The rates of addiction to opiate and opioid drugs is spiraling out of control in the United States. President Donald Trump recently declared the opioid epidemic as a national health crisis that demands immediate attention from medical authorities

Treatment options for addiction available in the U.S include therapy with the clinical drugs methadone and Suboxone. These drugs block opiate receptors in the human body, removing the symptoms of withdrawal to stimulant and opioid medications.

However, recent studies show that Suboxone and methadone treatment does not have a lasting effect on the treatment of addiction. In most situations, these chemical treatments create a further dependence on the compounds, swapping one addiction for another.

When Treatment Creates Addiction

Addiction therapy has a fine line between helping addicts free themselves of their addiction, or adding to their existing problem. Both Suboxone and methadone are addictive substances that have the potential for abuse if left unmanaged.

Extensive use of opioid medications alters the neural pathways in the brain, creating addiction. However, the treatment drugs, methadone, and Suboxone, typically administered by medical professionals to treat addiction, also work on the same neural pathways.

Therefore, addicts that use these potent treatment drugs for extended periods of time develop a dependence on the compound in the same way they become addicted to opioids. This situation means that addicts often receive treatment for one addiction, only to end up with dependence issues on treatment drugs, as well as their first addiction.

The Use of Suboxone and Methadone in Opioid Addiction

The Drug Abuse Treatment Act (DATA) of 2000, allows for the treatment of addiction with Suboxone and methadone. Both compounds are approved for use in addiction therapy by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA.) Methadone is available through certified treatment facilities while Suboxone is readily available for prescription at a doctor’s office.

Both compounds also have a black market in the U.S, with methadone known on the streets as “done,” “dolls,” or “jungle juice.” Suboxone goes by the monikers “bupe,” “subs,” or “oranges.” Therefore, it’s easy for addicts to find a street source of these potent drugs, which they can use to exasperate their addiction without a doctor’s prescription.

Both Suboxone and methadone are U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmacologic treatments for opioid dependence and addiction (other drugs, such as Subutex and naltrexone are also prescribed but less common).

Why Suboxone and Methadone Treatment Doesn’t Work

The black market increases the availability of these treatment drugs to addicts, and create an environment where it’s easy for addicts to misuse and abuse the compounds. Statistics show that emergency room visits due to Methadone and Suboxone overdose rose ten-fold over the period between 2005 to 2010.

Given these terrifying statistics, it’s clear that Suboxone and Methadone treatment doesn’t cure addiction, in most cases it exasperates it.

Wrapping Up – A Natural Alternative to Dangerous Drug Therapy

There is a natural alternative to addiction therapy that circumvents the need for Suboxone and Methadone to relieve the symptoms of opioid, opiate, and stimulant addiction. Ibogaine is a plant-based compound found in the roots of the iboga plant, native to central Africa.

Mexican addiction therapy clinics offer ibogaine treatment to addicts, with astounding success rates. There’s little medical information available on how ibogaine works for suboxone and methadone. However, many addicts experience recovery from addiction using ibogaine therapy.