Medication & Prescriptions
This section will look at:
Medication
Any medication is a substance used to help the body manage, treat or prevent health conditions.
It can reduce symptoms (like pain), control long-term conditions (like diabetes or high blood pressure), or prevent problems from getting worse.
Medications come in many forms, such as tablets, liquids, injections, creams, inhalers.
Never stop prescribed medication suddenly and always talk to a doctor first before stopping medication.
Watch the video below on how to use a pill box, also called a dosette box, which can help you take the right medication on time.
Prescriptions
A prescription is a written instruction from a licensed healthcare professional that allows someone to get a specific medication.
A prescription includes:
- The name of the medication
- The dose (how much to take)
- The timing (when and how often to take it)
- Special instructions (Eg take with food)
TOP TIP: only take medication that is prescribed to you, and follow prescription instructions.
Medication Reviews
A medication review is a private, confidential meeting between you and a GP or another suitably qualified health professional to discuss your medicines.
The aim of the medication review is to check that you are prescribed the most appropriate medicines and that you get the best out of those medicines.
Click the button below for more information on why they are helpful and what to expect.
Opioid Substitute Treatment
This is an option available to treat opioid dependency, such as dependency on heroin.
The medications prescribed to treat opioid dependency include:
- Methadone
- Buprenorphine (AKA Subutex or Espranor)
- Suboxone (Contains both buprenorphine and Naloxone)
- Buvidal (contains buprenorphine but given as a weekly or monthly injection)
- Others may be used (e.g. tramadol, codeine etc) but the above are most commonly used by services at present
Find drug and alcohol support near you on the Frank website to discuss your options:
Click on the arrows below for more information on each opioid medication substitute:
- Methadone is an opioid medication used to substitute heroin or other opioid dependencies.
- It usually comes as a green, sweet liquid or injection
There are 2 main ways to use methadone to treat heroin dependence:
- Maintenance Therapy – you switch from heroin to methadone, then stay on it, usually long term
- Detox (Detoxification) – you switch from heroin to methadone, before gradually withdrawing from methadone until you’re completely free from both.
- Click here for more information on methadone.
- Brand name for buprenorphine
- It is taken under the tongue (sub-lingual), not swallowed
- It is a semi-synthetic opioid and is available in 0.2mg, 2mg and 8mg tablets
- The maintenance dose is between 8-32mg, whereas the detox dose is between 4-12mg
- Combination of buprenorphine (Subutex) and naloxone
- Is taken under the tongue
- If injected or crushed and snorted, Suboxone will not work
- Like Subutex, maintenance dose is between 8-32mg and detox is 4-12mg
- Another brand name for medication containing buprenorphine
- Freeze dried wafer that dissolves rapidly on the tongue, not under
- It comes in 2mg or 8mg wafers
- Individuals are given an initial dose of 2mg and can be prescribed a maximum dose of 18mg
- Weekly or monthly prolonged release injection of buprenorphine
- Injected under the skin (sub-cutaneous)
- Individuals will usually start on a weekly injection dose and move to a monthly one after