Suboxone Medication-Assisted Treatment
Suboxone is a medicine used at CMAR’s medication-assisted treatment program in Colorado to treat opioid dependence as well as chronic pain. Suboxone is a brand-name drug that combines the aforementioned Buprenorphine with the drug Naloxone. The Naloxone in Suboxone is inactive when taken orally. That said, Naloxone is active when snorted or injected, thereby canceling the potential high of the partial opioid agonist, Buprenorphine. In other words, Naloxone is in Suboxone to prevent the medication from being abused. Therefore, Suboxone is an effective medication in treating opioid addiction at our addiction treatment center. Suboxone comes in a pill form, as well as a suboxone strip form, both of which are dissolved under the tongue (sublingual). That said, at CMAR, we also prescribe injectable Suboxone, called Sublocade. In fact, we are one of only a few drug addiction rehab centers in Colorado that prescribes Sublocade and we are one of just a few qualified Sublocade injection locations in Colorado. Sublocade is hugely beneficial for certain individuals because it lasts weeks and even months, as opposed to days like regular Suboxone. To learn about Suboxone inductions, and the suboxone treatment process at CMAR, please call us today!
Naltrexone Medication-Assisted Treatment
Similar but not quite as involved as Buprenorphine induction, is the Naltrexone induction or Vivitrol induction. Naltrexone is an opioid receptor blocker that is typically provided orally. However, there’s also Vivitrol, which is the injectable version of Naltrexone, like how Sublocade is the injectable version of Suboxone. Similar to Sublocade, Vivitrol stays in the system for much longer than oral Naltrexone, typically lasting one month. Naltrexone is great because it is proven to reduce and even prevent relapse, in part by decreasing and even completely neutralizing the “high” one gets from drug use when not on Naltrexone. It’s truly an amazing drug, and because it doesn’t have the partial opioid agonist that Suboxone has, it’s very easy to start, stay on, and stop without physical side effects.
Methadone Medication-Assisted Treatment
Methadone, unlike Buprenorphine, Naltrexone and other Medication-Assisted Treatment medications, is a full agonist opioid, just like heroin, morphine, or Oxycontin. The difference is that it is long-acting and doesn’t build up tolerance the way other opioids do. Methadone is not a medication that we use here at CMAR, as it is an inherently dangerous and risky drug to prescribe when other medications such as Buprenorphine and Naltrexone are so readily available. Certainly, Methadone is better than heroin, in that the doses are equal, it reduces the use of needles which decreases the passing of disease between people, and is even shown to decrease criminal behavior and increase lifespan and quality of life. However, at CMAR, our goals are not simply to help people get off of heroin and onto something that’ll make them more stable. Our goal is to help our patients reach and maintain their maximum potential!
Why Choose CMAR for Medication-Assisted Treatment?
At CMAR, we understand that recovery demands so much more than a mere medication prescription. Recovery is a challenging personal journey of incremental change that, if one is lucky, lasts as long as we do. That’s why, unlike methadone clinics, suboxone clinics, suboxone doctors and other addiction medicine prescribers, medication is not central to everything we do. Rather, Addiction Medicine at Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery is equal to our addiction therapy, mental health therapy, individual therapy for addiction & mental health disorders, addiction treatment groups, mental health groups, family therapy, and even our peer support and comprehensive case management for addiction recovery.
One of the most valuable parts of our opioid addiction treatment program is the co-occurring addiction and mental health programs we offer. At our addiction treatment program, patients aren’t just educated on the tools that can be used both in treatment and at home. We guide you in processing experiences that continue to negatively impact you, we look at your family system and identify dynamics that contribute to unhealthy behavior, we help you find the causes of anger, fear, sadness, loneliness, and other trigger emotions and give you tools so they don’t cause relapse, and so much more. Some of the addiction treatment therapy programs and services that we provide include:
- Family Systems Therapy: Family systems therapy is a type of psychotherapy, which supports the resolution of conflicts and other problems within a family or “family system”. Since each member of a family contributes in some way to the dynamics within the family, the resolution of a dysfunctional family system enables the family to function in a healthy or more healthy manner.
- Person-Centered Therapy: Person-centered therapy is very much what it sounds like: It’s a form of talk therapy where the patient does most of the talking. The setting is completely judgment-free, and generally does not even include an interpretation or analysis on the part of the therapist. That said, a therapist may restate the wording to better understand the meaning or feelings the patient is communicating.
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: CBT is one of, if not the most common forms of behavioral therapy. During this treatment session, patients work with a counselor to evaluate behaviors and identify negative thought patterns. With this, they can begin creating healthy coping mechanisms and thought patterns.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy: DBT is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy. During DBT, patients work on methods of distress tolerance. They also work on how to create healthy relationships and mend current relationships.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Psychodynamic Therapy or “insight-oriented therapy”, centers on subconscious or unconscious thoughts, manifested within an individual’s current actions and behaviors. The intention in psychodynamic therapy is to help the patient improve their self-awareness, and their knowledge of the impact that past and present behavior has.
- EMDR Therapy: EMDR therapy, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, is an innovative behavioral therapy. During EMDR, a therapist helps that patient to replace negative reactions to painful memories with healthier and more positive responses.
This is just the beginning of a very long list. Perhaps you have difficulty processing in a linear fashion, in which case we may provide you with narrative therapy. Whatever works for you, we will do virtually everything possible to provide it for you.
Contact Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery Today
At Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, we use research and science to treat opioid addiction, alcoholism, and other forms of drug addiction. We also use research and science to treat your mental health concerns. Whether you’re suffering from co-occurring addiction and mental health issues, co-occurring addiction and chronic pain, or you have a straightforward opioid addiction, we have the evidence-based tools and resources to help you recover. We are dedicated to our patient’s personal recovery journeys and are completely focused on long-term recovery as defined by the patient. To learn more about CMAR’s Medication-Assisted outpatient treatment program in Thorton, CO, contact us today at 833.448.0127.