Suboxone Clinic and Outpatient Rehabilitation Program

There are many Suboxone doctors in Kentucky, and there are two reasons why: 1. opiate abuse in the region is rampant; 2. medical professionals understand the benefits of using Suboxone to help people overcome their addiction to prescription medications and opiates. Click 5 Things About Suboxone Doctors in Kentucky to read a brief article written by our physician.

Suboxone therapy is a type of maintainance treatment for opiate addiction. Maintenance treatment is a method of minimizing opiate withdrawals and relapse episodes by using medications. The most well-known maintenance medications are "Antabuse" and "Methadone." Here's how those two drugs work: 1. Antabuse makes you sick if you drink alcohol while taking it. 2. Methadone is itself an opiate. It effects the same parts of the brain as heroin and other addictive opiates. These two medications have significant disadvantages. 1. Antabuse does not decrease cravings, and obviously, it will not work if you do not take it. 2. Methadone can be abused, can be lethal if overdosed, and requires daily administration by a Methadone clinic. The Stepworks Suboxone clinic does not prescribe Methadone because we believe Suboxone is much more appropriate in most circumstances.

Suboxone was approved in 2000 for the maintenance treatment of opiate addiction. Suboxone effects the same area of the brain as other opiates. Suboxone also blocks the effects of any opiates that might be used. This eliminates cravings and diminishes the chance that the Suboxone will be abused. For opiate addicts, Suboxone has become an affordable, convenient, and safer alternative to Methadone. While regular monthly visits to the clinic are still required, the patient no longer has to visit the clinic every day.

Stated simply, Suboxone is designed to do two things:

1. minimize cravings
2. lessen the high felt when using an abused substance

While Suboxone doctors are often criticized by people who do not fully understand the science of addiction, our organization believes that Suboxone clinics in Kentucky are performing a valuable service to addicts who are serious about their recovery. When you consider the crime, medical risks, broken homes, and legal problems associated with opiate addiction, it is plain to see that Suboxone clinics in Kentucky also provide a valuable service to the state as a whole. And we believe the Stepworks Suboxone clinic is one of the best in Kentucky.

Note: Our clinic also prescribes Vivitrol in some circumstances. Vivitrol is an injectable form of naltrexone which has been used for decades in the treatment of alcohol and opiate dependency. Naltrexone blocks the high created by alcohol and opiates as well as decreasing daily cravings. At this time, Vivitrol is approved for the maintenance of alcohol dependency. Studies are under way to measure its effectiveness in opiate dependency. We use Suboxone much more commonly than Vivitrol.

We also advocate participation in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and NA (Narcotics Anonymous) which we believe can provide a strong support network for people in recovery.

Requirements for admission are straightforward. Click here to review them.

- Age over 17
- Diagnosis of alcohol abuse (alcohol addiction or alcoholism) and/or opiate abuse (opiate addiction or opiate dependency)
- Able to return for follow-up outpatient visits
- Able and willing to meet financial obligations

The following criteria suggests that a patient is not a good candidate for maintenance treatment:

- Opiate addicts: previous abuse of Suboxone
- Alcoholics: episodic abuse pattern
- Inability to finance the medications
- Inability to travel to the clinic monthly

If you are considering Suboxone therapy, click here to read what you can expect.

- You call Stepworks and say you are interested in Suboxone therapy (Stepworks Suboxone Clinic): 1-888-982-1244
- You come for an in-person assessment by our physician.
- You give consent to be treated by our Suboxone doctor.
- You begin the 3-phase Suboxone treatment program:

1. Outpatient Detox:

This involves an 8-12 hour stay at our facility for the first day. You will be given your first dose of Suboxone and monitored to determine the medication's effectiveness. One or two follow-up visits will be scheduled over the next week to monitor your progress. (During this visit, a urine drug screen will be obtained.)

2. Maintenance Phase:

Following detox, you will progress to a monthly maintenance phase. This continues for the duration of the Suboxone treatment.

3. Relapse Phase: (hopefully unnecessary)

For patients that relapse during their treatment but are still candidates for the maintenance program, the relapse phase requires weekly clinic visits and urine drug screening. The duration of the relapse phase lasts at least 4 weeks until the transition back to the maintenance phase.