Opioid Recovery in Western Wayne County: What to Expect From SUBOXONE® Treatment

November 19, 2025

Opioid use disorder is treated most effectively as a medical condition, and medication-assisted treatment — including SUBOXONE® — is one of the most well-supported tools available for it. At our Belleville office, Dr. Elliott Bettman is certified to prescribe opioid replacement therapies, and it's one of the areas of care he and Dr. Murthy have both built significant experience around.

The first visit is mostly an honest conversation — about use history, any previous treatment attempts, and current physical dependence — followed by a physical exam and, in many cases, starting the induction process the same day if you're in a place where withdrawal has already begun. SUBOXONE® combines buprenorphine, which reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms without producing the same high as full opioids, with naloxone, which discourages misuse. For most patients, it becomes a stable daily medication rather than something that needs constant adjustment.

What follow-up looks like varies by patient, but early treatment typically means more frequent visits — weekly at first, tapering to less often as things stabilize — with dose adjustments made based on how you're doing, not a fixed schedule. We also coordinate with counseling and outside support resources when that's part of what a patient wants, though medication-assisted treatment doesn't require it to be effective.

For patients who'd rather not come into the office regularly, or who are just getting started and aren't ready for an in-person visit, the same treatment is available through our Virtual Addiction Treatment program — same providers, same approach, delivered by video instead.

If you're not sure whether this is the right fit, that's a normal place to start from. A first visit is an evaluation, not a commitment to a specific treatment path, and our team will walk through the options rather than assuming which one you want.