This is Dr. Stuart Kloda, and I am an addiction medicine physician in New York City. I have a solo private practice located at Columbia Circle, and I treat all drug and alcohol addictions.

Personal and professional relationships are some of the first things to be affected by addiction.

Suboxone is a medication that I prescribe to treat addiction to narcotic painkillers such as oxycodone, Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, and Lortab.

I also prescribe Suboxone to treat addiction to opiates such as heroin and morphine.

One frequenty asked question is how long should somebody stay on Suboxone therapy. The answer is that it depends on the person, and on the particular situation. The typical person that comes to see me in my practice is somebody who is having their first time with opioid addiction. They typically work a professional job, and start using oxycodone, in part, to lower anxiety, improve their mood, and provide a buffer against pressure.

However, escalating doses of the drug are eventually required, and it is at this point that patients come and seek me out for treatment  For these patients, I recommend that they stay on Suboxone for at least two months. During these two months, it allows somebody time to begin to stabilize their personal and professional lives, as well as to get away from a drug-using lifestyle and mindset. After this time, in a person who is highly motivated, has good psychosocial supports, is gainfully employed, and does not have a history of drug relapses or overdose, I think that it is reasonable to try and taper off of Suboxone slowly. Otherwise, longer term maintenance should be discussed and considered.

If you have an interest, you can visit my website at stuartklodamd.com, or you can call me directly at 646 713 6578. Thank you.