Suboxone is one of the primary medications to treat opioid addiction from heroin, morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, dilaudid, crushed oxycontin or percocet.
Some question whether Suboxone is addictive. The answer is, it depends. Read on to learn more about this drug, its use, risks of addiction and recovery from its abuse.
What Is Suboxone and What is it Used For?
Suboxone is one of the primary medications used to treat opioid addiction. It’s used to wean a user from opioids or keep their opioid addiction at bay. Suboxone combines buprenorphine and naloxone. Suboxone is available in pill form, in a strip placed under the tongue or between the cheeks and teeth. It is often taken for a long period of time after the user has stopped using other opioids,
As Dr. Peter Grinspoon of Harvard Medical School reported, “Medications for opioid use disorder (such as Suboxone) are known as MOUD. Use of MOUD has been shown to lower the risk of fatal overdoses by 50%. It also reduces nonfatal overdoses which are traumatic, medically dangerous and can cause lasting harm”. [1]
Buprenorphine is an opioid substitute, known as a partial opioid agonist of the main opioid receptor, the “mu” receptor. It binds more tightly to the opioid receptors in the brain, and for longer, than opioid drugs. It helps reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms by producing mild opioid effects. It also blocks the action of full opioid agonists such as heroin or oxycodone from attaching to the receptors. In this way it prevents them from causing the high.
Naloxone is an opioid agonist that works to reverse the effects of opioids on the brain. It helps prevent tampering with the Suboxone medication by provoking immediate withdrawal symptoms, similar to stopping opioids “cold turkey”. This is a powerful negative reinforcement to abusing Suboxone.
Can Suboxone be Addictive?
Suboxone is typically prescribed for 24 weeks, while the patient is slowly weaned off the drug with gradual tapering. A doctor will assess the progress of the patient and decide if continued treatment is necessary. Some patients may use Suboxone for 2-5 years.
The myth that Suboxone swaps one addiction for another is false. If taken as prescribed Suboxone is not addictive. Suboxone should ideally be taken together with appropriate therapy to look at the root causes of the addiction and help the patient work them through.
Suboxone is a controlled substance. It’s classified as a Schedule III prescription drug. This means that it has an accepted medical use but may cause physical or psychological dependence and has a risk of being misused.
Like any opioid, Suboxone can be misused. The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment (NAABT) has stated that addiction is a risk, but a quite low one. As well they say that tapering doses typically will be successful in addressing the patient’s opioid dependence.
As a partial agonist, Suboxone causes significantly less euphoria than other opiates like heroin and oxycodone. Suboxone also has a “ceiling effect” of 24 milligrams per day. This means a user won’t experience stronger effects after that dosage point.
However Suboxone misuse can lead to dependency and possible addiction, if abused by the user not taking it as prescribed. Those who misuse it may insert several of the dissolvable strips under the tongue instead of the recommended dosage. Or they may remove the liquid from the tablets and then inject that via a vein or muscles.
Stopping Suboxone sooner than recommended by a doctor can increase the risk of returning to opioid use. And the tolerance for opioids will be lower, increasing the risk of an overdose if an opioid is used.
How Long Do You Have to Be in Withdrawal Before You Take Suboxone?
The general guidance is that Suboxone should not be taken until at least 12 hours after the last dose of opioids.
Recovery from Suboxone Addiction
While withdrawing from Suboxone addiction, symptoms will be the worst in the first 72 hours. During the first week symptoms subside to body aches and pains, insomnia and mood swings. Following the second week, there may be depression. After a month there may be intense cravings and depression. This is the period of greatest vulnerability for relapse. [2]
Proper Recovery in Los Angeles, California
At the Encino Recovery and Detox Center in Los Angeles we don’t just treat addiction. We nurture the spirit, heal the mind and help you to regain your life. If you or a loved one is seeking a way out of the darkness of substance abuse, private, confidential help is just a call away. Reach out to our Admissions team now.
Sources
[1] Grinspoon, P. 2024. 5 myths about using Suboxone to treat opioid addiction. Harvard Health Publishing.
[2] Pattemore, C. 2022. Can You Become Addicted to Suboxone? Separating Fact from Fiction. Healthline.com
