What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a medication prescribed sublingual tablet designed to help opiate addicts overcome their dependency to Heroin, Methadone, OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Norco and other opiates. Suboxone allows you to change the conditions in your life that led to opioid addiction. It allows you to focus on the problem that is the main cause of your addiction without exerting all of your energy to fight the cravings and withdrawal.

Suboxone combines a partial opioid agonist (buprenorphine) and an opioid antagonist (naloxone) in a 4:1 (buprenorphine: naloxone) ratio. Buprenorphine (the primary active compound) reduces patients' opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Sublingual Buprenorphine

GENERIC NAME: BUPRENORPHINE - SUBLINGUAL (byoo-pre-NOR-feen)
BRAND NAME: Subutex, Suboxone

Place this medication under your tongue and let it dissolve completely, usually once daily for two days, or as directed. Then your doctor usually will switch you to the buprenorphine/naloxone medication, which works the same way as this medication. This medicine comes with a patient information leaflet. Read it carefully. Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist any questions that you may have about this medicine. Do not swallow this medication, as it will not be as effective if it is swallowed. If you are prescribed more than one tablet each day, you may place all of the tablets under your tongue at once. If this is not possible, then you may place two tablets at a time under your tongue, until they all have dissolved. Use this medication exactly as prescribed. Do not increase your dose, take it more frequently or use it for a longer period of time than prescribed. Also, if used for an extended period of time, do not suddenly stop using this drug without your doctor's approval, or withdrawal symptoms may occur. Use this medication regularly in order to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, use it at the same time each day. Do not inject ("shoot up") buprenorphine. Injecting it is dangerous and you may have severe withdrawal symptoms (see Side Effects section). Consult your doctor or pharmacist for more details. Buprenorphine can cause withdrawal symptoms if you use it soon after using narcotics such as heroin, morphine, or methadone. Follow your doctor's instructions for your treatment plan.

How can Suboxone help me?
Suboxone has been shown to be very safe and extremely effective in helping patients overcome their addiction to opiate (or narcotic) type drugs.

When opiates are taken into the body, they attach to receptors in the brain, causing dopamine release and euphoria.
Eventually, opiates leave the receptors causing the feelings of euphoria to fade and the symptoms of withdrawal to begin.
As more of the receptors become empty, the withdrawal symptoms worsen. At this point, Suboxone therapy can begin.
When Suboxone is taken, the buprenorphine attaches to the receptors in the brain once occupied by opiates. Because the receptors are no longer empty, withdrawal symptoms diminish.
Buprenorphine attaches firmly to the receptors, filling them and blocking other opioids from occupying those receptors. Buprenorphine has a much longer duration of action than do other opioids, so the effects do not wear off quickly as is the case with opiates.
Because there are no withdrawals, the person can stop taking opiates and start working on kicking his opiate habit.

How can taking a pill help cure an addiction to another pill?
The answer to the question lies in the unique pharmacology of Suboxone, a type of opiate drug that had been used extensively in Europe, and less so in the U.S. (in injectable form as an analgesic (anti-pain) medication. Its paradoxical usefulness in helping opiate addicted patients overcome their addiction was also recognized years ago, but, the F.D.A., much influenced by groups in the addiction treatment industry, delayed its approval for use to treat opiate addiction until the mid-2000’s. Until President Clinton signed into law the Drug Abuse and Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000), it was illegal to treat or maintain an addiction by the prescription of any controlled substances, with one exception – a tightly regulated, difficult to access system of maintenance by government regulated methadone clinics. The latter was problematic, because of the relatively low number of methadone clinics, their location in bad inner city neighborhoods, and the burden of the requirement of daily, or almost daily visits to obtain the medication. Aside from this problem, methadone itself is a problematic drug, which, unlike buprenorphine, did simply substitute addiction to heroin (or other opiate drugs), to another toxic, and in many cases, potentially life threatening drug. In all fairness, methadone is not without its advantages, the main one being the cost (it is very cheap).

Finally, a safe and effective medical treatment for opiate addiction
Because Suboxone has a unique pharmacologic profile; it has virtually no intoxicating effect. At the same time, it partially stimulates the mu (pronounced “myou”) receptors, in the brain, and elsewhere in the body. It is these mu receptors that the opiate addict seeks to stimulate, normally with full mu agonist drugs such as Vicodin®, Lorcet®, Oxycontin®, Dilaudid®, codeine, heroin, and similar drugs. As such, Suboxone mimics the effect of naturally produced endorphins in the body, a polypeptide associated with natural highs, such as the “runner high,” the daredevil’s high,” the high associated with orgasm, etc.

What is the difference between "opioids" and "opiates"?
Opiates are drugs derived from opium. Opioids used to refer to synthetic opiates, now the term is used to describe the entire family of opiates including synthetic and semi-synthetic.

How do opioids work in the brain?
Opioids attach to receptors in the brain, which leads to a release of dopamine and causes feelings of euphoria.

Does insurance cover the Suboxone medication?
Most insurance companies cover it. You might be able to file the claim yourself if your doctor won't accept your insurance.

Does buprenorphine show up in an employer drug screening?
It is very unusual for an employer to test for buprenorphine, at least for now.

Is my medical information confidential?
Yes. The confidentiality of alcohol and drug dependence patient records is protected by federal law and regulations.

Please Contact the Opiate Dependency Treatment Center with further questions