Drug for Detox Can Lead to Drug Addiction
A pill that can help people kick drug addiction to narcotic pain drugs — without going into a drug treatment program– has caught on fast in South Florida, where prescription drug abuse runs high.
The pill, Suboxone, now rivals methadone among people trying to quit opiates, including heroin, pain drugs oxycodone and hydrocodone, and even methadone, industry figures show.
But in South Florida, addiction treatment specialists said they see growing signs that the cure is being abused, too.
Drug detox programs report rising numbers of clients addicted to Suboxone. Specialists worry that some doctors are hyping it as a miracle cure and prescribing it in careless or profit-oriented ways.
“It works great,” said Dr. Sohail Punjwani, a drug detox specialist in Fort Lauderdale Florida. “Suboxone is the new methadone. It’s a little bit cleaner and a little more [effective]. But it can be abused. It’s not a panacea. Some people are trying to say that it is.”
Also, addiction treatment specialists said they are concerned that a few of the 127 doctors listed as certified by the federal government to prescribe Suboxone in Broward and Palm Beach, Florida counties have a history of improperly doling out pain pills.
Since they were certified, nine of them have had their medical licenses revoked, suspended or put on probation, according to state disciplinary records reviewed by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“All the Suboxone doctors are not the best,” said Robert Bozzone, chief executive of the nonprofit drug detoxification center Comprehensive Alcohol Rehabilitation Programs in Palm Beach County.
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration certifies doctors to give Suboxone if they have certain education or at least eight hours of training. The agency can deny approval based on a doctor’s background, an agency spokeswoman said, but does not oversee their use of the drug.
“Unfortunately, some doctors approach it like a money-making business says Dr. Smith. Smith and at least 28 other doctors certified to give Suboxone work at pain clinics where opiate users may obtain the very narcotic pills they abuse. More than a dozen clinics advertise Suboxone in their pain-pill ads in weekly newspapers. That double role worries some drug detox specialists.
“You shouldn’t be doing both. You could lose some of your objectivity” selling pills, said Dr. Dale Fahie, medical director at county-run Addiction Treatment Center.
Suboxone and sister drug Subutex have been a hit since coming out in 2002. Studies show the pills work as well as methadone for kicking drugs without the agony of withdrawal, and with less risk of re-addiction and fewer side effects. The drug gives no high and people are less likely to abuse it.
The outpatient drug detox appeals to those with no time or health coverage for detox or who don’t want to go to methadone centers alongside former heroin addicts, drug experts said.
