What to expect from our treatments
We coach patients to recover while in their own environment without having to leave home.
Our company culture and approach was birthed from personal experience, passion, and education.
Our Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Treatment and recovery coaching services are personalized and based on each patient’s individual needs. They may include:
- Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) with FDA approved medications such as Suboxone
- Accompanying prescription medications upon evaluation
- 100% real time Virtual Care via telehealth (video conference, messaging, etc.)
- Family-centered coaching sessions or structured family recovery coaching, to educate, strengthen the family system and improve communication
Our treatment is purposefully directed from the scientific evidence of the Disease Model of Addiction and the principles of Harm Reduction.
- We meet patients where they are without judgment
- Patients are treated with compassion, respect and dignity
- We oppose the stigmatization of substance use disorder
- We support multiple pathways to recovery
- The focus is directed toward improved quality of life rather than abstinence
According to the National Practice Guideline for the Use of Medications in the Treatment of Addiction Involving Opioid Use:
Pharmacotherapy on a consistent schedule for persons with addiction, usually with an agonist or partial agonist, which mitigates against the pathological pursuit of reward and/or relief and allows remission of overt addiction-related problems.
Maintenance treatments of addiction are associated with the development of a pharmacological steady state in which receptors for addictive substances are occupied, resulting in relative or complete blockade of central nervous system receptors such that addictive substances are no longer sought for reward and/or relief. Maintenance treatments of addiction are also designed to mitigate against the risk of overdose. Depending on the circumstances of a given case, a care plan including maintenance treatments can be time-limited or can remain in place lifelong. Integration of pharmacotherapy via maintenance treatments with psychosocial treatment generally is associated with the best clinical results.
What is MAT treatment
MAT helps you stop using opioids with lowest relapse rates and minimal physical discomfort.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. It is also important to address other health conditions during treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several different medications to treat opioid use disorders. MAT medications relieve the withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings that cause chemical imbalances in the body. Medications used for MAT are evidence-based treatment options and do not just substitute one drug for another.
Opioid Dependency Medications – Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone are used to treat opioid use disorders to short-acting opioids such as heroin, morphine, and codeine, as well as semi-synthetic opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone. These MAT medications are safe to use for months, years, or even a lifetime. As with any medication, consult your doctor before discontinuing use.
Source: samhsa.gov
What is Suboxone maintenance
Suboxone maintenance helps people stay in recovery by reducing opioid-related symptoms and cravings after the acute detoxification period ends.
Also known as Buprenorphine/naloxone, Suboxone is a prescription medicine used to treat opioid addiction in adults and is part of a complete treatment program that also includes counseling and behavioral therapy.
When taken as prescribed is safe and effective. Buprenorphine has unique pharmacological properties that help:
– Diminish the effects of physical dependency to opioids, such as withdrawal symptoms and cravings
– Increase safety in cases of overdose
– Lower the potential for misuse
Source: samhsa.gov
When is Suboxone maintenance done
Suboxone maintenance is done after the acute detox stage has passed, in order to relieve opioid-related cravings and symptoms.
There is no recommended time limit for treatment with buprenorphine. Buprenorphine taper and discontinuation is a slow process and close monitoring is recommended.
Source: samhsa.gov
Buprenorphine is an opioid partial agonist. It produces effects such as euphoria or respiratory depression at low to moderate doses. With buprenorphine, however, these effects are weaker than full opioid agonists such as methadone and heroin.
Buprenorphine is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) as a medication-assisted treatment (MAT). As with all medications used in MAT, buprenorphine should be prescribed as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes counseling and other behavioral therapies to provide patients with a whole-person approach.
Buprenorphine is the first medication to treat OUD that can be prescribed or dispensed in physician offices, significantly increasing access to treatment.
Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
To begin treatment, an OUD patient must abstain from using opioids for at least 12 to 24 hours and be in the early stages of opioid withdrawal. Patents with opioids in their bloodstream or who are not in the early stages of withdrawal, may experience acute withdrawal.
After a patient has discontinued or greatly reduced their opioid use, no longer has cravings, and is experiencing few, if any, side effects, if needed, the dose of buprenorphine may be adjusted. Due to the long-acting agent of buprenorphine, once patients are stabilized, it may be possible to switch from every day to alternate-day dosing.
The length of time a patient receives buprenorphine is tailored to meet the needs of each patient, and in some cases, treatment can be indefinite. To prevent possible relapse, individuals can engage in on-going treatment—with or without MAT.
Before Starting Buprenorphine
Patients diagnosed with an OUD should talk to their health care practitioner before starting treatment with buprenorphine to fully understand the medication and other available treatment options.
Common and Serious Side Effects of Buprenorphine
Common side effects of buprenorphine include:
- Constipation, headache, nausea, and vomiting
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness and fatigue
- Sweating
- Dry mouth
- Muscle aches and cramps
- Inability to sleep
- Fever
- Blurred vision or dilated pupils
- Tremors
- Palpitations
- Disturbance in attention
Serious side effects of buprenorphine include:
- Respiratory distress
- Overdose
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Dependence
- Withdrawal
- Itching, pain, swelling, and nerve damage (implant)
- Pain at injection site (injection)
- Neonatal abstinence syndrome (in newborns)
These are not all the side effects of buprenorphine.
For more information patients should talk to their health care practitioner or pharmacist. Patients should tell their health care practitioner about any side effects that are bothersome, or do not go away.
Patients and practitioners are encouraged to report all side effects online to MEDWatch, FDA’s medical product safety reporting program for health care professionals, patients, and consumers or by calling 1-800-FDA-1088.
Safety Precautions
People should use the following precautions when taking buprenorphine:
- Do not take other medications without first consulting your doctor.
- Do not use illegal drugs, drink alcohol, or take sedatives, tranquilizers, or other drugs that slow breathing. Mixing large amounts of other medications with buprenorphine can lead to overdose or death.
- Ensure that a physician monitors any liver-related health issues that you may have.
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
- Prevent children and pets from accidental Ingestion by storing it out of reach. For more information, visit CDC’s Up and Away Educational Campaign.
- Dispose of unused methadone safely. Talk to your MAT practitioner for guidance, or for more information on the safe disposal of unused medications, visit FDA’s disposal of unused medicines or DEA’s drug disposal webpages
- Do not shared your buprenorphine with anyone even if they have similar symptoms or suffer from the same condition
Buprenorphine Misuse Potential
Because of buprenorphine’s opioid effects, it can be misused, particularly by people who do not have an opioid dependency. Naloxone is added to buprenorphine to decrease the likelihood of diversion and misuse of the combination drug product.
Treating Pregnant or Breastfeeding Women
Buprenorphine may be prescribed to women who are pregnant and have an OUD. Buprenorphine and methadone are considered the treatments of choice for OUD in pregnant and breastfeeding women.
For more information about the use MAT during pregnancy refer to the Resources and Publications section at samhsa.gov.
Switching from one form of MAT Medication to Another
Patients may decide to switch from one MAT medication to another based on medical, psychiatric and substance use history, as well as their preferences and treatment availability.
As medications are different, patients should talk to their practitioner and understand each medication.
