Home

What is Buprenorphine  ?

Buprenorphine is used to help you come off street drugs such as heroin. It can prevent or reduce the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when you stop using such drugs. It is a medicine that is similar to heroin and works as a replacement treatment. Many people choose to stay on buprenorphine long-term, although some people gradually reduce their dose and come off it.

What is Subutex?

Subutex is a brand-name formulation of the semi-synthetic opioid buprenorphine, which is used for the treatment of OUD. Subutex comes as a sublingual tablet, which is dissolved under the tongue. Subutex is a “high-affinity” long-acting partial agonist of opioid receptors, meaning that it attaches aggressively to the opioid receptors in the brain and blocks other opioids from attaching to their receptors. As such, it prevents the effects of opioid use.

Even though it binds strongly to opioid receptors, it has very low activity, so Subutex has a low overdose risk and does not produce much euphoria. It does, however, relieve withdrawal symptoms and cravings in people detoxing from opioid use. Subutex treatment is initiated soon after withdrawal symptoms begin in people detoxing from opioid use.

What is Suboxone?

Suboxone contains a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine is an opioid medication, sometimes called a narcotic. Naloxone blocks the effects of opioid medication, including pain relief or feelings of well-being that can lead to opioid abuse.

Suboxone is used to treat narcotic (opiate) addiction.

Suboxone is not for use as a pain medication.