Buprenorphine (Suboxone)

• • One medication approved for the treatment of opioid dependence is Suboxone®. At the right dose, Suboxone® suppresses cravings for opioids and eliminates withdrawal symptoms. The medication is a combination of two drugs that eliminates the high from opioids and has two mechanisms that protect against abuse of the medication.
• • Buprenorphine, the active ingredient in Suboxone®, works by strongly binding to opioid receptors in the brain. Buprenorphine attaches to the opioid receptors, activating them partially, enough to suppress withdrawal and cravings, but not enough to cause extreme euphoria.
• • Even when all available receptors are occupied with buprenorphine, the total opioid effect is relatively low. Therefore, even if the patient decides to misuse opioid drugs after taking buprenorphine, the effects can be blocked, depending on the dosage. The ceiling effect and the blocking ability give buprenorphine a favorable safety profile and help lower the risk of overdose and misuse.

Sublocade

• Sublocade® (buprenorphine extended-release) injection, is a prescribed medicine to treat adults with dependence to opioids who have received an oral transmucosal (used under the tongue or inside the cheek) buprenorphine-containing medicine at a dose that controls withdrawal symptoms for at least 7 days.

• Sublocade® is given by your provider as an injection under the skin (subcutaneous) near your stomach (abdomen). Sublocade® is a liquid injection, given monthly (with at least 26 days between doses. After the injection, Sublocade® changes to a solid, called a depot. The depot may be seen or felt as a small bump under your skin at the injection site on your abdomen for several week

Methadone

• • Methadone is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) as a medication-assisted treatment (MAT), as well as for pain management. When taken as prescribed, methadone is safe and effective. Methadone helps individuals achieve and sustain recovery and to reclaim active and meaningful lives. Methadone is one component of a comprehensive treatment plan, which includes counseling and other behavioral health therapies to provide patients with a whole-person approach.
• • Methadone, a long-acting opioid agonist, reduces opioid craving and withdrawal and blunts or blocks the effects of opioids.
• • By law, only an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) can dispense methadone for the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Patients taking methadone to treat OUD must receive the medication under the supervision of a practitioner. After a period of stability (based on progress and proven, consistent compliance with the medication dosage), patients may be allowed to take methadone at home between program visits.
  • Must be established with a methadone provider prior to admission.

Vivitrol

• • Naltrexone and Vivitrol® are used for treatment of alcohol dependence in patients who are able to abstain from drinking alcohol prior to initiation. Patients should not be actively drinking at the time of initial administration.
• • Naltrexone and Vivitrol® are also used for prevention of relapse to opioid dependence, following opioid detoxification.
• • Oral naltrexone is a daily pill used for alcohol and opioid dependence; Naltrexone extended-release injection (Vivitrol®) is the monthly injection used for the same purposes.
• • The administration of oral naltrexone or Vivitrol® is not associated with the development of tolerance or dependence. The medications are opioid blockers (antagonists).