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Cost of Suboxone Treatment

Cost of Suboxone Treatment

How Much Does Suboxone Treatment In Atlanta Cost?

A. Medication Costs:

Suboxone comes in two sizes, 2 mg and 8 mg dissolvable tablets and filmstrips. The 2 mg sizes cost about $3-$4 each and 8 mg sizes cost about $6-$8 each. The usual daily dose is 1 to 3 tablets of the 8 mg size. Therefore, the cost per month is about $180-$720.

Smaller supplies of Suboxone are written in the beginning. On the first visit I usually give a two or three day supply. The interval between follow-up visits increase roughly in this pattern. The second visit is after 2 to 3 days, next after 4 to 7 days, then after 7 to 10 day, then two weeks, then three weeks, then monthly. The cost per pill decreases until approximately 30 pills per prescription are written. At that point the cost falls to approximately $6-$8 per pill for 8 mg tablets.

The 2 mg sizes are used most often when tapering down during detox. 2 mg sizes are much more expensive per milligram than the 8 mg sizes. Costco or Sam’s Club usually have the lowest prices. You don’t need a membership to go to their pharmacies. If it’s inconvenient to go to one of the pharmacies, you can take your receipt from your first visit for your low price and get your prescription at the same cost at a price matching pharmacy the next time. Kroger and Walmart are price matching pharmacies.

Subutex is much cheaper since it has gone generic. The generic name is buprenorphine. The difference between Subutex and Suboxone is that Suboxone contains naloxone and Subutex does not contain naloxone. Suboxone is recommended over Subutex because the naloxone discourages IV abuse of Suboxone. If a person injects Suboxone into a vein, it causes a person who is currently on opiates to go into immediate, severe withdrawal. Subutex can be purchased at Sam’s Club for $2 per pill as of today, August 27, 2011, if you buy a premium one year membership for $100.

Suboxone filmstrips are favored by most of my patients over Suboxone. They cost slightly less plus there is a $45 per month manufacturer’s discount that expires on September 30, 2011.

B. Physician Costs:

The initial evaluation session is $325.

Follow-up visits are $178 and are available evenings, weekends, and daytime.

Dr. Hege requires a comprehensive urine drug screen before he prescribes Suboxone at an initial visit and each month thereafter. This is necessary because of concerns about an interaction between Suboxone and any other substance in your body. The results of the urine drug screen will be shared with you at the time of the visit. These results are shared with no one else without your signed consent, unless severe, immediate medical risks to your life make it necessary to release the information for your medical care. The cost of the urine drug screen is included in the cost of the initial evaluation, but each month thereafter the urine drug screen is $63 at the time of the testing.

What Can I Do About My Narcotic Dependence Or Withdrawal If I Can’t Afford Suboxone And/Or A Suboxone Certified Doctor?

The manufacturer of Suboxone provides free Suboxone to qualifying patients. However, they limit the number of patients who can be on free Suboxone to two patients for each certified doctor’ s practice. The patient or their insurance will need to pay for the physician fee. Mental health centers do not administer Suboxone, at least none in the Atlanta area that I am aware of doing that. The other option is for patients to go to a methadone clinic to get on methadone. The cost of a methadone as well as the clinic fee is usually quite small.

If you or someone you love requires help from Suboxone,
contact Dr. Darvin Hege today at 770-458-0007