Is Buprenorphine (Suboxone) Addictive?
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What's the difference between buprenorphine and Suboxone – and can you get addicted to these drugs?
Buprenorphine?
Buprenorphine is a methadone like medication that has helped millions overcome addictions to opiates like heroin or opiate type pain pills, like oxycontin or vicodin.
Buprenorphine works similarly to methadone in that it substitutes for the drug of abuse. If you take buprenorphine (provided you are a suitable candidate) you can stop taking the drug you have been abusing and not feel any cravings to use, or pains of withdrawal.
Buprenorphine is preferred to methadone by many as it does not need to be taken under supervision. You can be prescribed a month's supply of buprenorphine and you do not need to visit a clinic every day as you would if you were taking methadone – which does need to be taken under supervision. Many people also report that buprenorphine has fewer side effects than methadone, and is easier to stop using.
Suboxone?
Suboxone is an FDA approved medication for the treatment of opiate addiction. Suboxone contains Buprenorphine and Naloxone, in a 4:1 ratio. Buprenorphine therapy for the treatment of opiate addiction is most commonly given using Suboxone.
Subutex is a sublingual formulation of buprenorphine alone – with no nalexone added.
Is Suboxone Addictive?
Buprenorphine is considered a partial opiate agonist. It works in the brain on the opiate receptors and works just like other opiates. It can be understood as a very low powered opiate – and like all other opiates – it is addictive.
Because Suboxone contains buprenorphine, it is also an opiate, and is addictive like any other opiate.
By taking Suboxone – you are simply trading an addiction to a drug like heroin or oxycontin – for an addiction to buprenorphine.
Why is that a good idea?
Although buprenorphine is addictive, at recommended doses, it will not get you high, and even if you try to abuse it – it's not going to work very well. You can take suboxone and once again participate quite normally in society, without feeling cravings or withdrawal pains.
Also, although buprenorphine is physically addictive, and will cause a syndrome of withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop, these withdrawal symptoms are less severe than for other opiates, and far less severe than for long lasting methadone. Most people that taper down slowly off of suboxone will not suffer many symptoms of buprenorphine detox.
Symptoms can include:
- Yawning
- Sweating
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Cravings
- Muscle twitches
- Joint Pain'
- Restlessness
- Leg restlessness
- Runny Nose
- Hot Flashes
- Goose pimples
- Others
Most people will experience only some of these symptoms, and many who taper off slowly enough do not complain that their withdrawal symptoms are that tough to bear.
Summary
Suboxone is just buprenorphine with an added medicinal ingredient.
Since buprenorphine is an opiate – Suboxone is also an opiate – and like all opiates – is addictive.
An addiction to buprenorphine is preferable to an addiction to a drug of abuse, as users of Suboxone will not get "high" and will be more easily able to taper down, if they choose. (Many people will use buprenorphine or Suboxone for years, or even indefinitely, in a long-term opiate maintenance program.
- SAMHSA Buprenorphine guidebook
The 200 page SAMHSA Buprenorphine info pack. PDF
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Comments
From personal experience, suboxone is double-edged. The cravings for opiates dissipates pretty much completely, and you can avoid the dreaded withdrawal symptoms of some pretty heavy stuff. And those can be absolutely miserable. However, suboxone is not a miracle drug. There's no such thing, never has been, and probably never will be. Do some research on it, you'll find a lot of stuff the doctors won't tell you. For a short period of time it works well, and then you're hooked like you would be on anything else. When you take most drugs, your body adapts to having whatever chemicals are in them and translates that daily intake as being something it should expect. Take that out of the equation, you're imbalanced, and it's tough to find that balance again.
I've read testimonials of people who said the withdrawals from suboxone last two months. That's insane. And suboxone is not a short acting drug, as this article seems to think...it's half life is somewhere around 37 hours, which means it's in your system for a long time. Even people who taper down according to what their doctor thinks is appropriate experience some pretty severe stuff.
