Buprenorphine

Your treatment will start with an assessment and evaluation to help you decide if treatment with buprenorphine is right for you.Buprenorphine is not the right medicine for every patient. People taking high doses of medicines called benzodiazepines (like Ativan and Xanax), people with untreated psychiatric conditions, or people who have significant medical problems may not be good candidates for Medication Assisted Treatment.

Induction is the process of starting buprenorphine treatment and stopping the opioid of abuse. At Shoreline we use a home induction method allowing patients to start the medication at home on their schedule. The goal of induction is to find the right dose of medication where patients experience no withdraw symptoms, minimal or no side effects, and no craving for the drug of abuse.

Stabilization occurs when patients experience no with withdraw symptoms, and minimal or no side effects, and no longer has uncontrollable cravings. You will meet with your provider weekly during induction and stabilization, either in person or by telehealth.

The longest period that a patient is on buprenorphine is the maintenance phase. The length of this phase is tailored to each patient. During the maintenance phase, attention must be focused on the issues in a persons life that have contributed to the addiction. Patients usually need to come to the office less often as time goes by. For those who eventually want to wean off Suboxone, it is recommended that patients stay on the medication for a least a year before attempting.