AboutDr Alan Galbraith Expertise I can answer most questions on drugs, both medical and "recreational". Answers can be given in either technical or layperson terminology. My main areas of interest are psychiatric, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular drugs.
Experience I have been a university lecturer/head of department for almost thirty years, but am now retired. My research interests were alcohol, smoking and cardiovascular disease.
Organizations Institute of Biology, London.
Publications Principal author of "Fundamentals of Pharmacology" 4th Edition published in November 2003 by Pearson Education, Australia.
Expert: Dr Alan Galbraith Date: 9/20/2004 Subject: drug addiction to darvon please explain the suboxone therapy program
Question would you please explain the suboxone program to get therapy. i have a 53 year old brother that is addicted to DARVON AND WE WONDERED IF THIS WOULD BE THE ANSWER . THANK YOU LINDA
Answer Dear Linda
Addiction to Darvon can happen but it is not common as it does not usually produce much feeling of well-being but it does occur and can be difficult to cure. I do not know much about the Suboxone program but do about the drug so will try to answer your question. For information of the programme it would be better to ask an expert in your country of residence.
Suboxone is a mixture of two drugs called buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine is similar in many ways to Darvon in that it is a potent pain killer but causes less well being than morphine, pethidine (meperidine) etc and hence its addiction potential is less than these but I would put its addiction potential higher than Darvon. However, the other drug in Suboxone is naloxone which basically stops the effects of both Darvon and buprenorphine on that part of the brain which causes the addiction potential. Hence use of them both together mimics some effects of the Darvon but not all and enables withdrawal with much less of the bad effects seen with sudden withdrawal. There is another drug called naltrexone which is sometimes used on its own which acts similarly to naloxone and in my opinion is usually a better bet. However, if pain still needs to be relieved Suboxone is the better alternative as the use of the naltrexone could cause a return of pain. If pain is not a problem I 'd go for naltrexone.
Ihave highly simplified this explanation but it is basically correct.
