Suboxone

Suboxone^® is a prescription medication approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). It combines two active ingredients: buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist that reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms, and naloxone, an opioid antagonist that helps prevent misuse by blocking the effects of opioids.

Suboxone is part of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which is a common strategy for managing opioid addiction, in combination with counseling and behavioral support.

Suboxone is usually administered as a film or tablet placed under the tongue or against the cheek once daily. Dosing typically begins during the early stages of withdrawal and is adjusted to manage symptoms and prevent relapse.

Common side effects include headache, nausea, constipation, sweating, and insomnia. More serious risks include liver problems, respiratory depression (especially when combined with other sedatives), and dependence or misuse.

Suboxone (buprenorphine hydrochloride and naloxone hydcrochloride) is indicated:

• For treatment of opioid dependence

Suboxone sublingual film should be used as part of a complete treatment plan that includes counseling and psychosocial support

Buprenorphine: partial‐opioid agonist

Naloxone: opioid antagonist

Adverse events commonly observed with the sublingual/buccal administration of the Suboxone sublingual film are:

• Oral loss of sensation

• Pain in the tongue

• Oral mucosal redness

• Headache

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Excessive sweating

• Constipation

• Signs and symptoms of withdrawal

• Insomnia

• Pain

• Swelling of the extremities

The cost of Suboxone may vary depending on the dosage, quantity, where you buy it, and your insurance plan. The average retail price of Suboxone is about $700 for a two-month supply, although coupons or discount cards may bring down the price as low as about $520. The generic form of this medication costs about $530, but coupons may bring down the price as low as $68. Health insurance may cover all or some of the cost of this medication.

• Hypersensitivity to buprenorphine or naloxone

• Drug interactions: benzodiazepines, CYP3A4 inhibitors and inducers, antiretrovirals, serotonergic drugs

• Addiction, abuse, and misuse

• Respiratory depression

• Unintentional pediatric exposure

• Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome

• Adrenal insufficiency

• Risk of opioid withdrawal with abrupt discontinuation

• Risk of hepatitis, hepatic events

• Precipitation of opioid withdrawal signs and symptoms

• Risk of overdose in opioid‐naïve patients

• Breastfeeding: Buprenorphine passes into mother's milk

*This information is from the label for brand name Suboxone^®. See the Full Prescribing Information for more complete information. Buprenorphine and naloxone, the active ingredients in Suboxone, may also be the active ingredients in other medications, and this information may not be accurate for all medications that include the active ingredients buprenorphine and naloxone.