The Benefits of Buprenorphine

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that is designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. Take home naloxone programs aim to reduce overdose fatalities by training community members as first responders to opioid overdoses. Opioid users are provided with naloxone

behavioral therapies, to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of opioid use disorders" (p. 2). There are two types of medications commonly used in opioid use disorder MAT; Naltrexone and Buprenorphine. "Naltrexone is

In October of 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Suboxone for the treatment in the United States of opiate addiction (Mintzer, 2007). It is a medication-assisted treatment; however it “does not require participation in a highly-regulated federal program such as a methadone clinic” (Stuckert, 2013). It does not cause the high or euphoria feeling associated with opiate dependency. In fact many patients that have taken the treatment have said that they have felt little more than having more energy and no real high at all (Thompson-Gargano, 2004).

Nevertheless, several studies have shown that intranasal Naloxone absorbs in the same amount of time as intravenous Naloxone when the administrator accounts for the time Naloxone takes for an I.V. to be placed. Granted the absorption rate is slower for intranasal admission versus intravenous, the nasal route still has a valuable blood supply allowing Naloxone to be absorbed efficiently (Robison and Wermeling 2131). Intranasal administration is effective enough to reverse drug overdose. Intranasal administration can be repeated every three minutes and last for 180 minutes while intravenous Naloxone

Methadone is taken in orally and survives through the digestive system so there is no need to be injected into the patient. It reaches the brain slowly, dampening the “high” that would occur with other routes of administration while also preventing withdrawal symptoms (Heroin, 2014). The advantages of using methadone for heroin addicts are its comparatively low cost and long half-life. According to the Center for Disease Control, methadone helps to restore a degree of normalcy to brain function and behavior, resulting in increased employment rates and lower risk of HIV and other diseases and criminal behavior (Methadone Maintence Treatment, 2002). However, there are a variety of different effective treatments that are available for heroin addiction, including both behavioral therapies and medications. Heroin addicts should be place on less addictive medications like Burenorphine before being placed on Methadone. Buprenorphine, overall, is safer than methadone, and it is easier for an addict to stop buprenorphine than to detox from methadone (Heroin,

Naloxone is the drug of choice to reverse the symptoms of opioids overdose. The problem with opioids overdose, is that many individuals tend to mix other medications that are also central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol, muscle relaxers and other pain relievers.

The over use of opioid has been one of the major public health problem in the United States (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2018). Opioids include prescription medications that are used to treat pain symptoms which includes codeine, morphine, methadone, hydrocodone, and etc., as well as illegal drugs such as heroin and illicit potent on opioids such as fentanyl analogs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2018). The opioid overdose could happen due to many factors such as when a patient deliberately misuses a prescription, or misuse heroin (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2018). Opioid overdose could happen due to the prescriber miscalculated the opioid dose or when

Today, Naloxone is now being prescribed and dispensed to people at risk of opioid overdose. The number of overdose deaths has quadrupled since 1999. Statistics show that increased availability, relatively low price (compared to prescription opioids), and high purity of heroin in the United States is one of the reasons why death rates are so high. From 2000 to 2015, more than half a million people died from drug overdoses. Every day, approximately 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose. It is a proven fact that most people who are addicted suffer the most overdoses. Anyone taking drugs can suffer an opiate overdose, especially when they take more than prescribed or if they combine opiates with other CNS (Central Nervous System) depressants with alcohol. It's rare for someone to die immediately from an overdose, it's usually a very slow process that takes anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. After you administer the Naloxone, it lasts between 30-90 minutes before the overdose begins to recur. Also, Naloxone can also cause an uncomfortable withdrawal feeling; This is because it blocks the action of opioids in the

There are three predominate forms of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) that have proven effective in combating opioid use disorder. Methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone have all shown to be effective in the treatment of substance use. When prescribed and monitored properly, MAT has been shown to reduce illicit drug use and reduce the rate of accidental overdose. However, while as many as 2.5 million people are suffering from substance use disorder, less than 40% have access to MAT

Methadone is one of the most common medications used to treat opioid addiction. It decreases the symptoms of opioid withdrawal and inhibits the euphoric effects caused by abusing heroin and prescription opioids such as oxycodone. When used as prescribed and under the supervision of a trained physician, methadone is an effective complement to treatment. SAMHSA also recommends patients remain on methadone treatment for at least 12 months. Many people require multiple years of treatment. When discontinuing methadone treatment, patients should slowly taper off of it under doctor supervision. Buprenorphine decreases the potential for opioid abuse, reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings and decreases the risks of overdose. Because buprenorphine

Objective: This study compared the effectiveness of methadone, Subutex, and Suboxone in reducing illicit drug use during treatment for opioid dependency and retaining patients for the duration of treatment.

Pharmacy has been consulted regarding: How do the outcomes compare between buprenorphine-containing treatment options and methadone in opioid-dependent patients in terms of efficacy?

With the increase of medical availability of buprenorphine there have been concerns about the abuse potential. There have been international cases of misuse and abuse-related morbidity and mortality. In Finland, intravenous abuse of these drugs has been

Vivitrol is an intramuscular, extended-release formula of naltrexone (XR-NTX), which is given once monthly to detoxified opiate dependent patients who wish to abstain from opiate use. Vivitrol is also used to treat alcohol dependent patients, but this paper will focus on its effects on opiate addicted patients. Naltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist, which blocks the euphoric effects of heroin and prescription opiates by binding to opiate receptors in the brain and blocking the action of the neurotransmitters. The Vivitrol injection releases naltrexone slowly over the course of 4 weeks. The time-release system works by encasing the naltrexone in biodegradable microsphere-polymers, which break down at different rates to maintain therapeutic levels of naltrexone over a 4-week period. Vivitrol suppresses effects such as euphoria, pain relief, sedation, physical tolerance, and physical dependence. This medication, like other extended release injections, is designed to address patient medication-noncompliance. It is recommended that patient have no opiates left in their system for a period of 7 days before starting a Vivitrol regimen. Vivitrol is generally well tolerated with few adverse side effects. One study found the most common side effects to be pain at the injection site, nasopharyngitis, insomnia, and hypertension (Syed, 2013).

Classified as an antidote, naloxone gives individuals who overdose on opioids a second chance at life, but without access to proper treatment, these users will continue living in the cycle of addiction until either finding enough strength to pull through the recovery process or falling victim to life’s only certainty prematurely.