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Mercycare Addiction
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Suboxone Treatment
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New Suboxone Treatment for Opiate Addiction
Opiate addiction can happen when you least expect it. Maybe you or a loved one had an accident and needed narcotics – such as morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone or codeine – to help with the pain. Or maybe you tried marijuana and progressed to methadone or heroin to get the same euphoric high. Either way, you can get addicted – it can happen to anyone.
Symptoms of Opiate Addiction
Over time, repeated use of an opiate causes receptors in the brain to become tolerant (less responsive) to opiates – in other words, more is needed to create the same effect. Typical symptoms include:
- Tolerance to opiates
- Increased amount and/or duration of the use of opiates
- Withdrawal symptoms when not using
- Taking other drugs to help relieve withdrawal symptoms
- Desire to quit and/or unsuccessful attempts to quit
- Excessive amounts of time and effort to obtain, use, and recover from use
- Giving up or reducing social or recreational activities
- Continued or prolonged use of opiates, regardless of the negative consequences
Suboxone Can Help
Once you’re addicted, reducing or quitting your opiate habit is extremely difficult. However, there are new treatments that are very effective and minimize the effects of withdrawal. One such treatment is Suboxone, the first narcotic prescription drug that was released for treating opiate dependence under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000.
Suboxone is taken as a sublingual (under the tongue) tablet or film. It contains naloxone, which blocks the effect of opiates, including the euphoric "high" effect. Taken properly it can reduce opiate use and reduce the symptoms of withdrawal. Suboxone is a powerful drug and must be prescribed by a certified Suboxone doctor. Patients taking Suboxone must be closely monitored for effectiveness, side effects and withdrawal symptoms.
Suboxone is very effective in reducing the cravings and allows patients to have a more comfortable opiate detox and maintenance program. Most importantly, patients are able to continue to work, live at home, and retain their privacy while being treated.
Suboxone is Available Locally
St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell now offers an outpatient Suboxone program. If you are interested in the program, you will first need to be screened by phone to determine if this is an appropriate treatment option, and then be seen by our Suboxone physician to be checked for physical ailments that may prohibit using the drug. Once cleared by our physician, you can start treatment immediately. Treatment will be provided at our MATCH unit (Mercycare Treatment Center of Hornell), located at the Mercycare campus on Bethesda Drive, North Hornell.
While taking Suboxone, you must be closely monitored, as well as attend individual and group counseling to address triggers that caused your opiate addiction in the first place. Treatment typically lasts 12 to 18 months.
Our program can reduce your craving, and ultimately, give you your life back – free of addiction, relapse, and active use of opiates. Suboxone could be the answer for you or a loved one. To see if Suboxone or another program can work for you, call (607) 324-6925 to speak confidentially with a member of our MATCH treatment team.
Mercycare Addiction Treatment Center (MATCH)
1 Bethesda Drive
Hornell, New York 14843
Phone (607) 324-6925
FAX (607) 324-6930
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