Generic Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone)
A generic version of Suboxone® called Buprenorphine and Naloxone is now available. This is a very positive development in medication-assisted treatment of opioid addiction. Buprenorphine and Naloxone is appropriate for maintaining treatment of patients who have a dependence on an opioid drug. It can be prescribed for patients who have previously received treatment with buprenorphine sublingual tablets.
What is Buprenophine/ Naloxone?
Prolonged use of narcotic medications can lead to mental and/or physical addiction. When a physical dependence has developed, severe withdrawal effects can occur if the user suddenly stops using the drug. By switching from the addictive drug to the combination medication Buprenorphine and Naloxone, the individual may be able to avoid the side effects of quitting use of the addictive drug without treatment with a substitute drug. The prescribed substitute engages the body’s central nervous system, to help reduce or prevent side effects of withdrawal from the opioid.
With the recent FDA approval of Buprenorphine and Naloxone, this generic Suboxone may increase access to treatment for many opioid addicted people with fewer economic resources.
Buprenorphine and Naloxone is an FDA-approved generic substitute for Suboxone. As a generic drug, Buprenorphine and Naloxone provides the same manufacturing quality and the same effectiveness in opioid addiction treatment as Suboxone, as well as reduced cost.
Buprenorphine is an ingredient of Suboxone that attaches to the opioid receptors, thereby blocking other opioids from attaching to the same receptors and rendering them ineffective. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, which mean that it does cause a partial degree of the high effects that opioids cause, which helps to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
Naloxone is an ingredient in Suboxone that blocks opioid receptors that opioids have activated. For people who are dependent on opioids, naloxone, as a full opioid antagonist, can trigger withdrawal symptoms.
Buprenorphine and Naloxone is manufactured in several dosage strengths.
How is it Used?
Buprenorphine and Naloxone should be prescribed as a component of a comprehensive opioid addiction treatment program, along with appropriate addiction counseling and recommended support.
Buprenorphine and Naloxone is manufactured in sublingual tablet and sublingual film. The sublingual tablet or film is administered by placing it under the tongue.
What are the Side Effects?
Users of Buprenorphine and Naloxone may experience one or more of the following side effects. There are various degrees of severity of potential side effects. Some of the more common side effects typically do not require medical attention, and they may disappear as the patient becomes adjusted to the medication.
Your healthcare provider may be able to help you lessen or avoid some side effects. Contact your doctor if you any of the side effects listed below persists over time or is significant enough to bother you.
- Burning Mouth
- Constipation
- Headache
- Inflammation of the Oral Mucous Membrane
- Insomnia
- Nausea
How Does it Help People with Addiction?
Buprenorphine and Naloxone can improve the quality of life for people who are going through the process of recovery from opioid addiction. It can lessen or prevent withdrawal symptoms, and it can help patients avoid merely shifting their addiction from one drug to another. They can gradually decrease the pleasure effects experienced from opioids by changing from using full to partial opioid agonists and by decreasing dosages. This whole process should be supervised and guided by a medical professional.
Using the generic opioid treatment medication can also make medicated addiction treatment more financially accessible for people struggling to become free from addiction.
Recovering opioid addicts using Buprenorphine and Naloxone can reduce their drug dependency and begin to manage their lives successfully again. When combined with non-drug therapies, including psychological and social support programs, use of medication offers many patients an important tool in the kind of comprehensive drug addiction treatment program that has proven most effective for many people in overcoming opioid dependency.
Of course, taking medication comes with certain risks, which must be assessed alongside the potential benefits. Work with your doctor to determine whether treatment with Buprenorphine and Naloxone is the most appropriate course for your recovery from opioid dependency.
Factors to consider prior to taking Buprenorphine and Naloxone include allergies, age of the patient, breastfeeding, potential drug interactions or medical conditions that can become complicated by adding use of this drug, such as asthma, alcohol addiction, heart disease, mental health issues, head injury, urinary problems or stomach problems.
What is the Success Rate?
Treatment with Buprenorphine and Naloxone in conjunction with behavioral therapies and various counseling and support services has been successful in reducing withdrawal symptoms due to opioid addiction and in overcoming the desire to continue using opioid drugs. It has been found to help avoid the highs and lows typically associated with opioid abuse.
Administered in appropriate dosages, buprenorphine decreases the high effects from other opioids, making continued opioid abuse less appealing. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has reported that patients receiving medication assisted treatment for opioid addiction are up to 50% less likely to experience premature death from any of the many addiction-related causes.
How Do You Get Buprenorphine/ Naloxone?
The generic Buprenorphine and Naloxone is available only by prescription from a doctor who is certified under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) to legally prescribe the drug. This narcotic addiction treatment medication is covered by Medicare as well as most health insurance plans and is available through Recoverydelivered.com. Click here to transfer your prescription to our online pharmacy and renew each week or month via video chat.
