There aren’t any known interactions between Suboxone and lab tests. If you have any questions about having lab tests during Suboxone treatment, talk with your doctor. Before starting treatment with Suboxone, tell your doctor if you’re taking naltrexone. Suboxone is contraindicated in people with a known hypersensitivity to buprenorphine or naloxone. The following information is provided for clinicians and other healthcare professionals.
The following list contains some of the key side effects that may occur while taking Suboxone. When combined, there is a risk of enhancing each other’s sedative effects. And if you do ask your doctor about drinking, alcohol addiction articles you’ll likely be advised to remain sober while using Suboxone. Since Suboxone stays in your body for 24 hours or longer, there’s no way to stagger your drinking and maintain control over your OUD.
More common side effects
There are no known interactions between Adderall (amphetamine and dexamphetamine salts) and Suboxone. Naltrexone usually costs less than brand-name or generic Suboxone. The actual amount you pay will depend on your insurance. Suboxone and naltrexone have some similar side effects, and some that differ. Suboxone is available as an oral film that can be used under your tongue (sublingual) or between your gums and your cheek (buccal). Vivitrol usually costs much more than brand-name or generic Suboxone.
Your doctor can help determine if Suboxone is safe for you. Cannabis (often called marijuana) and cannabis products, such as cannabidiol (CBD), have not been specifically reported to interact with Suboxone. However, as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis in combination with Suboxone.
In a clinical trial, sweating occurred in about 14% of people taking Suboxone. In one clinical trial, headache occurred in about 36% of people taking Suboxone. If you’re physically dependent on Suboxone and abruptly stop taking it, you could have mild withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, headache, and muscle aches. These symptoms can be avoided by slowly tapering the dose of the medication before completely stopping. The government has created special rules for how Schedule III drugs can be prescribed by a doctor and dispensed by a pharmacist. If you keep drinking, you could return to opioids to ease your distress.
If you’re struggling with alcohol misuse, attending counseling alongside Suboxone treatment is the best approach. Your rehabilitation program must know to provide counseling for alcohol use disorder 4 ways to pass a drug test and OUD. Yes, it can be dangerous to drink alcohol while taking Suboxone for OUD. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol while taking Suboxone can be a sign of alcohol abuse or addiction.
Misuse and dependence
Certain medications make an enzyme called cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) more active and can increase how fast the body breaks down Suboxone. A 2016 clinical study found that Suboxone was more effective for reducing opioid use than naltrexone over 12 weeks. A 2017 study found that Vivitrol and Suboxone were equally effective for reducing opioid and heroin use over 12 weeks.
- Suboxone should only be used when the effects of these opioids have begun to wear off and withdrawal symptoms have started.
- In some cases, this may have been due to a hepatitis infection or other causes.
- Suboxone may not be the right treatment option if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health.
- If you have a liver problem, your doctor will likely check your liver function.
Before having surgery, talk with your doctor about your treatment with Suboxone. For instance, some can interfere with how well a drug works, while others can cause increased side effects. In addition to the information below, you can also refer to this overview of Suboxone’s interactions.
Overdose symptoms
Suboxone is a combination of two drugs, namely buprenorphine and naloxone. The two drugs work by satiating the brain’s craving for opioids without accelerating the withdrawal symptoms. It’s only available in its generic version, buprenorphine. There are no brand-name sublingual forms of buprenorphine available that are used to treat opioid dependence. This drug is included in Suboxone to help prevent misuse of the medication.
Suboxone interactions with supplements
Keep in mind that the following information does not include all other possible interactions with Suboxone. Before starting treatment with Suboxone, tell your doctor if you’re taking buspirone. If you are, they may monitor you for serotonin syndrome cannabis marijuana drugfacts national institute on drug abuse nida more frequently than usual. Opioids are medications that are usually prescribed to treat pain. Symptoms of opioid withdrawal can include nausea, headache, sweating, and anxiety. Here’s a closer look at certain drug interactions of Suboxone.
Most people know that Suboxone is a drug used to treat abusers of other substances. The problem is that Suboxone itself shows addictive potentials, requiring patients to undergo another detox. This makes people become wary about the ability of Suboxone to end the vicious cycle of addiction.
Taking Suboxone in combination with naltrexone may cause opioid withdrawal. If you have had an allergic reaction to Suboxone or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Suboxone. You can ask them about other treatments that may be better choices for you. Buprenorphine has better absorption when given sublingually compared to orally. Naloxone is included in this formulation to prevent its use parenterally.
Individuals addicted to a particular drug substance are usually at risk of replacing the original substance of abuse with another one when there is withdrawal. However, the danger is beyond mere replacement when it comes to Suboxone. Counseling is an integral part of treating opiate dependence and helps patients adjust to a kind of life free of substance use. Counseling and medication work hand in hand towards a successful treatment of opiate dependence. Yes, you can likely take varenicline (Chantix) with Suboxone. Chantix is a medication that’s used to help people stop smoking.
Long-term use of Suboxone can lead to physical and psychological dependence. Suboxone dependence can cause drug-craving and drug-seeking behavior, which may lead to misuse. Misuse refers to using a drug in a way other than how it’s prescribed, such as taking too much of it. Taking Suboxone with Ambien (zolpidem) can increase the risk of severe side effects. When certain opioids are used long term for treating pain or for a “high,” tolerance to those effects can happen over time. This means your body gets used to the drug and you need higher and higher doses to get the same effect.
Buprenorphine is a type of medication called an opioid partial agonist-antagonist. This means it partially attaches to opioid receptors (binding sites) and lightly activates them. Because this process is similar to how opioids work, buprenorphine helps decrease opioid cravings in people receiving Suboxone to treat opioid dependence. Also, this partial binding lessens the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Suboxone is FDA-approved to treat opioid dependence (also referred to as opioid use disorder).
Before you start treatment with Suboxone, tell your doctor and pharmacist which prescription, over-the-counter, and other medications you take. By sharing this information with them, you may help prevent possible interactions. Before you start taking Suboxone, your doctor or pharmacist will advise you on what not to take with Suboxone. For additional information about Suboxone, including details about what it’s prescribed for, see this article.