To understand how Suboxone® works, it is first important to know its ingredients. Its primary ingredient, buprenorphine, is a partial opioid agonist-antagonist. As such, when someone takes buprenorphine, the medication occupies the opioid receptors in their brain while blocking the effects of any other opioid they take. Unlike other opioids, however, buprenorphine does not produce a significant euphoric effect.

To understand how Suboxone® works, it is first important to know its ingredients. Its primary ingredient, buprenorphine, is a partial opioid agonist-antagonist. As such, when someone takes buprenorphine, the medication occupies the opioid receptors in their brain while blocking the effects of any other opioid they take. Unlike other opioids, however, buprenorphine does not produce a significant euphoric effect.

The other ingredient is naloxone, which is an opioid antagonist used to reverse the effects of opioids and often prescribed to counteract an opioid overdose. However, it is an inactive ingredient and only included as a safety measure, which is explained further below.

There are many benefits of medically supported Suboxone® treatment! One of the main benefits is that it can eliminate or reduce cravings and symptoms of withdrawal, which are two huge obstacles on the road to recovery from any addiction. However, there are additional benefits of medically supported Suboxone treatment as well, such as:

• Increased treatment retention rates compared to other addiction treatments
• Improved survival rates for individuals with opioid use disorders
• Decreased illicit use of opioids
• Enables patients to enjoy their day-to-day life during treatment

Suboxone® has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 2002. As such, it has been officially used to treat opioid use disorder with highly effective results for nearly 20 years!

Suboxone® tablets are prescribed to be taken sublingually, which means that patients are to place the tablets underneath their tongue, where it will dissolve within five to ten minutes and enter their bloodstream. When Suboxone® is taken this way, the naloxone ingredient remains inactive. However, if it is injected, the naloxone component is activated. When this happens, the naloxone reverses the effects of the buprenorphine and produces powerful withdrawal symptoms. The reason naloxone is included in Suboxone® in this way is to prevent the potential misuse of buprenorphine. As such, it is important to take the tablets according to your doctor’s advice, so you do not experience any unpleasant side effects, such as dizziness, drowsiness, low blood pressure, excessive sweating, memory loss, nausea, vomiting, and others.

If you would like more information about this treatment and its benefits to individuals dealing with opioid use disorders, we would love to hear from you! For an appointment with our Suboxone® doctors at MedSave Clinic, we welcome you to call us or book one through our website. You can find our clinic at 246 E Campus View Blvd in Columbus, Ohio. We serve patients from Columbus OH, Clintonville OH, Northwest Columbus OH, Worthington OH, Orange OH, and Harlem OH.