Author(s)

Akikur Mohammad, Joshua Busse, Rebecca Ninah Shub, Alexandria Sarkar

Department of Psychiatry, LAC-USC, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

The medical profession is divided in its approach to treating patients with addiction issues, particularly in regards to the treatment of opioid use disorder with Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone). Here we present two cases of patients who have achieved over 11 years of sobriety with long-term Suboxone maintenance therapy. Their stories help to demonstrate that Suboxone is a viable long-term treatment option for severe opioid addiction. While life-long Suboxone use can lead to physical dependence on the drug, this is far from simply replacing one addiction with another. Some providers may feel that physical dependence on a medication does not represent appropriate or adequate treatment of opioid use disorder; however, when compared with the grave potential consequences of severe opioid use disorder, the potential benefits of achieving sobriety with Suboxone maintenance far outweigh the risks.

Suboxone, Buprenorphine, Naloxone, Opioid Use Disorder, Long-Term

Mohammad, A. , Busse, J. , Shub, R. and Sarkar, A. (2016) Long-Term Suboxone Maintenance Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder: 2 Case Reports. Open Journal of Psychiatry, 6, 191-194. doi: 10.4236/ojpsych.2016.62023.