Buprenorphine

Drug dependence results when an individual has a physical or emotional dependence on a drug. Chemical dependency results in withdrawal problems, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, shaking, headache, etc. Withdrawal can even result in seizures and death. Drugs and alcohol use means that chemicals are being put into the body. The body adjusts to the presence of these chemicals. The withdrawal of these chemicals also calls on the body to adjust to their absence. One of the ways to help addicts is to prescribe medications that take the place of the hard drugs, like opiates, and help the body and the individual adjust to life without the opiate.

This was the purpose methamphetamine. Meth was supposed to replace the opiate in the addict's system and give him a period to adjust. The problem was that meth use became a form of addiction itself. It also led to cardiovascular problems in the users. The effects ranged from rapid heartbeat to stroke, hyperthermia, convulsions and death. There were also mental effects from methamphetamine: anxiety, insomnia and confusion as well as psychotic symptoms. These things could go on for years after the person stopped using methamphetamine. Methamphetamine also became a form of substance-abuse.

Buprenorphine - known as Bupe - is another drug offered as an opiate substitute. The drug, known as Subutex and Suboxone, is an analgesic first marketed in the 1980s. In 2002 it was approved for use in treatment for opiate dependence. The drug eases the symptoms of withdrawal from opiates. Subutex is used in the first few days of treatment for withdrawal. After that, maintenance therapy is based on Suboxone. Suboxone contains an ingredient that Subutex doesn't. The ingredient is Naloxone and its purpose is to prevent misuse. Suboxone is a pill and easy to take. It isn't subject to the restrictions that methamphetamine is. Suboxone is available by prescription from a doctor that can be filled at the local pharmacy. Methamphetamine is only available from approved treatment centers. This places a restriction on the number of people that can be treated with methamphetamine as there are not enough treatment centers to provide help for all those who need. The federal law that prevented doctors from treating more than thirty patients at one time with Suboxone has been changed. The restriction has been lifted. This allows for the treatment of more addicts. The physicians dispensing prescriptions for Suboxone must be approved by the DEA.