Dangers of Buprenorphine - Not A Solution For Drug Addiction

03/08/2008

It seems that yet again billions of dollars have been wasted on drug replacement therapy as a viable solution for drug addiction. Even worse is that it is yours and my tax dollars - that could otherwise actually help someone.

Buprenorphine, which is sold by the names of Suboxone and Subutex. this drug has been heavily promoted as the greatest thing to treat opiate addicts. But then again, so was methadone at one point in time, and by now most of us are aware at how damaging, addictive and deadly methadone really is.

Even as the drug companies pushed to make the drug more readily available, evidence of abuse of buprenorphine was kept hidden from the public at large, according to a recent series of articles by the Baltimore Sun.

The article claims that there are approximately 170,000 people in the Unites States on buprenorphine. All of whom were probably told the drug is the best thing for their condition. Now, we’re not debating the effectiveness of the drug to ease withdrawal symptoms on a short-term basis like a few days, but opiate addicts are being put on this drug now as a form of longer-term opioid maintenance.

We get many calls from people every week trying to get off of buprenorphine as well as methadone. These people were told that it was a workable treatment.

So what about people out there who aren’t on opiates? How does this relate to them?

Well, the point is that as long as someone is taking one drug to treat an addiction to another, you’re never going to solve the problem completely. Whether it is atypical antipsychotics for methamphetamine users, antidepressants for alcoholics, anti-anxiety drugs for marijuana users, some new pill for cocaine addicts, etc., it is always only going to temporarily relieve the symptoms, at best.

A drug-free solution to addiction recovery that can end the struggle for good is the only permanent solution. Addiction can be overcome and is not a brain disease.

Here's information on what occurs when drugs enter the body:

The first major barrier that one encounters when starting the rehabilitation process is the physical and mental cravings for drugs and alcohol that can overwhelm and completely distract the individual in recovery from the treatment process. Physical and mental cravings for drugs and alcohol are the most common cause for people in recovery leaving treatment before they have completed it.

There is a biophysical condition that triggers cravings that can reoccur repeatedly long after a person withdraws and dries out from drugs or alcohol. Any toxin that is ingested in the body undergoes a digestive and filtration process that will eliminate most of the toxic substance but not all of it. That portion of the toxin that remains in the system is converted into a protein based molecule called a metabolite.

Once the body has converted drugs or alcohol to these protein based molecules some of these molecules will exit the body through sweat and urine however, a portion of these metabolites will remain in the body and attach themselves to fatty cells. Fatty cells are also comprised of protein molecules and so are compatible with the drug or alcohol metabolites. This is similar to placing a large drop of oil into a bottle of water. The two elements separate, they won't mix together. If you shake that bottle of oil and water, the oil will break up into many smaller drops of oil that spread throughout the entire bottle of water. If you slowly pour ½ the contents of the bottle out you have water with small drops of oil leaving the mouth of the bottle while the smaller oil drops that remain in the water in the bottle will begin to connect together. Eventually all the remaining oil drops left in the bottle will rejoin as one element and separate from the water again. Much the same thing happens in the body during the elimination process of drugs or alcohol that a person has ingested. Some of the metabolites leave the body through sweat and urine and some of the metabolites join to the fatty cells of the body and remain physically there.

Metabolites are like finger prints in that each metabolite contains a minute amount of the original toxin that the body digested and filtered through the liver and kidneys. A cocaine metabolite has a traceable amount of cocaine in it. A heroin metabolite has a traceable amount of heroin in it, and an alcohol metabolite has a traceable amount of alcohol in it. Each is different and identifiable from the other. It is the drug metabolites that are exiting the body through the urine that are identified when a drug screen is performed that can provide a read out on what types of drugs an individual has taken.

The drug metabolites that remain in the body act as a physical level reminder of drugs or alcohol taken in the past that can also stimulate memories or feelings related to past drug or alcohol use. This is the origin and physical mechanics of drug and alcohol cravings.

The Sauna Program addresses this physical aspect of addiction. The program consists of a combination of light aerobic exercise, sweating in a dry heat sauna and a specific vitamin regimen. A full physical and medical OK to do the program by a licensed M.D. is required before a person can begin this portion of the program. the individual will undergo 20 to 30 minutes of light aerobic exercise (usually jogging or fast walk outside or on a tread mill) ,15 to 20 minute intervals of time sweating in a dry heat sauna with rest breaks in between sweating periods. Concurrent with the exercise and sweating a specific regimen of vitamins are taken which include cold-press polyunsaturated natural oil, which help free the drug metabolites from the fatty cells. The New Life Detoxification program is designed to assist the addict's body in breaking down and eliminating the stored drug and alcohol metabolites. The daily program runs for about 5 hours a day and can take from between 2 to 6 weeks to complete the entire process. The program length differs from individual to individual. Body weight, extent of drug taking history and medical history influence the length of this program and will program length will vary from person to person.

Once the physical cravings for drugs or alcohol have been addressed through this process the individual is ready to proceed with the next step of the program. Drug and alcohol usage tend to make one mentally dull and impair a persons ability to read, study and comprehend information. Therefore the next step of treatment is to rehabilitate the addict's ability to comprehend and apply information they are studying.

For help with overcoming addiction go to:
http://www.drugaddictiontreatment.ca

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