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Cecily Melton, 30, quickly shook her head when asked if she could have battled her opioid problem without the help of a drug called Suboxone.
"Not at all," said the mother of five, more than three years after being weaned opioids and resumed her life.
"I think I could have managed to get out of it, but is the recovery simply based on pills, or is the mental health you have while you're clean?" do not think I would have succeeded as well as now without the people who have helped me along the way ".
A former army wife, the native of Bartonville became addicted to opioids several years ago after a doctor at the military base prescribed her a painkiller dose for her baker's cysts , an accumulation of fluid behind the knee. She took the medication faithfully and did not realize that something was wrong until her prescription was used up.
"A military doctor prescribed me Percocet .. Whenever I would have a cyst, every time I would go back, they would prescribe me another script.It was continuous."
"I did not feel like myself, I did not want to get up and take care of what I had to do for the day, I would not work, I started buying them on the street." it is not the case to stop you, but that does not stop you from feeling good. "
She is one of the lucky ones. She returned to the Peoria area, realized that she needed help and found this help as part of the health care center's medication-assisted treatment program.
Suboxone, a brand name for buprenorphine, is one of three drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of opioids. Methadone and naltrexone are the other two drugs.
A recovery specialist estimates that about 1,500 people in the Peoria area work in local clinics for Suboxone and methadone only. And there is a list of waiting.
"It's like any drug, and I know it's controversial, but would a very depressed person be able to get up and continue his day without his depression medication?" Yes, probably, maybe, but because they have this mental stability and help, they will probably do a lot better, "Melton said.
Experts say that drugs work differently and that, depending on the addiction and the situation in life, a drug may be an option while others can not. In any case, drug addiction specialists say that drug treatment is more effective than cold turkey.
"The evidence clearly demonstrates that these drugs can help stop the disease, cause remission and save lives," said Yngvild K. Olsen, Medical Director of Baltimore Institutes for Behavior Resources Inc..
Dr. Marc Fishman, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University, also in Baltimore, spoke at the conference organized by the American Society of Addiction Medicine last spring in San Diego. He performs clinical work with adolescents suffering from a disorder of opioid use.
He says that drugs are not the only way to treat opioid eating disorders, but "over 60 years of data have shown that they were our best tool, but not our only tool" for what he called "drug-assisted recovery".
Chrissy Smith, program manager at the Social Services Center, oversees the hospital's medication-assisted treatment programs. She said the drugs were part of a comprehensive recovery plan that included counseling and life skills training.
"The majority of opioid users would not stop taking opioids without drug-assisted treatment." Could people be cautious and quit? Maybe, but their long-term success is better with drugs, cravings and withdrawal so that they can handle some of the things essential to recovery, "she said.
People like to see these drugs as a cure, while there is no cure. And using Methadone, Suboxone and other medications requires a commitment from someone willing to report to a clinic or to follow through on a prescription.
"It's a chronic brain disease, so some people will need these drugs in the long run. Some may need it for the rest of their lives. However, just like hypertension and diabetes, medications are often not what happens. to help the person manage his illness, "said Olsen.
When exercise contributes to diabetes and can allow a person to get out of insulin and control his blood sugar, people who take methadone or buprenorphine may eventually stop taking these medications. Others might not do it, she said, but the stigma of addiction and drug use can often prevent people from trying it.
The medical treatment of opioid dependence has been around for decades. For years, methadone clinics have scattered urban centers to fight heroin abuse. Buprenorphine arrived on the scene about 25 years ago and, in 2010, the FDA approved a sustained-release version of naltrexone, a drug used for years to treat alcoholism as a third alternative.
All drugs interact with activated receptors in the brain by opioids. But how do they do that and what effect they have on the person differ.
Think of a receiver having the shape of a U at the top of a rod. Buprenorphine and methadone are part of these receptors. Drugs, whether heroin or methadone, are small balls that fall perfectly into this U shape, but they work differently. Methadone and buprenorphine treat weaning and reduce the cravings of someone with opioid addiction experiences with drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, Oxycontin or Vicodin.
Methadone is a complete agonist, which means a bullet for a receiver. Buprenorphine is a partial agonist, so it takes more than one ball to fill the receptor.
"That's why some people can find stability with one drug but not with the other and that's what makes different medications," Smith said.
The use of methadone or buprenorphine may outweigh heroin with regard to receptors. Taken once a day under proper medical supervision, a person can stabilize and not be weaned while avoiding too much stimulation of the receptors that cause this "strong" sensation.
The wrong side? A person must take these drugs steadily, as for a blood pressure treatment, and they act quickly. Methadone is a daily dose administered on a secure site approved by the federal government.
