Suboxone® therapy & compassionate addiction recovery.
Outpatient treatment for opioid dependence, delivered with dignity and respect. Buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®) can reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings as part of a complete treatment plan.
Addiction is a chronic medical illness, not a moral failing.
Opioid dependence alters the brain's reward and pain circuitry, creating powerful cravings and withdrawal symptoms that make stopping without help very difficult. Stopping "cold turkey" often leads to a return to use, and the loss of tolerance after a period without opioids raises the risk of overdose.
Premier Psychiatry provides evidence-based Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) utilizing Suboxone® (buprenorphine / naloxone). In our respectful outpatient clinic, our clinicians treat you with empathy, confidentiality, and clinical rigor.
Suboxone® treatment is offered in person only, at our Orland Park and Willowbrook offices. All of our providers prescribe Suboxone®.
How Suboxone® MAT Can Help
- Eases Physical Withdrawal: Can relieve symptoms such as chills, nausea, muscle aches, and insomnia.
- Reduces Cravings: Can lessen the urge to use opioids.
- Ceiling Effect: Buprenorphine's opioid effects level off at higher doses. This lowers, but does not eliminate, the risk of dangerous breathing problems, which rises when it is combined with alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other sedatives.
- Dual Diagnosis Care: Treats concurrent depression, anxiety, trauma, and ADHD.
The Science Behind Suboxone®
Understanding the two-ingredient design of Suboxone®, one of the FDA-approved medications for opioid dependence.
1. Buprenorphine (Partial Opioid Agonist)
Buprenorphine binds tightly to the brain's mu-opioid receptors, occupying them without triggering full receptor activation. This can ease cravings and withdrawal, and its tight binding can blunt the effects of other opioids (such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, or fentanyl). It does not guarantee protection from overdose, particularly if other opioids, alcohol, or sedatives are used.
2. Naloxone (Opioid Antagonist)
Naloxone is included to discourage misuse. When taken as prescribed (dissolved under the tongue or inside the cheek), the naloxone has little effect. If the medication is injected, the naloxone can block opioid receptors and trigger withdrawal in a person dependent on opioids. This is intended to deter misuse, although it does not prevent it in every case.
Phases of Outpatient Recovery
A structured medical protocol supporting your stability at every milestone:
Induction
Starting Suboxone with guidance from your prescriber, timed for when withdrawal signs are present to reduce the risk of precipitated withdrawal.
Stabilization
Adjusting the daily maintenance dose, monitoring for side effects, and addressing co-occurring psychiatric conditions.
Maintenance & Tapering
Ongoing support for as long as it is helpful. If you and your prescriber decide to stop, the dose is tapered gradually to reduce withdrawal symptoms, with attention to the risk of relapse.