Our Costa Mesa Opiate Detox

During medically-assisted detoxification for opiates, the person in recovery is given a measured dose of Suboxone or a similar prescription containing partial opioid agonists and opioid antagonists.

Buprenorphine is the partial agonist many users turn to get them on their sober journey. Being a partial agonist, rather than a full agonist like heroin, buprenorphine can satisfy the body’s opioid receptors without producing the great euphoria associated with drugs like heroin.

Naloxone, the other compound found in Suboxone, is what we call an opioid antagonist. It works by reversing the depression of the nervous system and respiratory system caused by opioid use. It is sometimes used alone to reverse an opioid overdose. When paired with buprenorphine, Naloxone works to reduce further the gentle high produced by buprenorphine.

Some people disagree with the use of Suboxone to get clean and write it off as an easy cop-out. However, this FDA-approved medicine has been confirmed by studies to greatly reduce the rate of relapse, thus helping people stopping the cycle of addiction.

Here at Safe & Sound in Costa Mesa, we use Suboxone as a detoxification tool, tapering down doses rather quickly. We safely do this so that our patients do not have to continue relying on medicated-assisted treatment for long periods of time.