​Nationwide Suboxone Clinics Work to Overcome Rising Opiate Abuse

Published by Elise D. on 30th Mar 2018

Nationwide Suboxone Clinics Work to Overcome Rising Opiate Abuse

TransMed Company is committed to helping fight increasing opiate abuse by providing Suboxone clinics with top quality substance abuse tests including a selection of saliva drug tests and urine based drug tests.

An Alarming Rise in Opiate Addiction

opiate addiction, heroin syringe More than 2 million people are abusing opioids and heroin here in the United States, according to a 2012 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). This accounts for a just a fraction of the estimated 26.4 million to 36 million people who abuse opiate drugs globally.

Opiates have proven to be highly dangerous due to their highly addictive nature and their propensity for lethal overdose. Indeed, overdose deaths from prescription opioid pain relievers (like Vicodin and OxyContin) has more than quadrupled since 1999. And in 2010, the number of unintentional deaths from opioid pain relievers accounted for more than 80 percent of the 16,490 unintentional deaths due to prescription drugs, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms

It’s not easy to overcome an addiction to opiates like heroin or prescription pain killers. In addition to being highly addictive, these drugs come with extremely intense withdrawal symptoms. They include the following:

  • Severe Pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Tachycardia (an abnormally rapid heart rate)
  • Seizures
  • And more…

Because of the severity of the symptoms, drug treatment centers have started offering medicine that helps with the opiate withdrawal symptoms. Although unassisted withdrawal may not be life threatening, it can mean a higher likelihood of relapse. Medications and therapy provided by a medical detox center can make relapse less likely. And with the higher number of opioid addictions, these services are in high demand.

What is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a combination of a mild opioid (buprenorphine) and an opioid blocker (naloxone). This medicine helps to ease painful opiate withdrawal symptoms, minimizing both the intensity and duration of detoxification. With milder withdrawal symptoms, patients at a Suboxone clinic are more successful at coping with side effects and overcoming their addiction.

But Suboxone itself is just a stepping stone towards sobriety. Transitioning to true recovery takes more than beating withdrawal symptoms. It means establishing healthy routines that encourage sober living. That’s why many Suboxone clinics provide necessary after care service, like a sober living environment to help those in recovery transition back to their drug free lives.

Creating a Sober Living Environment

A sober living environment is a place that is free of drugs and alcohol and is geared towards enabling individuals to form new, positive personal habits long term. At TransMed Company, we are committed to helping Suboxone clinics create a sober living environment for patients. For us, that means providing reliable substance abuse testing kits.

How does substance abuse testing help create a sober living environment?

Substance abuse testing adds a level of accountability to a sobriety program. Patients and employees who know they will be tested frequently or randomly for opioid and other drug abuse will be more likely to stay away from the substances that tempt them.

Furthermore, substance abuse testing can gauge how effective a sober living environment is at fostering sobriety in its patients. Measuring the success of individuals to maintain sobriety will demonstrate whether a program has a high or low rate of relapse. These statistics will help Suboxone clinics to adjust their strategies for maintaining a sober living environment where needed.

clia waived drug testSubstance Abuse Tests

TransMed Company provides both urine based testing as well as saliva based testing. Both sets of tests are highly accurate, and can detect the presence of opioids as well as more than 10 ingested drugs within minutes. Furthermore, because our urine based tests are CLIA waived and FDA approved, insurance companies will often cover the cost of testing.

Searching for an Alcohol and Drug Test Kit Provider for your Suboxone Clinic?

TransMed Company is dedicated to providing the highest quality alcohol and drug testing products at the lowest price. To learn more, visit our online store or call 1-800-644-4145 today!