Addiction to all opiate substances, including heroin, morphine, demerol, Oxycontin, Vicodin, methadone, etc. produce severe opiate withdrawal symptoms when the use of the opiate substance is stopped abruptly. During detoxification from any of these opiates the acute withdrawal symptoms are usually so unbearable that the addict views the situation as completely hopeless and returns to the opiate substance of his or her choice rather than complete the detox.

Some of the more acute withdrawal symptoms associated with "Cold Turkey" heroin withdrawal are 3 -7 days of severe muscle aches and spasms, profuse sweating, diarrhea and severe cramping caused by dehydration. Worse are the withdrawal symptoms caused by abrupt discontinuation of the use of some of the pharmaceutical opiates such as Oxycontin and particularly Methadone. These substances can produce weeks and sometimes even months of sweats, muscle and joint aches, spasms, cramping, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration leading to possible convulsions.

For almost a century, detox centers and doctors were limited in their ability to help opiate addicts. The "Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914" was designed as a tax act, but was interpreted by the Supreme Court to prohibit the prescription of opiates to opiate addicts, even if for treatment. Thereafter, the titration of opiate dosage to ease the pain of withdrawal was illegal, leaving opiate addicts feeling hopeless about ever getting off of their opiate of choice. Until recently their has almost always been a healthy stigma attached to opiate addiction. Not only society's general consenses was "Once a heroin addict, always a heroin addict." even opiate addicts themselves, also felt that it was useless to attempt to detox, because heroin addicts just don't get clean.

The "Drug Abuse Treatment Act of 2000" reversed the "Harrison Act's" restrictions and allows DEA approved physicians to prescribe Suboxone for opiate addicts to ease the severe withdrawal symptoms opiate detox can produce. Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. The buprenorphine masks these severe withdrawal symptoms to the extent that it provides a nearly pain-free opiate detox for all opiate substances. Whereas opiates like heroin, Oxycontin, Vicodin, Codeine and even Methadone are opioid receptor agonists - meaning they fully bind opioid receptors - buprenorphine is a partial opioid receptor agonist. Naloxone was added to Suboxone to prevent the misuse of the medication. In proper dosage, this gives Suboxone the ability to relieve the symptoms of opiate withdrawal symptoms without producing the euphoria (high) of the full agonist drugs like Methadone.

The patient is normally stabilized (determine the dose of Suboxone that makes the patient comfortable) in 24-48 hours after induction and experiences very little, if any discomfort during stabilization. Then, he or she is titrated (stepped down) to no drugs over the next 7-12 days.

Finally, physicians and detox centers can use Suboxone to provide a safe and comfortable detox for opiate addicted patients, thus eliminating the days, sometimes even weeks of bed ridden agony that was always associated with opiate detox in the past.

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