Buprenorphine is utilized in what is known as medication assisted treatment (MAT) for people in Leon who are opiate dependent to prescription pain killers or heroin. Unlike Methadone which is also used in medication assisted treatment but is usually only dispensed in highly structured clinics, Buprenorphine can be prescribed and administered by qualifying doctors which supplies easier access to this type of treatment.
When Buprenorphine is utilized in treatment it can help individuals who are experiencing the intense withdrawal symptoms and cravings associated with opiate withdrawal. Buprenorphine helps to control and diminish these withdrawal symptoms so that they can focus and stay off drugs and not engage in harmful drug seeking behaviors. When the medication assisted treatment concept was first formed and put into action, it wasn't meant to be a primary form of treatment but rather only part of a "whole-patient" treatment plan that would typically incorporate actual rehabilitation for substance abuse and addiction recovery. Buprenorphine use would only be one component of a bigger all-encompassing plan.
Buprenorphine might also produce some of the euphoric effects of other opiates so it is sometimes misused. For this reason it is highly suggested that anyone choosing medication assisted treatment as the recovery plan they prefer to take, to also receive help from addiction counselors to incorporate other types of substance abuse therapy and life repair programs into their plan of rehabilitation so that they are not at risk of relapse.