Natural Alternatives to Suboxone
Suboxone is one of the those drugs you might have to be on, but don’t really want to be. Taken to help treat addiction, it is one of those things that can be really vital to many Americans to lead a healthy life away from opiates and other incredibly harmful substances.
Some people on it though, perhaps even you, wish to get off of it. Although it is mainly used to help ease the effects of addiction to opioid and narcotics, Suboxone is an opioid medication itself. This means the goal for many people after a course of them is to get off of it, using natural alternatives to addiction problems.
There is help available, but it is very important that you only follow these with the advice of a health care professional.
One thing to keep in mind, while trying to stop taking Suboxone, is that the effects will linger even if you have stopped taking it. Suboxone works for treating addiction because it helps to block the brain receptors that would otherwise fire when you are taking other opiates. This means that even if you do go back to your former addiction, as long as you have taken Suboxone recently, you will feel no relief from the drug, but instead just start experiencing its addiction, withdrawal, and side effects once again.
Obviously Suboxone is going to be more powerful than most natural alternatives however these natural tips and supplements can help you beat your addiction without using Suboxone.
Do not substitute this for actual advice from an expert as many cases require treatment that CAN NOT be remedied with natural options.  These natural options may only be helpful in addition to treatments, again consult with a medical professional before self treating or self diagnosing.Â
Drinking more water
Whenever coming off of any drug, one constant challenge is to stay hydrated. This is because most withdrawal periods are accompanied by a massive loss of body fluids and constant sweating. For this reason, it is important to give your body its natural energy source; water.
When deciding to come off of any drug, it is best to prepare for it by putting gallon jugs of water in your fridge so that you can constantly refill on cold water. One thing about having cold water is that it can also give your mouth an extra sensation which may help you distract yourself from the effects of coming off of Suboxone or any other unnatural drug.
Bananas
One way to try and naturally combat the effects of addiction and to come off of Suboxone is to start eating plenty of bananas. One of the problems with withdrawal symptoms is trying to get enough liquid into your system to help combat all of the side effects.
Bananas can help as the potassium in them allows your body to get as much refreshment as possible from whatever water you put into it. Another great thing about using Bananas as a natural Suboxone alternative is that the fruit itself naturally contains a lot of water, helping you to keep hydrated.
The other thing about bananas is that they can naturally increase the levels of dopamine in the brain without having any addicting effects. It is an influx of dopamine which is the main way in which Suboxone and other opiates work, meaning that Bananas can actually emulate the effects for a small bit, helping your mind get used to the changes in not taking Suboxone or any other opiate.
St. John’s Wort
This herbal supplement is a great alternative to Suboxone. St. John’s Wort contains natural amounts of a chemical called Hyperforin, which in fact reacts in your body in much the same way as Suboxone does, blocking the receptors that cause addiction in the first place.
St. John’s Wort is available in almost all good health stores, as a supplement that you won’t need a script to take. There is also no embarrassment in asking a counter-clerk for it, as St. John’s Wort can be used to treat a number of problems, not just addiction or as a Suboxone alternative.
When buying your St. John’s Wort, you will want to look out for a supplement that does have a high level of Hyperforin, as this is the main ingredient that causes St. John’s Wort to be a herbal substitute for Suboxone.
Green Tea
Green Tea is naturally high in a natural chemical called “L-theanine.” This chemical can heavily reduce dopamine levels, meaning that you will be able to get through the withdrawal effects faster.
Green Tea is available in two forms. The first, as a supplement, is an option to take. In fact, it can be good to have some green supplement around if you are fighting withdrawal effects, as you might be unwilling to get up and make a cup of hot tea.
However, the best way to use this natural alternative to Suboxone is to make green tea and consume it. This is because it gives your mind and hands something to do, also helping you combat addiction by simply allowing your brain to focus on something else.
Velvet Bean
This is another great herbal substitute to Suboxone. The natural chemical in this supplement is named “levodopa”,and this naturally works on the dopamine levels in your body.
Taking a Velvet Bean supplement will signal to your body to give out small, sharp bursts of dopamine, helping to combat the more painful effects of withdrawal symptoms. Velvet Bean can also help with one of the other effects of withdrawal, by helping to quiet your mind and allowing you to focus more on tasks than might other wise be possible while combating addiction. In fact, in some ways, a Velvet Bean supplement is better at helping you stay focused and in reducing mind-wandering feelings than Suboxone.
There are many internet sites that sell Velvet Bean supplements, but also, almost all good health food shops (such as Whole Foods) should have a stock of Velvet Bean. Just like St. John’s Wort, there are many uses for this herbal supplement other than as a Suboxone alternative, meaning that you don’t need to feel embarrassed about asking a store-helper to help you locate this natural Suboxone substitute.
Passion Flower
All of the above methods so far focus on trying to help your body get back in control of its own dopamine levels, free from the influence of opiates or Suboxone. There is also a great herbal way to curb all of the other symptoms of withdrawal or from stopping a course of Suboxone. That herbal remedy is Passion Flower.
Used for thousands of years in traditional cultures, Passion Flower has been shown to easily cure problems related to anxiety, and has also been shown to promote calm and relaxation.
Passion flower is, like many other herbal supplements for Suboxone, available in either a pill form or as a tea. The taste of the tea can be a bit too bitter for some people, so if you are trying Passion Flower for the first time, it might be an idea to keep some honey around.
As well as helping to reduce any effects of anxiety that withdrawal or Suboxone can cause, it can also help with any stomach upsets that can happen while struggling with coming off of any addictive substance.
Ginger
There is one other great way to help the difficultly of stomach problems during coming off either Suboxone or trying to find a herbal alternative to Suboxone for addiction problems, and that is ginger.
Although it is regarded as a spice, it does the opposite of hot spices in that it does actually help to calm the stomach. Furthermore, it also signals to your body to provide more pain reducing hormones, meaning that some of the internal pain you can feel while trying to stop addiction can be elevated.
The last thing about ginger that makes it a perfect Suboxone substitute is that it also helps with muscle aches, another key thing that can happen to many users when trying to curb addiction.
With all of these methods, you have all the tools that you need to come off of any addictive substance.
However, it is very important that if you have been taken Suboxone with any kind of regularity, or your doctor has recommended that you go on it, that you get the advice of your health care professional before starting on any of these natural tips. This is because both standard opiates and Suboxone are insidious drugs, and coming off of one all at once can cause very bad side effects, including in the worst cases, death.
But, by being sensible, and allowing yourself to be come educated in the natural alternatives to Suboxone, you can have a sensible chat with your doctor about the best ways for you to manage your withdrawal symptoms.
