Can You Get Addicted to Suboxone?

When managing opioid addiction, Suboxone is a prescription medication that can be part of a treatment plan. It’s a powerful tool in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs to help with reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms as someone works toward recovery. With its effectiveness, however, comes a common question—can you get addicted to Suboxone?

The question of whether or not you can get addicted to Suboxone is a concern for many, but understanding the nature of the medicine and its potential for addiction is crucial to making informed decisions about using it in recovery.

What Is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a prescription medicine widely used for treating opioid addiction. It combines two active ingredients—buprenorphine and naloxone. Each component plays a distinct role in how medicine works to help with recovery from opioid dependence.

Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist. That means it binds to the same receptors in the brain that opioids like heroin, prescription pain medicines and fentanyl do. Unlike full opioid agonists, which fully activate the receptors, buprenorphine only partially activates them.

The partial activation is important to understand about buprenorphine because it helps reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms, but it has a ceiling effect and doesn’t produce the same euphoria or high linked to opioid abuse. Buprenorphine, therefore, is a safer alternative to manage opioid dependence.

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist. It blocks opioid effects at the receptor sites in the brain. It’s included in Suboxone to prevent misuse of the medicine. If someone is taking Suboxone and they try to abuse it by injecting it, the naloxone is activated and can cause withdrawal symptoms.

The two components work together synergistically to help with managing opioid dependence more safely and effectively.

Effects of Suboxone include:

• Reduced opioid cravings: Buprenorphine reduces the intense cravings someone might have for opioids, which makes it easier to commit to treatment and recovery.
• Withdrawal symptom management: Since Suboxone partially activates opioid receptors, Suboxone helps with managing withdrawal symptoms and reduces the risk of relapse during the early stages of recovery.
• Lower risk of misuse: Naloxone, which is included in Suboxone, is a deterrent that helps prevent inappropriate medicine use.
• Long-term recovery support: Suboxone, combined with support and therapy, can be a crucial part of a long-term recovery plan, helping people regain control over their lives.

Suboxone and Medication-Assisted Treatment

Suboxone is one option in medication-assisted treatment or MAT. MAT is a comprehensive approach to the treatment of addiction, especially to opioids.

MAT combines medicines like Suboxone with FDA approval, behavioral therapies and counseling. The holistic approach addresses the physical and psychological parts of addiction.

MAT works in the following ways:

• Stabilization: A key goal of MAT is stabilizing the patient with medicines like Suboxone, which helps to normalize brain chemistry. These medicines also block opioids’ euphoric effects, relieve physiological cravings and normalize functions of the body without the negative impact of the drug of abuse.
• Reduced withdrawal symptoms and cravings: Opioid addiction often comes with severe withdrawal symptoms and strong cravings, making it very hard to quit. By managing these symptoms, MAT can help patients focus on their recovery journey without being constantly distracted by physical discomfort.
• Behavioral therapy integration: Medicines help with addiction’s physical side effects, and behavioral therapies are implemented for the psychological aspects. These therapies help people change their attitudes and behaviors related to drug use.

Is Suboxone Addictive?

Back to the original question—is Suboxone addictive? This can be a concern with some medicines used in MAT.

Suboxone has a lower addiction potential compared to a full opioid agonist like heroin, but it’s not completely without risk.

There are a few reasons for this. One is that buprenorphine does activate opioid receptors in the brain, although to a limited extent. Because of the partial activation, buprenorphine can have some of the same effects as other opioids, like mild euphoria and pain relief. Still, these effects are much weaker when compared to a full agonist.

The reduced euphoria potential lowers the risk of abuse and addiction but doesn’t eliminate it.

Naloxone is included specifically to deter misuse. If Suboxone is taken as prescribed, the naloxone stays inactive. However, if someone tries to inject it to get a more intense effect, it activates the naloxone. That can lead to withdrawal symptoms, so it’s less appealing to misuse Suboxone.

Understanding the Difference Between Physical Dependence and Addiction

It’s also important in this context to differentiate between physical dependence and addiction.

Physical dependence occurs when your body gets adapted to a medicine, and withdrawal symptoms happen if you stop taking it suddenly. This can happen with Suboxone and many other medicines, but physical dependence doesn’t inherently mean addiction.

Addiction is a chronic disease with compulsive use of a substance that’s out of control despite harmful consequences. Suboxone is specifically designed to have a lower risk of this kind of compulsive use.

While it’s possible to develop a dependence on Suboxone, the risk of true addiction is relatively low when the medication is used in a controlled, therapeutic setting. The structure of MAT programs also helps minimize the risk of abuse or addiction.

Ultimately, the benefits of Suboxone in managing opioid addiction and supporting recovery generally outweigh the risks. However, it’s still important for patients to use it under close supervision from treatment professionals.

Opioid Addiction Treatment Tailored for You

At Archstone Behavioral Health, we understand that overcoming opioid addiction requires a multifaceted approach tailored to each person’s needs. We offer a full continuum of care, including residential treatment, partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and aftercare services, to support our clients at each stage of their recovery journey.

We approach opioid addiction with compassion, expertise and a commitment to helping each person achieve lasting recovery. We provide a spectrum of support adapted to each stage of the recovery journey.

If you or a loved one is struggling with opioid addiction, our team is dedicated to guiding you through recovery with the care and support needed to reclaim your life.

References:

1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Buprenorphine
2. Medline Plus: Buprenorphine Sublingual and Buccal (opioid dependence)
3. National Institute of Health (NIH): Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: An Overview
4. Science Direct: Buprenorphine in opiate withdrawal: A comparison with clonidine