What to Expect During Treatment

Buckeye Clinic offers an overall set of strategies to help patients reach and stay in recovery through Outpatient Treatment Services

Psychological Dependence

Mental Health Support
  • On-staff psychiatrist
  • Skill and experienced drug counselors
  • Tools and aids for directed and independent learning

Physical Dependence

Suboxone Therapy
  • Doctors
  • Nurses
  • Drug and Blood Testing

 

Part of the process of recovery from opioid dependency involves the use of Suboxone – also known by its pharmacology name – Buprenorphine (and also other trade names Subutex, Zubsolv Bunavail and Probuphine.)

Treatment will take time. Drug dependency doesn’t happen overnight and neither does recovery. Suboxone should be thought as a long-term treatment for addiction, just as insulin is used for diabetes.

Suboxone is suitable as a long-term component of the recovery process, not just a “replacement addiction.”

Recovery is NOT a short-term process and Suboxone can be used over time to help break physical dependence.

Our Treatment Schedule

Preparation

It is best if a patient has begun the withdrawal process BEFORE starting in our program. On your preliminary meeting, you will be given instructions and details on what to do before the first week and information so you can begin to educate yourself.

Preliminary Visit, Day 1:

 

Check In

  • Set up a file
  • Your Information
  • Address and Phone Number
  • Insurance/payment

Basic Exam

  • See NURSE for tests
  • Blood Pressure
  • Blood Draw

Assessments

  • Counselor – Mental Health
  • Doctor – Review Tests
  • Start Suboxone Treatment

Begin Real Recovery

  • Begin Taking Control
  • Start the Rest of Your Life
Day 2
  • Feel better, gain confidence in effect of Suboxone – you should be able to return to work
  • Start avoiding people, places, and things that make you think about using drugs
Day 3 thru 7
  • Continue avoiding the people, places, and things that make you think about using
  • You will feel the medication working
  • Day 5 – Start feeling you did before using drugs
Week 2

 

  • Feeling hopeful
  • Beware changing dosage
  • Suboxone also completely blocks other drugs, so relapsing and trying to use others will have NO effect – again, it really is a beneficial replacement, just like insulin is for diabetes
  • Keep ALL counseling appointments

 

Week 3
  • If drug-using friends come around – avoid relapsing/keep on Suboxone
  • Continue all Buckeye Clinic appointments including counseling
Week 4
  • Stay on the treatment, especially Suboxone and counseling
  • Work on relationships and finances will take time
Month 2 and 3
  • Stay on medication schedule – every day, same dosage, same time
  • Keep all Buckeye Clinic appointments/meetings
  • Relationship and other issues – work with counselors, understand it takes time to work out problems
  • You will feel “normal” – no radical ups and down
Month 4 and After
  • Maintain dosage – it will take as long to get clear using Suboxone as it did to get addicted
  • Counseling becomes even more important – working through problems is tough, but worth if
  • You can lead the life you want – and stay in recovery
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