Suboxone is a prescription medication used to treat addiction to heroin or narcotic painkillers. It is a long-lasting opioid antagonist that helps relieve the symptoms of opiate withdrawal and used by opioid addicts as part of a recovery program. While Suboxone can help a person feel okay and regain some control over their use of illicit drugs, it also takes away emotions of the individual, leaving a shell of a man/woman they once were.
Suboxone used long term poses health risks that can affect an individual's life at work, school and home. Long term use can cause withdrawal symptoms such as: anxiety, depression, night sweats, fatigue, nausea, restlessness, joint and muscle pain, insomnia, loss of libido, lack of motivation and in some cases psychosis.
Suboxone was originally developed to treat opioid withdrawal symptoms for patients to overcome addiction, though many professionals started prescribing it as a maintenance drug with some patients taking it for 10 years or more. Suboxone treats opiate withdrawals but does not offer a solution for overcoming addiction, years later patients find themselves still physically dependent on another substance. Prolonged use of Suboxone damages the liver, kidneys and the brain.
Because Suboxone is often prescribed by doctors that are untrained in addiction medicine and treating addiction, there are a lot of issues with the drug that go unnoticed and unregulated. Long term users of Suboxone claim that getting off Suboxone is harder than getting off heroin or narcotics. Quitting Suboxone cold turkey is extremely difficult and possibly dangerous. Suboxone stays in the body for up to 9 days and detox can last weeks or even months with painful physical and psychological issues.
Ibogaine treatment is the most effective and the best way to detox from Suboxone. The procedure is more complex than treating other addictions that’s why is so important to find an experienced clinic providing individualized treatments. Clients have to be treated carefully to ensure effective elimination of the Suboxone withdrawal symptoms.
Since Suboxone is a long lasting opioid and ibogaine has the potential to potentiate the analgesia of opioids it is not safe to be co-administered. To ensure that detoxification from Suboxone is completed successfully, clients who are attempting to withdraw from long-acting opioids should switch to short acting opioids, such as morphine sulfate, prior to treatment.
The ibogaine clinic and providers work closely with the clients to accurately calculate the elimination of the long-lasting opioid half-lives in the body and to conduct an effective switch-over to short acting opioids prior to treating with ibogaine.
Once at the ibogaine clinic clients are carefully monitored to complete the transitioning from Suboxone to a short-acting opioid until ibogaine can be safely administered. After the Suboxone is eliminated from the system ibogaine can start its healing effects resetting the neurotransmitters and bringing the brain’s chemistry back into balance. The most impressive ibogaine therapeutic benefit is in the treatment of opioid use disorders. For those clients who are properly informed and decide to stop taking Suboxone, ibogaine provides a valuable treatment option.
Ibogaine reduces the tolerance to opioids, therefore to prevent accidental overdose, clients are informed and made aware that if they use opioids during treatment they are at immediate risk for overdose. Also upon discharge clients are advised that if they happen to relapse they must take the same dose as an opioid new user, because of the reset of tolerance in the body after ibogaine.
Dr. Martin Polanco and staff have developed a safe ibogaine protocol for treating Suboxone dependence and treatment is individualized for each client’s needs. There’s an initial assessment of the physical and mental condition of each client to help determine the right treatment. Following the assessment, all necessary tests and medical exams will be conducted. Dr. Martin Polanco and medical staff will work together to define the appropriate ibogaine dose for the therapeutic treatment of Suboxone dependence with a strong focus on client’s safety and comfort.
Dr. Martin Polanco has extensive experience in providing addiction treatments with ibogaine since more than 15 years ago, he is the founder and medical director at Crossroads Treatment Center in Mexico, a mental health treatment model using psychedelics. He built on this work by contributing to the body of psychedelic research, specifically focused on outcome and phenomenological studies of ibogaine and 5 MeO-DMT.
Ibogaine will help you restore your life, overcome your addiction, heal and gain freedom from opiates. Being informed about your treatment, feeling comfortable with the ibogaine clinic’s staff, and feeling safe during your therapy are very important when choosing to start your addiction treatment.