So I think you have a right to be nervous. Your son is going to have to bite the bullet eventually and experience withdrawals and fight the demon. Every addict has to at some point. Suboxone is a great way to begin that process, but it's also something I would definitely not recommend taking for an extended period of time, and this is all from personal experience. It seems like it's just putting something off that needs to be attended to immediately, if that makes sense. Hope this helped.
if this is the first time your son has been clean he def. needs a "bridge" to help him re establish a new life....new friends habits everything the subs will help with that but so will meetings and what not. i think subs can act as a band aid for a wee bit but he is still on an opiate and he will experience w/d if he stops taking it which can lead to relapse. what i would encourage is some out patient therapy and a taper schedule [drugs.com/forum need to talk?] have an awesome plan. i wish i would have used subs as a tapering drug not a maintance drug but i was ignorant....subs are alot stonger than methadone another long acting opiate and both should only be used as tapering drugs...he needs to make changes in his life completely if he wants to be clean...if he's around the same people and doing the same things...than better subs than dope...not ideal though.
how can we get suboxine without having to go thru a dr??
do people sell it?
we need some my bf is addicted to perks
My fiancee is on buprenorphine, it has helped him quite alot.
What I want to know is can someone on this program be taking buprenorphine in the wrong way at all to get a more high feeling?
suboxone can be quite helpful, but i personally feel that it should not persribed for long peroids of time. Two weeks at the most, because most likely you will feel withdrawl symptoms if you take it longer then three or four days. The goal is to avoid the "bad" detox for a better" detox. But if you take this drug for months the detox could be worse then the detox from oxycontin or herion. To answer fiancee there is no other way to take suboxne that will get you higher. If you shoot it or smoke it the Nalaxone will be realsed wich make you very sick. Thats one of the reasons suboxone is 4 parts buprenorphine 1 part naloxone sp?
I am a recovering addict and alcoholic, on day two. I have been in and out of the program for 11 years, 6 months and 3 days is the longest length of sobriety I have gotten to duering this time. Many different drugs, and drinking have been my addictive path. The relapses are less, and I feel I have made a decision to really get involved in the recovry of my life through the program and therapy. My experience with this drug, is that it was a green light to convince myself it's a wonder drug to solve my craving and obsessing on getting loaded problem. I had a roomate that is in the program that is on it, has turned others on to it, and claims it really "helps." I didn't know that she has been on it for 2 years! She has between 90-120 days in the program, and it's her 1st time in. When I took it from her, I felt the opiate high. It was a lil' different, but still, it absolutley changed the way I felt. I got high. I also got very edgy, irritated, threw up alot, and it wasn't real grand. For me, it was just another way to change how I felt, because the cravings were so intense. But she said, it wasn't addictive, and since you can't overdose from it, it was safe. She also said the high I thought I felt was the dopemine, not the opiate. So, tht's why I checked this site out. To find out if it is addictive. She said the program the doctors put people on with the subs is suppose to go from 12-24 months. But, here it seems to say it's to be used for the immediete withdrawals from the stronger opiates temporarily, then to be taken off from it as well. So are we talking days, weeks here? Or months and years? I am off it completly. I heard of natural vitamins to help with cravings like mine, but I am also away from the severe withdrawals now too. These relapses lately, haven't been like the others. But a relapse is definetly a relapse. I used the subs here and there, believing it to be a "help" to prevent me from the greater erlapses. So, addiction is addiction and I can't convince myself anymore that it was helping me. It was useing with a justification and minimizing the truth of the addiction still worming it's ways into my life. Would someone comment back on their experiences withthis drug, th e right way and wrong way it's used, and the proper reason to use it, as well as what the proper time length to be on it would be? Thanks.
I was addicted to heroin for 5 years. I lost everything and was spending 900/1200 dollars/week on dope. I was doing 3 bundles/day. Finally, went to detox...once I started kicking, they gave me suboxone weaning me from 6/mg to 2/mg over 3 days. I got out and I still felt like shit. Found psych to prescribe suboxone and he put me on 8 mg. 3x/day. Finally I felt a little better. I have been on it for 7 months and haven't done a bag in all that time. Loved dope, hated the lifestyle. Suboxone gets rid of the cravings and lets me live a normal life. Some people in recovery think that this is a cop out and that you're not really "clean" if you're on it. I disagree. I'm not getting high off it, so its not like I'm using. Wasn't really getting high off dope anymore either, so this was a great trade off. Only problem is that when I've tried to wean myself off of it, I start craving dope again and it scares the sh*t out of me. So long as I take the pills, I'm good. Wish I didn't need them, but I do. So far as other peoples opinions are concerned... unless you've lived through the hell of heroin addiction and suffered the withdraw ... you're in no position to judge my behavior.
