This information has been reviewed and updated on May 11, 2023.
Suboxone®, a common brand of buprenorphine/naloxone, is a partial opioid used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) to help relieve cravings and withdrawal symptoms without producing any euphoric effects once the stable dose is reached (important safety information). This way, you can feel mentally and physically well and remain clear-headed all day. It also lowers the chances of relapse and reduces the chances of overdose death by 70-80% as long as you keep taking it.
While Suboxone is available through telehealth providers for convenient access at home, it’s best to start it as directed by the prescribing provider to avoid a bad reaction called precipitated withdrawal. That’s where your dedicated Ophelia care team comes in. Composed of a prescribing clinician, nurse, and care coordinator, your team will help you get on Suboxone comfortably and safely.
How does an Ophelia care team help patients start Suboxone?
Before you take the first dose of Suboxone, your care team needs to know what opioid you are using regularly, like oxycodone, OxyContin, or hydrocodone, just to name a few examples. This will determine how long you need to wait after the last dose of the drug to start the Suboxone.
Your care team will also outline the medications you can safely take during this time and the symptoms to look out for.
Common wait times before taking Suboxone?
You do have to be in mild withdrawal in order to take Suboxone, which means waiting between 12–24 hours after last using opioids. For short-acting opioids, like heroin, you may only need to wait about 12–16 hours since these drugs leave your bloodstream faster than long-acting opioids, like methadone. The wait time for long-acting opioids is 17–48 hours. However, if you’ve been using drugs containing fentanyl, you may need to wait longer than expected and take additional medications in the meantime.
Withdrawal symptoms to watch for during induction
Common symptoms of withdrawal include diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps, fever or sweating, anxiety, insomnia, and muscle aches, pain, and spasms. But when you progress through induction with the support and expertise of a doctor at Ophelia, you’ll be better positioned to manage these symptoms with additional medications and frequent check-ins with an experienced induction specialist.
What to know about taking Suboxone
Because of the withdrawal requirement, we’re often asked how long it takes for a dose of Suboxone to kick in on that first day. Here’s what you need to know.
- It starts to work quickly — about 20–60 minutes after the first dose — and achieves its maximum effects at around 100 minutes (1 hour 40 minutes). The effects can be sustained for many hours.
- There are two main versions of Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone): sublingual tablets or sublingual films. Both need to be dissolved under the tongue. Since some tablets take longer to dissolve than the strips, the form you take can also influence how long it takes the medication to kick in.
- Buprenorphine has a longer elimination half-life than heroin and fentanyl, meaning it stays in your system for days instead of hours — an advantage when it is taken properly to help stop cravings and opioid withdrawal symptoms. Because buprenorphine stays in the system long after the dose, medications like Suboxone may be taken as a once-daily dose, twice a day, or, for some people, every other day.
- Buprenorphine is a “partial” opioid agonist, which means that it activates opioid receptors but much less so than heroin or fentanyl does. Because of that, buprenorphine eliminates withdrawal and cravings without producing an opioid “high” or slowing the respiration and causing overdose.
- Buprenorphine does not show up as an opioid on a typical urine or saliva drug test that an employer might have you do, but there is a special test used during treatment to specifically detect buprenorphine.
Suboxone treatment over time
Research shows that Suboxone is safe and effective as a long-term maintenance treatment. There is currently no maximum recommendation for the length of treatment, so you can continue as long as you and your care team believe the medication is helping.. Over time, patients tend to maintain these benefits even with lower doses. That said, everyone is different and, once stabilized, should discuss the length of their Suboxone treatment plan with healthcare professionals.
As with any treatment program, Suboxone should be prescribed as part of a comprehensive approach that also offers the opportunity for therapy, peer support, and community support groups if one finds it beneficial to talk about their experience with opioid drug use, recovery, and treatment. Prefer something more private than an inpatient treatment option? Ophelia’s got you covered. Our telehealth model gives you access to your care team on your terms.
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