The cost of buprenorphine can vary depending on the dose. Parties that determine the cost of a dose of buprenorphine include the pharmaceutical companies, the health insurer, and retail pharmacies.
Daily doses of buprenorphine are normally 8mg to 24mg; the cost per daily dose of buprenorphine varies from $4-$19. Reckitt Benckiser makes the brand name tablets, Suboxone and Subutex, and the Suboxone filmstrip formulation. Roxane Labs produces a generic buprenorphine-only formulation, which is not widely used. Patients who do not have health insurance can expect to pay around $500 per month for buprenorphine treatment, which includes the cost of the medication plus the cost of doctor's visits. These estimates are based on an average dose of 16mg/day ($12 x 30 days=$360) plus a $100-200 fee for office visits. Of course, these rates will vary based on factors such as geographic location and proximity of other providers.
A recent newsletter article from The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment (NAABT.org) provides an article "15 Ways to Save Money on Buprenorphine Treatment" that lists and describes various ways to save on buprenorphine treatment.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Introduction of the First Nationally Accredited Residency Programs in Addiction Medicine
Is addiction a mental problem that can be overcome through willpower or is it a physical disease? When researchers found out about 15 years ago through imaging that drug addiction resulted in actual physical changes to the brain, the consensus started shifting toward it being a physical disease. In the past, there has been a large gap in education in addiction medicine. It was more targeted towards psychiatrists, with general practitioners having little experience in the field. However, according to the article "Rethinking Addiction's Roots, and Its Treatment" published in the New York Times on July 10, 2011, medical institutions have just introduced the first 10 nationally accredited residency programs in addiction medicine. Doctors who have completed medical school and a primary residency will be able to spend a year studying the relationship between addiction and brain chemistry and treating patients with various addictions. The article reveals that the new residency programs show a change in thinking about addiction and that addiction is increasingly becoming thought of as a disease.
Now physicians are starting to understand that addiction must be continually treated in order to avoid a relapse. Many traditional doctors have not thought of this as a chronic disease as it is much harder to understand brain function than relatively simpler muscles such as the heart. New pharmaceuticals such as Suboxone have helped increase interest in addiction medicine. However, as physicians are learning, medications are not the simple solution to breaking an addiction: it is a very complex disease process.
Patient Story: The article goes on to share a story from Christine Pace, a Harvard Medical School graduate who recalls prior experience at a Boston methadone clinic where heroin addicts complained that physicians could not, or would not, help them. She mentions "I saw physicians over and over pushing it [the complaints] aside, just calling a social work consult to deal with a patient who is struggling with addiction." Pace is now the first addiction resident at Boston Univ. Medical Center. One of her patients is Derek, who mentions that a general practitioner and Suboxone helped him kick his 35 year old heroin habit. He mentions that the Suboxone "got me to here I don't have the dependency every day, consuming you, swallowing you like a fish in the water. I'm able to work now, I'm able to take care of my daughter, I'm able to pay rent - all the things I couldn't do when I was using."
Now physicians are starting to understand that addiction must be continually treated in order to avoid a relapse. Many traditional doctors have not thought of this as a chronic disease as it is much harder to understand brain function than relatively simpler muscles such as the heart. New pharmaceuticals such as Suboxone have helped increase interest in addiction medicine. However, as physicians are learning, medications are not the simple solution to breaking an addiction: it is a very complex disease process.
Patient Story: The article goes on to share a story from Christine Pace, a Harvard Medical School graduate who recalls prior experience at a Boston methadone clinic where heroin addicts complained that physicians could not, or would not, help them. She mentions "I saw physicians over and over pushing it [the complaints] aside, just calling a social work consult to deal with a patient who is struggling with addiction." Pace is now the first addiction resident at Boston Univ. Medical Center. One of her patients is Derek, who mentions that a general practitioner and Suboxone helped him kick his 35 year old heroin habit. He mentions that the Suboxone "got me to here I don't have the dependency every day, consuming you, swallowing you like a fish in the water. I'm able to work now, I'm able to take care of my daughter, I'm able to pay rent - all the things I couldn't do when I was using."
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Patient Success Stories
The following patient stories are from The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment (NAABT.org).
Story #1:
On February 13, 2006 I was taking 100 vicodin tablets per day or more and slowly killing myself. Today and for the time since 2/14/06 I have not & Suboxone has played a large part my recovery effort. Prior to that date, my life consisted of failed try after failed try to self medicate & at self recovery, only to dig myself deeper into active addiction. - Anonymous
Story #2:
I started Suboxone treatment September 16, 2008 after many failed attempts to quit OxyContin on my own. I was first prescribed Vicoden 8yrs prior to that for degenerative joint disease in my jaw and neck, which escalated into a terrible addiction to pain medicine. If it werent for suboxone therapy, along with counseling, and the Addiction Survivors website, I am absolutely positive I would not be in recovery today. Deanna
Source: NAABT.org
For Physicians or Patients: If you have any patient stories you would like to share, please comment and post them here.
Story #1:
On February 13, 2006 I was taking 100 vicodin tablets per day or more and slowly killing myself. Today and for the time since 2/14/06 I have not & Suboxone has played a large part my recovery effort. Prior to that date, my life consisted of failed try after failed try to self medicate & at self recovery, only to dig myself deeper into active addiction. - Anonymous
Story #2:
I started Suboxone treatment September 16, 2008 after many failed attempts to quit OxyContin on my own. I was first prescribed Vicoden 8yrs prior to that for degenerative joint disease in my jaw and neck, which escalated into a terrible addiction to pain medicine. If it werent for suboxone therapy, along with counseling, and the Addiction Survivors website, I am absolutely positive I would not be in recovery today. Deanna
Source: NAABT.org
For Physicians or Patients: If you have any patient stories you would like to share, please comment and post them here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)