as benzodiazepines or alcohol.
Combining the two substances can become fatal, causing one’s breathing rates to decrease, causing respiratory distress. Coma and death are considerable outcomes as well when using these drugs together. You must seek immediate medical help if you or a loved one ingests Suboxone and experiences any of these side effects you must call 911 immediately.
- Extreme drowsiness
- Slowed breathing
- Sluggish reflexes
- Lack of coordination
- Slurred speech
- Intermittent loss of consciousness
- Problems with vision
Is Suboxone Right For You?
Medication-assisted treatment with medicines like Suboxone has helped many people get out of active addiction, reduce their exposure to illicit opioids, and maintain employment. However, MAT can also prolong the amount of time that you are dependent on a chemical substance, albeit one that is much safer than illicit and even other prescription options.
Ideally, you would go through detox and then addiction treatment and maintain abstinence from opioid use entirely. However, many people go through several attempts at treatment and still relapse. Some struggle with the withdrawal phase in treatment and can’t make it through detox without using.
Suboxone is especially helpful for people that have struggled with chronic relapse.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), addiction relapse occurs about as commonly as other chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. Around 40 to 60 percent of people that stop using drugs after developing a substance use disorder, relapse at some point later.
Relapse is a threat to everyone in recovery, and it takes continued dedication to recovery to avoid active addiction. Still, relapse isn’t inevitable, and treatment can help give you the tools to deal with cravings and triggers.
Suboxone will enable you to skip the uncomfortable withdrawal phase and go right into treatment. This allows you to remove yourself from a lifestyle of active addiction.
Suboxone is not for people who have not been using opioids recently. Suboxone is for people that are currently opioid-dependent and have shown signs of opioid withdrawal.
Taking Suboxone to treat cravings, for those who are abstinent, can cause intoxication and dependence. Suboxone is also not for people who are currently intoxicated. If you take Suboxone on top of other opioids, alcohol or benzodiazepines can cause a dangerous overdose.
Can Suboxone be Used to Treat Pain?
Suboxone is not typically used to treat pain. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, which means its effects, including analgesia, are limited compared to other full opioid agonists. However, some researchers have considered buprenorphine for use in pain-management medications.
Can Suboxone Cause Constipation?
Yes, it can. Though Suboxone includes a weaker opioid, it still causes some of the same common side effects that other opioid medications do like constipation.
In a clinical setting, constipation is usually easy to manage. If you have been prescribed Suboxone, your doctor may warn you about constipation, give you medications to counteract that side effect, or recommended dietary changes to help avoid the issue. If you experience it without having spoken to your doctor, let them know about your symptoms.
Can Suboxone Cause Weight Gain?
Suboxone doesn’t cause significant weight gain, but it can cause some symptoms that may seem like you are gaining weight. Opioids cause you to retain water, and they can cause constipation. Both of those symptoms may cause you to feel bloated.
However, people who start Suboxone treatment are already using opioids that may be causing those symptoms. Some people only notice it because they are no longer in a pattern of active addiction.