Why Trust Recovery Guide Subutex is a medication used in MAT, or medication-assisted treatment, programs to help people recover from opioid addiction. Subutex is a medication used in MAT, or medication-assisted treatment, programs to help people recover from opioid addiction. It works by easing cravings, reducing withdrawal symptoms, and lowering the risk of relapse. But if it’s not used the right way, or if someone misuses it, it can trigger something called precipitated withdrawal.
Precipitated withdrawal happens when MAT medications like Subutex are taken before a person has fully detoxed from opioids, or when the medication is abused in other ways, like crushing or injecting it. The result is a sudden, intense version of withdrawal that’s far worse than typical opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Learn more about the risks and benefits of taking Subutex
What Causes Precipitated Withdrawal?
If a person who is addicted to opioids starts a MAT program and has not detoxed correctly, or for long enough, precipitated withdrawal can occur. Additionally, an opioid-addicted individual may abuse MAT drugs by crushing, snorting, injecting, or misusing them. This can result in the person experiencing intense, severe symptoms of precipitated withdrawal.
What Is Precipitated Withdrawal?
Precipitated withdrawal symptoms are significantly worse than the already painful, acute withdrawal associated with opioid addiction.
Precipitated withdrawal symptoms include:
- fever
- headache
- chills
- anxiety
- agitation
- confusion
- drop in blood pressure
- increase heart rate
- intense muscle cramps and pain
- severe abdominal cramping
- extreme sweating
- unmanageable diarrhea
- excessive vomiting
While opioid withdrawal symptoms are gradual and occur over time, precipitated withdrawal symptoms are immediate, and at peak intensity.
Risks Of Precipitated Withdrawal From Subutex
Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and other severe health risks related to precipitated withdrawal almost always require hospitalization, and sometimes even ICU. If someone has a pre-existing condition, precipitated withdrawal can be even more dangerous or have serious complications.
Some people have to be sedated or even given a general anesthetic until the precipitated withdrawal has run its course.
Preventing Precipitated Withdrawal
Medical supervision is one of the best ways to avoid precipitated withdrawal. Different opioids require different periods of time before a MAT program medication can be taken. Medical addiction specialists are able to monitor clients and administer appropriate levels of care if a person starts to display symptoms of precipitated withdrawal.
Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder
For people facing opioid addiction, seeking substance use treatment from a rehab facility that offers medically supervised detox and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) options may be ideal.
Treatment services may also include:
- counseling
- cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- dual diagnosis treatment
- group therapy
- family therapy
- 12-step recovery groups
Reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for more helpful information about opioid addiction treatment.
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- American College of Emergency Physicians — Treatment Strategies for Precipitated Opioid Withdrawal after Naloxone Rescue
https://www.acepnow.com/article/treatment-strategies-for-precipitated-opioid-withdrawal-after-naloxone-rescue/ - Pain — Pharmacologic Treatment of Patients with Addiction
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-99124-5_243