Wednesday, November 30, 2011
I recently had the opportunity to interview Mark L. Kraus, M.D., FASAM*, an addiction medicine specialist and a diplomat of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. He is also an internist in private practice and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale University School of Medic...
Karen and Dr. Kraus,
Thank you for bringing this topic back into the light for our community to see. I have been a certified Suboxone prescriber for years and work closely with my community recovery resources. I can truely say that Suboxone saves lives.
Some people, including doctors, are not aware of when Suboxone treatment should be considered as a treatment option. Here are a few types of scenarios that can be helped with Suboxone. Of course, every individual case is different and every individual needs specialized care.
If the pain has improved over time but you are having a hard time weaning off or discontinuing your continuous need for pain pills, Suboxone treatment can help.
If you are taking short-acting pain pills around the clock and the pain keeps getting worse and worse to the point that you are taking too many pills, Suboxone treatment can help.
If you have been taking opioid pain pills for years and are now suffering from the long-term consequences of opioid medication, Suboxone treatment can help you.
If headaches, insomnia, sweating, and anxiety are more of a problem than pain while taking opioid medications, Suboxone treatment can help.
Given the right circumstances, Suboxone really can be a life saver for people who have opioid chemical dependency.
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD