Suboxone is the first opioid medication approved under DATA 2000 for the treatment of opioid dependence in a residential / transitional living setting. Suboxone also can be dispensed just as any other medicine for other medical conditions although close monitoring is suggested.

The primary active ingredient in Suboxone is buprenorphine.

Because buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, its opioid effects are limited compared with those produced by full opioid agonists, such as oxycodone or heroin. SUBOXONE also contains naloxone, an opioid antagonist.

The naloxone in Suboxone is there to discourage people from dissolving the tablet and injecting it. When Suboxone is placed under the tongue, as directed, very little naloxone reaches the bloodstream, so what the patient feels are the effects of the buprenorphine. However, if naloxone is injected, it can cause a person dependent on a full opioid agonist to quickly go into withdrawal.

Suboxone at the appropriate dose may be used to:

• Reduce illicit opioid use
• Help patients stay in transitional living without relapsing
• Suppressing symptoms of opioid withdrawal
• Decreasing cravings for opioids

Resources

• The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) offers additional information on buprenorphine.
• The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment (NAABT) is a site designed to educate the public about the disease of opioid dependence and the buprenorphine treatment option.
• The Medical Assisted Treatment site is to raise awareness and understanding of substance abuse, the problems it creates, and the ways to deal with these problems.
• Suboxone Assisted Treatment, a subsidiary of Medical Assisted Treatment of America caters mainly to the present and future medication-assisted treatment patients, family members, friends and other medical personnel that may need information and assistance.