As to weather or not they are addictive... like I said, when I try and stop taking them I start craving dope really bad. I always go back to taking the suboxone rather than risk going back out. I'd rather be on this for the rest of my life than go back to using dope. I am in NA and work the program and all that good shit... but left to my own devices... without suboxone... I think the likelihood of my relapsing would increase exponentially. My doctor doesn't seem to be in any big hurry to wean me off of it. I wish I didn't need it...for that matter...I wish that I wasn't an addict...but I am, and I just gotta live with that. If this pill enables me to be a "acceptable, responsible member of society" then I guess I'll just keep taking it.
It is addictive but it is preferable being under the care of a physician, than buying drugs off the street and risking legal problems, to name a few. Also, a doctor can help you taper effectively so that you are comfortable.
Suboxone is trading one addiction for another. I believe that leaving that door cracked led me back to using heroin time and again. Knowing what a full agonist feels like and then taking a partial agonist, my brain and body knew that it was being cheated and craved the heroin still.
Being in a past relationship (with kids) with a herion addict, I can say this, trading one drug for another is a problem. You will never be free. I ended up throwing him out. I have ended up with the father to my eldest child, who was an addict as well(before we reunited). He will tell you the only way to have a chance with kicking this addiction is to endure the withdrawal (which is exactly what he did 2 years, 2 months, and 19 days ago). The pills may help, but you are only prolonging the inevitable. My ex never believed me (which is why he's my ex). I do have one thing to say that is probably going to jack alot of people off, but who put the dope in your arm to begin with? The wonderful gift we all possess is free will. I am not perfect. Smoked some weed, did a few lines of coke, even did an oxy to prove my point to my ex, but I am no addict. Haven't even been around cocaine in ten years. I make a conscience decision to be drug free, if not for myself, but for my children as well. Addicts play the blame game when the blame is 100% on themselves. I am sick and tired of people calling this a disease. A disease is MS, Leukemia, Cancer, Crohn's, etc. things that can happen to you despite your lifestyle. Drugs are a choice. Own up to your actions and face the consequences. This is the only way you have even a chance at a normal life. My ex is in prison now, but guess what, it wasn't his fault, it was the drugs. He shot up my house on Christmas with a .38. (shot a hole directly in the middle of my daughters' Christmas gift), but since he was on drugs, it's excusable? No. He made a CHOICE years age to do drugs. They are illegal to begin with. We need stricter laws to be enforced not only on the dealers, but on the users as well. There must be harsher deterrants. So, remember, drugs are a choice, not a condition, that NOBODY makes but YOU! Take some responsibility for yourself.
@lexmarja... while i am deeply sympathetic to you and what you've been through with your ex, i feel i must correct you in that addiction IS, in fact, a DISEASE. you don't understand that because you yourself do not have the disease- YOU, luckily, are able to take drugs or leave them as you please. however, we recovering addicts do not have that luxury. we chose to experiment with drugs, just like you did, but we did NOT choose to become addicted. there is simply something within us that tells us we need to keep doing more and more and more. that is why, even when we are in recovery and have kicked the physical aspect of our addiction, it is vital that we DO NOT USE ANY SORT OF DRUG. we are literally unable to "casually" get high- for us it has to be all or nothing. a TRUE recovering addict DOES own up to his actions- it's a common theme of the 12 steps, for god's sake! OF COURSE drugs are no excuse for your ex's actions, and if he is making that excuse, he is NOT in recovery. i strongly suggest that you go to a nar-anon meeting or an open meeting of NA, because there you will begin to see and understand the difference between actively using and being in recovery. you may also begin to get a better understanding of the difference between you (the person who is lucky enough to be able to use once-in-a-while or not at all) and addicts who have the disease of, quite literally, being unable to stop once they start. again, taking that first drug IS a choice; becoming addicted, however, is NOT.
nervousmom says:
8 months ago
I have a 22 year old son that has been addicted to opiates for about seven years. I have recently began to see some of my old son since he started the suboxone. I am however, very concerned that he has substituted one drug for another, but on the other hand I am so happy to see him functional. I think it may be the lesser of two evils, but I would prefer to have him totatlly drug free. Can anyone tell me if this will ?ever happen and what to expect?