Suboxone Treatment for Fentanyl Withdrawal
RX Only: See important safety information about Suboxone
What is fentanyl?
Fentanyl is an opioid pain reliever and generally used for patients with advanced cancer pain. It is 50-100 times more potent than morphine.
In recent years, the US has seen a significant rise in illegally produced fentanyl, which has largely contributed to the rising rates of opioid overdose and death. Synthetic fentanyl is often mixed with heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA. Many users are unaware that their drug of choice is laced with fentanyl, often resulting in deadly outcomes.
Online Suboxone treatment at Bicycle Health provides:
Our online clinic
- Online support groups from the privacy of your own home
- Experienced, addiction-medicine trained online Suboxone doctors who truly care
- Same day treatment
In person
Patients often wait days-to-weeks for an in-person clinic visit- Lots of time lost in transportation to and from the clinic visit
- Unpredictable wait times during in-person visits
- High and often unpredictable costs
Fentanyl Addiction Treatment
We offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) to help patients overcome fentanyl addiction and withdrawal. Our confidential services take place via telemedicine, allowing patients to seek treatment within the privacy of their own homes.
The first phase of fentanyl addiction treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) is the induction and stabilization phase. It’s important that patients have mild-to-moderate withdrawal symptoms prior to induction… otherwise, buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) will remove fentanyl from receptors in your brain, resulting in precipitated withdrawal, which is very unpleasant and dangerous. At Bicycle Health, our providers and health coaches work with you to determine how long it’ll take to reach mild-to-moderate withdrawal, as well as provide robust psychosocial and physical supports throughout the induction and stabilization phase.
You can learn more about medication-assisted treatment here.
Fentanyl withdrawal symptoms & timeline
It can be scary to experience withdrawal symptoms without knowing the fentanyl withdrawal timeline. Fentanyl withdrawal can begin as early as a few hours after the last dose, and different people will experience different symptoms based on a variety of factors. Here’s what to expect:
Symptoms occurring between 6-24 hours after the last fentanyl dose
- Muscle aches
- Restlessness
- Anxiety
- Tears
- Runny nose
- Excessive sweating
- Inability to sleep
- Yawning
- Fatigue
Symptoms occurring between 24-72 hours after the last fentanyl dose
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal cramping
- Goosebumps on skin
- Nausea and vomiting
- Blurry vision
- Rapid heartbeat
- High blood pressure
Fentanyl withdrawal symptoms are uncomfortable, but there are withdrawal treatments your Bicycle Health provider can prescribe to help relieve these symptoms:
- Clonidine helps reduce anxiety, irritability, muscle aches, sweating, and runny nose;
- Hydroxyzine (Atarax) helps relieve anxiety and insomnia;
- Tizanidine (Zanaflex) helps reduce muscle spasms;
- Ondansetron (Zofran) relieves symptoms of nausea and vomiting;
- Loperamide (Imodium) helps relieve diarrhea; and
- Bentyl helps relieve gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, especially abdominal cramping.
And lastly, once you start buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone), you will experience significant relief from fentanyl withdrawal symptoms.
You may take either 4 mg, 8 mg, or 12 mg of buprenorphine on the first day of induction. You may take increasing doses in order to relieve symptoms of withdrawal. Induction may take up to 3 days, after which you’ll feel well with no further withdrawal symptoms… and finally yourself again!
How does Bicycle Health work?
Your Journey to Recovery with Bicycle Health
Here at Bicycle Health, we combine buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) treatment with behavioral health supports, like online support groups and health coaches.
Learn more about how our process works here.
We are physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who are invested in your recovery.
Bicycle Health providers, staff, and leadership believe everyone deserves access to confidential, individualized, and non-judgmental care for fentanyl addiction.
Schedule a call with an enrollment coordinator to learn how buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) treatment can improve your fentanyl withdrawal symptoms and overall quality of life.
My life has improved 100% on this medication. I can deal with the ups and downs, am rarely depressed, don't have a lot of anxiety and have my energy back. I feel like a normal person again.