Buprenorphine, better known by its brand name Suboxone, can be obtained through a prescription at a pharmacy such as CVS or Walgreens. Like methadone, they are usually taken daily, but some people can take it every other day, depending on the dose.
Injectable naltrexone works differently and has been formulated for a monthly dose. It is possible that the drug, which was originally used to treat chronic alcoholism, may be taken daily, but it is not as common.
He does not stay in the receiver, Olsen says, but rests on it. It does not activate this receiver at all, but it prevents any other opioid from getting to this receiver. It's a unique injection that can last up to a month.
The disadvantage: a person must be free of opioids for at least seven to ten days. And it's a big challenge for people with opioid addiction, experts say.
"If they are currently under the influence of an opioid, the shot will immediately set them back.It is a blocker.It blocks the receiver to which the opioid attaches itself." said Tyrone Wilkins, clinical supervisor at the Gateway Foundation.
According to Wilkins, the right combination for some is to use Suboxone to manage the withdrawal and wean it off slowly so you can get an injection of Vivitrol.
Several suppliers in the Peoria area offer these options. Smith said there are three methadone and three suboxone treatment clinics in the region that treat about 1,500 people and that there are still people on a waiting list. Vivitrol injections are administered by the Gateway Foundation, but Sheriff Brian Asbell is hoping for another place: the Peoria County Jail. He asked for a grant to cover the costs of creating a program in the prison, where some inmates suffer from opioid addiction.
Ravi Doshi, case manager for the Gateway Foundation, oversees similar programs in other county jails, including Tazewell County Prison.
Gateway started the program in June and already has 16 active customers. Doshi said the program was well received by all parties.
"It's a no-brainer," he says simply.
There are two requirements. A person must demonstrate that they have a problem with alcohol or opioid abuse. They must also have a date on which they must be released. The second part required the cooperation of the state prosecutor's office, public defenders, probation officers and judges. Until now, things have gone well.
Inmates have joined the program, said Doshi.
"They are very receptive, many of them have never been treated for addiction, and we are able to show the courts and the criminal justice system that the reason they committed the crime was to feed their addiction. "
But as with other programs, this does not stop with a nurse giving a shot. Instead, there are "recovery coaches" to help a person, once released, cope with problems that could cause a relapse.
Issues such as employment, housing and transportation are discussed. The coach is a member of the community who is present for the former inmate. It gives the customer the "best shot" at recovery.
"When people come here, we have a way to prevent them from taking drugs for seven to ten days.This is a good place to try because they can not use (drugs) during their detention, "Doshi said.
Her dream is to use the space that once housed the released prisoners of labor as a public detoxification center. In this way, people are in a structured, weaning environment and can take Vivitrol or another medicine.
"The prison is a unique opportunity for detoxification because people are incarcerated instead of trying to do it outside," he said.
One of Asbell's ideas is to offer the program to people involved in drug-related crimes. They may choose to participate in the program and may stay in the prison voluntarily for about a week in order to benefit from Vivitrol's treatment plan. This part is essential, said the sheriff, many people entering the prison staying less than 48 hours. This is not long enough to be evaluated and certainly not enough for someone to use Vivitrol.
As part of their pre-trial release, they should participate in counseling sessions and other therapies deemed necessary by counselors or social workers. The county probation and the state attorney's office would also be involved in the program. Although he has not talked about it, the idea is like an extension of the drug court program that occurs after someone is charged.
This could mean an involvement of the whole community in the program.
Sophia Dawson, a counselor with the Human Service Center, said that these drugs are not the solution to the problem of opioid control or addiction in general. Instead, she can help a qualified specialist help a person recover.
"We have the option of doing Suboxone or methadone, I had a person who was struggling with Suboxone but was not getting what she needed, because with Suboxone, she tends to get together every week (with a counselor.) With methadone, you meet with them every day, "said Dawson. "Maybe he was not getting enough individual counseling – it's not just about taking medication to stay healthy and recovering from recovery." I think that says a lot about the cleanliness and sobriety.
"It's not because we take drugs that everything is made up of rainbows and unicorns," Dawson said.
Despite this, Melton, the recovering opioid addict, said her life was like "night and day" since she joined the Suboxone program at HSC.
"I have relationships with my family that I have not had in a very long time." "I have relationships with my children who have been away for a long time." I have relationships with people from all over the city who knew me as an addict, "she says. "It saved my life, I was on the verge of heroin before entering this clinic.
"I am one of the very lucky ones who came out before my foot was in that grave."
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Source: (Peoria) Journal Star, https://bit.ly/2OrN3x1
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Information from: Star Journal, http://pjstar.com
This is an AP-Illinois Exchange story offered by the Journal (Peoria) Journal Star.
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