November 06, 2020
Serenity Lane, a network of treatment centers with locations across Oregon, has seen high rates of positive outcomes for patients with opioid use disorders when buprenorphine is used in treatment.
Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist and antagonist that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of opioid use disorder. Because of its effectiveness and relative ease of access, buprenorphine may potentially become the new gold standard in maintenance therapy for people recovering from opioid use disorder.
Dr. Eric Geisler of Serenity Lane has observed the effectiveness of buprenorphine in treatment first hand. “I’ve seen the difference myself with the residential patients of Serenity Lane in Coburg, where I treat over 600 patients a year,” Dr. Geisler says. “Opiate patients may have tried to detox on their own or experienced daily trips to a methadone clinic for treatment. At every point along that path, relapse is a real possibility.”
One unique characteristic of buprenorphine is that it is the first medication used to treat opioid use disorder that can be prescribed or dispensed in physician offices. This is in contrast to maintenance drugs like methadone that can only be administered at specific locations.
This difference may seem small but it can lead to a highly increased ease of access for people suffering from opioid use disorder as lack of access to transportation and other issues may keep them from being able to visit specified clinics for methadone daily. Buprenorphine has achieved a less strict regulation from the Food and Drug Administration because, when taken as prescribed, it has proven to be safe and effective.
Buprenorphine has unique pharmacological properties that diminish the effects of physical dependence to opioids, such as withdrawal and cravings. It also had a lower potential for misuse and an increased safety in cases of overdose, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
“Opioid addiction is affecting many American families,” Dr. Geisler adds, “We need to move past shame to diagnosis, treatment and the resumption of a healthy life. Medical maintenance that is achieved with buprenorphine is potentially the gold standard to do it.”
Serenity Lane offers a full continuum of treatment options for opioid use disorder, from detox to extended residential programs. Call Serenity Lane today at 800-543-9905 to learn more about opioid treatment options.
Serenity Lane was established as a private, non-profit addiction treatment center for alcoholism and drug use in 1973. We have programs throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. We believe that recovery from addiction is possible.
Stephanie Edwards
4211 West 11th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97402
541-485-1577
info@serenitylane.org
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