What's the Difference Between Subutex and Suboxone?

What's the difference between Suboxone and Subutex? Both are medications used during addiction treatment to help rid the body of alcohol and toxic substances. Learn about the differences and which one might be right for you or your loved one given your specific situation.

What Are Subutex and Suboxone Used For?

Subutex and Suboxone are medications that are used to treat opiate (and opioid) addiction. Opiates are drugs derived from opium.

The term "opioid" once referred to synthetic opiates only, but now it is used to describe the entire family of opiates: natural, synthetic, and semi-synthetic. In practice, both opiate and opioid are used interchangeably. Natural opiates include morphine and codeine.

Semi-synthetic opioids include hydromorphone, hydrocodone, and oxycodone (often known by the prescription drug name OxyContin), and heroin.Heroin is the most widely used type of illegal opiate. Both Subutex and Suboxone block the opiates' effects on the brain, and both are used to help minimize and/or eliminate physical withdrawal symptoms and drug craving

Subutex vs. Suboxone: What’s the Difference?

Both Subutex and Suboxone are FDA-approved medications containing buprenorphine. Both Subutex and Suboxone are brand-name medications that help individuals with severe drug addictions taper their drug use. Simply put, the difference is that Suboxone contains both buprenorphine and naloxone, whereas Subutex contains only buprenorphine.

Subutex = 100% buprenorphine

Suboxone = 80% buprenorphine + 20% Naloxone

Buprenorphine is the working ingredient in both.

Buprenorphine can fill and activate the opioid "receptors" in the brain. Once attached, opioids send signals to the brain to block pain, slow breathing, and create a general calming and anti-depressing effect. If you're taking buprenorphine, you stop feeling opiate withdrawal once you activate these receptors sufficiently. When opioid receptors are not activated, you will feel discomfort and physical withdrawal symptoms.

This is the primary reason buprenorphine is used to treat opioid addiction. Individuals can lead more functional lives without experiencing the physical cravings that would occur upon ceasing opiate use. Buprenorphine is a partial agonist, which is defined as a substance that activates the same receptor sites in the brain as other opioids, but doesn’t produce the same high. "Full" agonist opiates include heroin or methadone.

Why is Naloxone Added to Buprenorphine?

Even though buprenorphine doesn't produce the same high as the other opiates, it can still be abused. Just as a desperate person can take large doses of cough medicine to get a codeine high, people can take too much buprenorphine.

If users inject or snort significant quantities of Subutex (100% buprenorphine), they may feel extremely dizzy and confused, struggle to breathe, lose consciousness, or die. The drug can be abused and can have dire effects. That's why naloxone is added to Suboxone: to keep people from abusing buprenorphine.

Naloxone works as an "opiate antagonist." This means it fills opiate receptors in the brain but doesn't activate them. Subutex (100% buprenorphine), on the other hand, fills and activates the opiate receptors in the brain. Due to this decreased risk of abuse and diversion, doctors tend to prescribe Suboxone for continuing use and take-home prescriptions.

Subutex or Suboxone: Which is Right for You?

Both Subutex and Suboxone can significantly decrease cravings, mitigate physical symptoms of withdrawal, and help you to stay the course in addiction treatment. They’re both used in supervised medical detox or long-term maintenance program, and they can help remove toxic substances from the body in a safe, effective manner.

Safe Haven Recovery is a boutique Florida Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center located in Miami, FL. We specialize in Suboxone Maintenance & Detox, along with, Couples Addiction Treatment. Call us today at 866-447-4650.

About the Author

Matthew Koenig is a freelance writer and principal of Last Call Marketing which devotes their efforts to Digital Marketing, SEO and Social Engagement. Concentrated in addiction recovery, Mr. Koenig is based out of South Florida. His sober date is June 10, 2013.

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