Pain killer addiction is a major problem in the United States, and being addicted to pain killers is becoming a household problem. More and more each day people are given pain pills for injuries that they may not need pain medication for. This is usually not intentional, but sometimes it is the case with adults and seniors. Other times the person using the pain pills is using them as a means to get high and find themselves addicted after taking them over a period of time as well.
The old way of getting off of heroin or pain killers used to be a methadone treatment. Usually referred to as a methadone maintenance program, the person is supposed to be weaned off the methadone after being off of the drug they were on. Much time the person just stays on the methadone for long periods of time, never really getting off and this sometimes lasts for years.
Now there's a new way of treating pain killer addiction that is being used with great success in America. This new process also involves using a medication that helps the addicted person to get off the pain medication without the painful debilitating withdrawal symptoms. This drug is sent home with the recovering addict so that there is no costly inpatient treatment involved.
The benefits of Buprenorphine have been called miracles, as the person who starts to use it to get off of pain killers usually has a complete attitude change for the better. Such a change is visible in people around the addicted person as well as the addict themselves. Combining these two forms of therapy greatly increases the chance of success to help the addict to recover from pain pill addiction.
Doctors who want to use this for purposes of treating addiction to pain killers, have to have a background in addictive medicine and go through a program to get certified to use this medication. Once they pass the program and get certified, they are limited to how many patients they can treat at one time. The usual number for treating patients buprenorphine at any given time is 30.
There are many doctors who are certified to use Buprenorphine but finding one who has room in their program is another thing. Once a person does find a doctor they can work with they have a fighting chance of successfully getting off of their addiction.
Being addicted to pain killers is not how a person has to live their life anymore. They can get off and with the outpatient treatment programs of today, the person can do it at home, and continue to work. Doing this type of outpatient treatment is saving them from the humiliation of going to an inpatient treatment facility and having everyone know about it. This type of therapy is also very cost effective as compared to a treatment facility that charges upwards of 20K or more per person. That makes it very appealing and affordable especially to the person who doesn't have insurance.