The National Alliance of Advocates
for Buprenorphine Treatment
Buprenorphine (Suboxone®, Subutex®) is an opioid medication used to treat opioid
addiction in the privacy of a physician's office.1 Buprenorphine can be dispensed
for take-home use, by prescription.1 This, in addition to the pharmacological
and safety
profile of buprenorphine, makes it an attractive treatment for patients addicted to opioids.2
Brief History of Opioid Addiction
5.5 million people in the US are currently addicted to opioids.
Every American has been touched by addiction in some way, whether it was an addicted parent or child or in the form of higher health costs, insurance, or taxes. Addiction costs this country in excess of $400 billion a year in lost productivity, healthcare, law enforcement, prison, etc.
This country has been fighting drugs for over 100 years. Drugs such as cocaine and opium have been used as early as 3000-4000 B.C. In 1890 the US Congress passed its first legislation on narcotics by imposing a tax on morphine and opium. Despite over 100 years of diligent law enforcement and legislative deterrents, addiction to opium-derived drugs (opioids) is still common. In fact, a recent household survey concluded that 5.5 million people in the US are currently addicted to opioids. See opioid law timeline.
<< What it is Like to be Addicted | The Birth of a Stereotype >>
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA Talk Paper, T0238, October 8, 2002, Subutex and Suboxone approved to treat opiate dependence.
- Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Buprenorphine in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 40. DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 04-3939. Rockville, Md: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2004.