Are you struggling with an opiate addiction? Perhaps suboxone and Subutex can help you on your journey to sobriety. Both drugs are used to treat opiate addiction by taking away the opiate’s grip on the brain. Suboxone and Subutex are both approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help opiate users regain a sober lifestyle. By taking either suboxone or Subutex, recovering individuals will not have withdrawal symptoms or cravings. But what is the difference between Subutex and suboxone?
If you or a loved one is interested in the difference of Subutex vs. suboxone, call Vertava Health at 844.470.0410. Our medication-assisted treatment programs may be able to help you.
Subutex vs. Suboxone
When it comes to suboxone vs. Subutex, both contain buprenorphine. Medically speaking, buprenorphine is an “opioid partial agonist.” It interacts with the same receptors in the brain that affect other drugs (like heroin), but it fools the brain into thinking that it is taking an opiate when in reality, you are not.
This is why you do not experience withdrawal symptoms or even cravings. In contrast, heroin is a “full agonist” drug and can create intense highs. Partial agonist drugs are much more difficult to become addicted to and do not create a high when used properly.
Buprenorphine works by being a “sticky” agent to your brain’s receptors. Just like many other substances, the use of an opiate changes how your brain functions and also its physical characteristics. For non-opioid users, there are a set amount of opioid receptors in the brain.
When a person uses an opioid, such as heroin, the drug is able to attach itself to their opioid receptors, and they can receive a high. The high creates euphoria, and the user wants to repeat that feeling repeatedly.
Over time, however, a person builds up a tolerance to the drug. During this time when tolerance is built up, the opioid receptors in the brain increase, which causes the user to seek out more of the drug to achieve more of a high. The original dosage of the opiate they took is no longer effective because they have increased their number of opioid receptors.
Taking the same amount of the drug only fills up some of the receptors, so they seek more of the drug so all receptors can be full and satisfied. Increased levels of opiate receptors mean that the normal levels of brain chemicals can’t function (fully activate the receptors), so more of the drug is sought out.
Inactivated opioid receptors crave the drug, and if left inactivated, this leads to withdrawal symptoms. This is why a person abusing a drug must constantly seek out a high, or they will feel sick or begin to experience withdrawal.
As mentioned before, buprenorphine is a “sticky” agent. When taken properly, the buprenorphine sticks to the increased opioid receptors. It shoves the opioid out of the way and sticks or binds to all the receptors, but without the feelings of a high.
If heroin and buprenorphine are taken at the same time, buprenorphine pushes the opioid away from the brain’s receptors and fills all of the receptors. Buprenorphine fills the receptors up and prevents withdrawal, but it is not strong enough to get the person high and will not let them experience euphoria.
Taking Subutex vs. Suboxone
The main difference between suboxone and Subutex is that one of the two also has naloxone, and the other doesn’t contain that substance at all. Subutex only contains buprenorphine, while suboxone contains both buprenorphine and naloxone. Naloxone is mixed with buprenorphine to prevent misuse.
Other differences include:
- Subutex contains only buprenorphine, while suboxone also contains naloxone.
- Suboxone is prescribed as a medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction, while Subutex is typically used for pain management.
- In some cases, Subutex may be preferable over suboxone. This is often the case if there are other medical issues that would make it difficult for the patient to take naloxone. Naloxone is also known as Narcan, and it is a medication that is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Naloxone can be helpful in preventing overdoses, but it can also cause withdrawal symptoms.
Subutex is typically used for pain management, so it may be preferable if the patient has an underlying condition that might make it difficult to take naloxone. While Suboxone is the more popular option, there are some people who prefer to use Subutex.
Take Control of Your Life at Vertava Health
Take control of your life today and seek help. If you have tried other methods of recovery, but are still struggling with an addiction, perhaps a treatment of either suboxone or Subutex (under medical supervision) will help. Contact Vertava Health today at 844.470.0410 to get your life back on track.
