What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a prescription medication made with a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, used to treat people in early recovery from opiate addiction. The combination of buprenorphine and naloxone creates a medication with unique properties specifically intended for opiate treatment.
Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, meaning it interacts with the same opioid receptors that other opiates do. This causes effects similar to other drugs, such as prescription painkillers or heroin, but those effects are much weaker. By binding to opioid receptors, buprenorphine aims to relieve cravings for stronger drugs.
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist which means it blocks the effects of an opioid overdose. It binds to opioid receptors and blocks the effects of any opiates in a person’s system. Naloxone on its own typically comes in the form of a nasal spray or an automatic injection device. It’s usually used in emergency situations when someone is overdosing on opiates.
Suboxone is unique because it attaches to the same receptors as heroin or painkillers but does not produce the same strong high. The buprenorphine provides mild effects to relieve cravings while the naloxone limits the ability to get high off the medication.
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How Do You Take Suboxone?
Suboxone is an oral medication. It comes in three forms designed to be easy to take:
- Sublingual tablets
- Sublingual film strips
- Buccal film strips
The sublingual tablets and film strips are placed underneath your tongue and the buccal film strips are placed between your gums and teeth. All three forms of the medication dissolve quickly in your mouth. The film strips are similar to Listerine breath mint strips. Suboxone contains a combination of both buprenorphine and naloxone. It is available in four strengths:
- 2 mg buprenorphine and 0.5 mg naloxone
- 4 mg buprenorphine and 1 mg naloxone
- 8 mg buprenorphine and 2 mg naloxone
- 12 mg buprenorphine and 3 mg naloxone
The goal of any effective medication-assisted treatment program is to slowly taper your dose over time. Your starting dose depends on the severity of your opioid dependence when you first arrive at treatment. Then your dose decreases throughout your program until you’re eventually separated from all medications.
Though it’s available for take-home use, Suboxone is safest when you use it under medical supervision. It still comes with the potential for misuse and abuse despite being a safer alternative to other medications used to treat opioid addiction.
Effects of Suboxone
When taken as prescribed by a physician, the effects of Suboxone are helpful during early recovery. The blend of buprenorphine and naloxone provides numerous unique benefits to individuals trying to come off of opiates.
For example, opiates are notorious for the intense physical and psychological reactions they cause when a person first quits. These reactions, or withdrawal symptoms, are the result of the brain and body’s dependence on opiates to function. Once a person is dependent on opiates, suddenly quitting drugs shocks their system.
One of the greatest benefits of Suboxone is its impact on opiate withdrawal symptoms. Since buprenorphine is an opioid partial antagonist, it interacts with opioid receptors the same way opiates do. This interaction relieves the more intense symptoms that result from withdrawal, such as body aches, muscle spasms, and seizures.
Avoiding the withdrawal symptoms that come with the detox process keeps many people trapped in the cycle of addiction. Suboxone provides a more comfortable detox period compared to trying to quit “cold turkey,” which can reduce the risk of relapse.
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Suboxone Side Effects
The benefits of Suboxone do come with some mild to serious side effects. Not everyone experiences adverse reactions to the medication. The lists below contain some of the most common side effects of Suboxone.
Common Side Effects
Common side effects of Suboxone use can cause some discomfort but do not usually require medical attention. They should disappear within a few days or weeks of starting use.
These include:
- Opioid withdrawal symptoms
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Troubles sleeping
- Headache
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Back pain
- Burning tongue
- Redness in the mouth
Serious Side Effects
The serious side effects of Suboxone use are not as common but may happen in some cases. If you notice any of the following effects you should consult your doctor or seek immediate medical attention if you’re having an emergency. These include:
- Abuse or dependence
- Breathing problems
- Hormone problems
- Serious allergic reactions
- Liver damage
- Severe withdrawal symptoms
- Coma
