Suboxone Withdrawal: Symptoms, Timeline, and Treatment

suboxone withdrawal

Other studies have found that withdrawal symptoms are managed best by a slow, flexible tapering schedule. With a flexible taper schedule, your doctor can slow the dose reduction if you experience any uncomfortable symptoms. However, you may experience feelings of general discomfort and opioid craving for a few months.

Suboxone generic

Suboxone and sublingual buprenorphine, the generic form of Subutex, are both FDA-approved for treating opioid dependence. This includes both the induction and antidepressants and alcohol interactions maintenance phases of treatment. Suboxone is sometimes prescribed off-label to help manage opioid withdrawal symptoms as part of a detoxification program.

Signs of Suboxone Addiction

If you’ve reached a point where you want to be completely drug-free, it’s important to understand what to expect during alcohol use disorder and Suboxone detox. In some cases, you may need a stint in Suboxone rehab to ensure you overcome the symptoms comfortably. The team will incorporate a tapering plan to reduce the severity of your symptoms. Although Suboxone does not produce a high and blocks out other opioids, it can still cause withdrawal symptoms for how it affects your opioid receptors. For that reason, professional treatment is key to avoiding a potential relapse on more potent opioids like heroin or fentanyl. Managing mental health conditions and addiction go hand in hand, and your doctor can help you find the best approach.

The role of Suboxone in medication-assisted treatment

This reaction is caused by the sudden absence of the medication, inducing a chemical imbalance in the body and triggering distressing effects. However, Suboxone withdrawal is relatively less intense than other opioid withdrawals. Suboxone withdrawal is a challenging process that individuals may encounter when discontinuing the medication used to treat opioid dependence. As a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, Suboxone aims to alleviate withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

suboxone withdrawal

Treatment Programs

It also eases withdrawal symptoms that you have when you stop taking opioids. You may become addicted to the pleasure the drug causes even when there’s no longer a physical cause of pain. Medical detox or detox in a hospital setting are the safest ways to get through opioid withdrawal. In 24-hour medical detox, you’ll be able to go through withdrawal with the help of medical professionals. Your safety will be a top priority, but your uncomfortable symptoms may also be eased as much as possible. As a medication that contains opioids, Suboxone can cause unpleasant flu-like symptoms during withdrawal.

Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone)

Simultaneously, it might also be beneficial to replace opioid analgesics with over-the-counter pain relievers. Medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help manage muscle aches and pains. Talk therapy can help you figure out why you began using drugs in the first place. You can learn to identify specific situations and feelings that have led you to use in the past.

A 2017 study found that Vivitrol and Suboxone were equally effective for reducing opioid and heroin use over 12 weeks. A 2018 study found that Suboxone was more effective for preventing relapse and was easier to use than Vivitrol. A 2014 study found that people taking Suboxone used opioids less compared to people taking methadone. However, the people taking methadone were more likely to stay in their treatment program. Taking too much of this medication can increase your risk of severe side effects.

If you use Suboxone while you nurse your baby, watch them for any extra drowsiness or breathing problems. Let your doctor know right away if you notice these signs in your new baby. Young children are at risk for respiratory depression and death if they accidentally take Suboxone. Keep your medicine well out of the reach of children in your home.

If you’re pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or plan to get pregnant while you’re in recovery for opioid use disorder, let your doctor know. They can talk with you about the risks of pregnancy while you take Suboxone. After withdrawal, your doctor may keep you on Suboxone as maintenance treatment. It keeps your opioid cravings at bay as you work on your recovery long term. By the start of the second month of Suboxone withdrawal, relapse prevention becomes a key asset. While Suboxone will now be out of your system, drug cravings are still very real and very apparent.

Such symptoms usually peak within five days and largely resolve within a week. Sometimes, however, psychological symptoms can linger for several weeks. Persistent drug cravings mean that users have a high risk of relapse a month out from stopping Suboxone.

  1. However, if symptoms are severe, they should call 911 or immediately go to their nearest emergency room.
  2. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you’re not sure how to take it.
  3. In fact, Suboxone has become the preferred treatment medication in the fight against opioid addiction.

Since Zubsolv is an orally disintegrating tablet, it works fairly quickly. It should take effect within 60 minutes of first taking the dose and may even take effect earlier. Buprenorphine also has an opioid agonist ceiling effect, which means that taking higher doses won’t produce a greater effect. This article will discuss the similarities and differences between Zubsolv and Suboxone, including how they work, dosage methods, side effects, costs, and more. In the new study, only 7% of participants overall, and 3% of those at the higher end of the minimal withdrawal scale, experienced induced withdrawal with the extended-release version. Suboxone is contraindicated in people with a known hypersensitivity to buprenorphine or naloxone.

suboxone withdrawal

Before having surgery, talk with your doctor about your treatment with Suboxone. Taking Suboxone with medications that increase serotonin levels in your body might increase your risk of developing serotonin syndrome, a drug reaction that can be dangerous. Taking Suboxone with benzodiazepines can increase the risk of severe side effects such as severe sedation (sleepiness), breathing problems, coma, and death. Before taking Suboxone, be sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take.

Respiratory depression is rare if you take Suboxone at the prescribed dose. It’s more likely if you inject Suboxone, or take it along with alcohol or drugs called benzodiazepines (sedatives that help you sleep or that relieve anxiety). Because it dissolves inside your mouth, Suboxone is easier to take while you’re in addiction recovery. You just place the tablet or film under your tongue, and it melts on its own. Even if you take higher doses of buprenorphine, there’s a limit to how much it can tamp down your brain’s pain signals or switch on endorphins. Treatment with Suboxone, therapy, and counseling can help you manage your opioid use disorder or dependence.

In one clinical trial, headache occurred in about 36% of people taking Suboxone. Anyone who thinks they are experiencing substance use disorder relating to Suboxone should speak with a doctor for guidance and supervision. Reports of Suboxone withdrawal showed that most symptoms typically peak by withdrawal day 3 and can last for the first 2 weeks.

Let’s discuss the different ways you can stop this medication safely and with minimal to no discomfort. A relapse at this point can be both discouraging and dangerous because your tolerance will have dropped substantially. Relapsing after your tolerance has decreased can lead to a dangerous or potentially fatal opioid overdose. Work closely with a doctor, counselor, or physical therapist to develop new ways of coping with pain during and after withdrawal. Practice relaxation techniques (meditation, listening to music, etc.,) to help you deal with anxiety and agitation.

Zubsolv and Suboxone are medications containing the same active ingredients–buprenorphine (a partial opioid agonist) and naloxone (an opioid antagonist)–to treat opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine is a partial agonist at the mu-opioid receptor and alcohol poisoning symptoms and treatment is an antagonist at the kappa-opioid receptor. Stimulation of the mu receptor causes analgesia, respiratory depression, euphoria, and dependence. Suboxone and Bunavail contain the same drugs and are used in the same way to treat opioid dependence.

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