keys sincerely want to help you change the direction your life is heading by providing you with the tools necessary to defeat an addiction. Contact 12 Keys today to begin the most important journey of all: the journey towards a sober, healthy and rewarding life.