What Is Opioid Drug Addiction?

Opioid drug addiction commonly occurs when a patient is legally prescribed pain killers and becomes dependent even when using the drugs as prescribed. The genetic makeup of each individual affects how that person's body processes the drug and can make some patients more likely to develop addiction. Opioid pain killers (often incorrectly called opiates) include legal prescription drugs containing Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Codeine, Meperidine, Propoxyphene, Fentanyl, and Morphine.* Heroin is an illegal opioid drug.

If you or someone you care about answers "yes" to the following questions, it may indicate drug dependency—but you are not alone. Nearly 4.5 million Americans are using prescription pain killers for non-medical reasons.

• Have you felt you should cut back on the amount of pain killers you are using?
• Have you discontinued activities that were part of your life to use opioid prescription drugs?
• Have you begun spending more time and effort to find ways to obtain more pain medication?
• Have you used prescription pain killers even though it caused negative consequences in your life?

Scottsdale Treatment, Inc., offers education and treatment for opioid drug dependency. Throughout the substance-abuse recovery program, we treat our clients with the utmost understanding, empathy and respect. We offer medical assistance with Suboxone® administered in the privacy of our offices, and we recommend group or one-on-one counseling as part of the treatment program. We encourage counseling for both the client and family members as well as aftercare if you've completed treatment at an inpatient facility. Our services also include treatment for co-existing conditions such as anxiety, depression and sleep disorders.

Suboxone® is the first opioid medication approved for use in an outpatient office setting. The primary ingredient buprenorphine suppresses symptoms of withdrawal and decreases cravings. Medication is administered by placement under the tongue where it dissolves, usually within five to ten minutes, and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream.

A brief overview of Suboxone® treatment's five phases:

• Intake: Your medical health, mental health and substance abuse history are discussed in complete privacy. Your doctor will cover pros and cons of Suboxone®, and expectations.
• Induction: You switch from an opioid drug to Suboxone®. You arrive at the doctor's office experiencing mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms and will be given your first dose of Suboxone® to relieve symptoms and cravings. During this phase, you may be allowed to take Subxone® at home or may return initially for daily appointments.
• Stabilization: This is the fine-tuning phase where your doctor will adjust your prescription to suppress withdrawal symptoms and cravings with minimal side effects.
• Maintenance: After your dose has been stabilized, you enter the maintenance phase where your progress is monitored. Appointments may be weekly or monthly, and this phase may last weeks or years. Counseling is strongly recommended.
• Medically Supervised Withdrawal: In this phase, your doctor will begin to reduce the Suboxone® dose, making sure that your withdrawal symptoms and cravings are minimal and adjusting the dosage accordingly to ensure your comfort.

Visit the Suboxone® website for a detailed description of the steps in Suboxone® treatment. The Here to Help website offers video success stories from individuals who used Suboxone® to return to drug-free lives; self-help tools including a journal, motivation reminder, goal setter, and everyday planner, plus a personal Care Coach who will help with resources and appointment reminders.

Scottsdale Treatment serves clients in Scottsdale, Arizona, and nearby cities, including Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Carefree, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Avondale, Litchfield Park, Goodyear, Buckeye and Guadalupe. With our multiple classes, flexible hours and one-on-one counseling, we can also help clients from Tucson, Prescott, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Yuma and other cities in Arizona.

Out-of-state Clients: We welcome clients from other states and can recommend wonderful accommodations nearby in the Scottsdale area.

*Brand names for some opioid prescription drugs include OxyContin®, Percodan®, Percocet®, Vicodin®, Lorcet®, Tylenol3®, Demerol®, Darvon®, Duragesic®, Actiq®, MS Contin®, and Avinza®.