Due to the high volume of phone calls The Waismann Method has received this year, we developed a voluntary study for all visitors to our Web site in order to better understand the steady growth in the use of Suboxone, a drug replacement therapy for opiates, as prescribed by physicians. This study also examined the long-term side effects of Suboxone in patients. Through our work with Suboxone dependent patients, we have generated a serious concern with the lack of education and mis-information given by physicians to their patients when prescribed Suboxone as an alternative "treatment" to an opiate dependency such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Lortab, and Fentanyl, among others.

Studies conducted in March of 2007, revealed an increase in interest in Suboxone as a result of a dependency to the prescription drug. In 2007, The Waismann Method treated an alarming number of patients with Suboxone dependency. Among our findings, the most alarming was that many patients who believed Suboxone to be a "quick fix" suddenly found themselves physically dependent to the drug after a very short amount of time. Additionally, in outreach we conducted to managers of sober-living homes across the country that condone Suboxone, the majority of them indicated they were unaware Suboxone is actually an opiate itself.

People with opiate dependencies who seek treatment from detox centers are, in many instances, discharged with a Suboxone prescription in order to help them maintain a life free of opiates. It is the position of The Waismann Method that in these instances, patients are not being detoxed, but are receiving drug replacement therapy. We fear that patients are being misled into believing they are being treated in these situations.

The Waismann Method believes professionals within the industry should share knowledge and understanding of what one another offer in order to refer patients to a center that is most appropriate for each individual. The more choices available to people with opiate dependencies, the more successfully patients will be treated in the way that best suits them.

We understand that a patient desires to be free of opiates and not to replace one with another. Therefore, if The Waismann Method determines that it is in the best interest of the patient to undergo rapid detox, we will move forward with treatment. It is our hope that our colleagues will view treatment in the same light. Furthermore, as professionals, we have the social responsibility to understand the potential outcomes and consequences of what we have been given the authority to prescribe as well as educate our patients of these outcomes to the best of our ability.

In conclusion, the reason we have created this page is to stress the growing concern we have with the alarming number of patients we have seen over the past year with physical dependencies to Suboxone, specifically as a result of centers offering the drug as a method of detox. If you have any questions about Suboxone or know someone that is affected by this, please contact our offices through the Web site at www.opiates.com

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