Opiate dependent young people ages 15-21 did better with 12 weeks of treatment with Suboxone as opposed to a 2 weeks of treatment with Suboxone. This according to new research funded by NIDA (US National Institute on Drug Abuse).
The findings held true even for teens and young adults with shorter durations of addiction.
Better outcomes included better treatment retention, less opiate use, less marijuana use, less cocaine use and less injecting even a year after the treatment.
“The results of our study suggest that there is no hurry to stop providing buprenorphine-naloxone, an effective medication, regardless of a patient’s short duration of opioid abuse,” said study author Dr. George Woody. “In my experience as a clinician, most opioid abusers –adolescent or adult –prefer to get off medication eventually. When to stop medication is an individual decision that depends on a patient’s response to treatment, his or her commitment to achieving full remission without medication, and whether he or she has attained a sustained period of abstinence and stable overall living situation.”
The report noted that further studies are needed to find out whether even longer treatment with Suboxone would be even more effective.
Based on my experience working with many opiate dependent people, I anticipate that further research will document that lengthening the period of treatment with Suboxone even further will result in even better treatment outcomes in this age group.
Read the full article in NIDA Notes here and the full study report here.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
My daughter has been smoking heroin for about 4 months. She went to the doctor on her own (she’s 18) because she realized it was getting out of control. I only found out by accident-so now I’m on board and want to do everything I can to help her recover. The medicine they like to use at our clinic is Suboxone. Do you think this is too strong for someone using for that duration of time? She is meeting with her doctor next week and though she may not be telling me the whole truth about the duration and amount of use, I told her it was imperative she is honest with the doctor because it seems to me it would determine her course of treatment. I will not be there so hopefully she will be truthful with him. From what I’ve been reading, a person gets addicted so fast that her problem is probably worse than I know. Thank you!
Hi TJ –
Some people are reluctant to use treatments like methadone or buprenorphine (Suboxone/Subutex) with people who have only been using opiates (like heroin or Oxycontin) for a short time. This is especially true if the person is young, like your daughter.
The concern is that, in this context, using medications like these (which are themselves in the opiate/opioid family of medications) might inadvertently contribute to opiate dependence. This is less of a concern where someone has been using opiates for a long time and other treatments have not been effective in supporting long term recovery.
A couple of thoughts:
1. It’s great that your daughter took the initiative to find treatment.
2. This appears to be a treatment that your daughter is willing to try and believes will work for her (important factors in treatment compliance and success).
3. Doctor’s are required to assess patients and make a determination that the patient is appropriate for treatment with Suboxone. In other words, the doctor considers this an appropriate medication for your daughter.
Every treatment has risks and benefits. My own approach is to favor the treatment that is most likely to keep someone safe and stable. This varies depending on the circumstances.
Tom
Yes-I am hopeful because she took the initiative to seek help. It seems as though Suboxone would work well for her and get her through the last four months of high school. We’ll see what her doctor says on Monday. I have equipped her by printing out the research by NIDA. Hopefully, she will read it and go prepared to fight for herself.