New report supports Suboxone as ‘first line of treatment’ for opioid addiction

published on June 2, 2016 in CKNW

A new report is fuelling the notion that easier access to Subxonecould be the solution to treating opioid addiction.

Thenew report by the BC team of Canadian Research Initiative on Substance Misuse is indicating one way to better treat opioid withdrawals is to recognize the Subxone – a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, as a first line of treatment rather than methadone.

Itcan be taken to treat symptoms of withdrawals which in turn can prevent or reduce illicit opioid use,ultimately preventing death.

It is meant as a treatment for adults who are dependent on opioids (not an antidote to overdoses like naloxone). It prevents cravings and withdrawal. The medication is meant to be taken under the tongue. A small amount of naloxone is added to buprenorphine to decrease the risk of people injecting. That means if someone tries to inject, the naloxone will block the buprenorphine from activating. So, naloxone acts as a blocker.It is only added in the formulation as a misuse deterrent for people who might want to inject the drug.