my daughter is about to begin an opiod addiction program, and i would like to inform myself as much as possible... some friends are on subutex... others on suboxone..any info would be appreciated... thank you
Are suboxone and subutex made of the same chemical compounds? what is the difference between the two
- Posted:
- 4 Feb 2012 by ladybirdcross
- Topics:
- suboxone, subutex, addiction
Details:
Responses (3)
LaurieShay5 Feb 2012
Suboxone and Subutex both contain the opiate buprenorphine but the Suboxone also contains naloxone which is added to keep addicts from injecting the medication. The naloxone when it hits the blood stream causes immediate withdrawls which are painful to say the least. Taken orally or actually sublingually the naloxone in Suboxone does not enter the blood stream in any appreciable amount.
pattishan615 Feb 2012
Dear LadyBird, one of the reasons some of the group members might be on subutex versus suboxone, is because they are coming off methadone, heroin, or some other long acting opiate, like a fentanyl patch. Those coming off short acting opiates, or who have had an IV problem, may be given suboxone. Subutex is better for some. If you will go to YouTube.com, and look up SuboxDoc, he has many easy to understand videos on all facets of suboxone, watch his 2 part video on how it works in the brain and any others by him. He explains the medicine and therapy well. Pattishan61
Thor2835 Feb 2012
The curious thing from the point of view of a person taking these meds is they all feel differently. Even the various brands of Subutex Feel differently from each other, and very different from Suboxone. Another curious fact is once you get used to a certain brand, or Suboxone vs. Subutex, you prefer to keep taking whatever you have been taking. Looking at the chemical make up of these products doesn't answer why, nor do I know why. I'm just telling you because you asked. Which ever product you start her on she should stay with. So unless she's ultra sensitive to Naloxone, like me, the Film Strips may be best, because they should stay in production. Subutex already went generic, and now it's a nightmare, and Suboxone tablets are soon to be generic. But the Film Strips should be around at least 5 years or more. We hope so, anyway.
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.
Similar questions
Subs made me sick! Can subutex be a better option?
I tried taking suboxone twice, people swear by it but it just doesn't agree with my body. Would trying subutex, maybe help? My body was used to ...
3 answers • 21 Aug 2009 • 
What are the chemical compounds of nucynta?
1 answer • 17 Oct 2009 •
What is the difference between subutex and buprenorphine and there is 1?
when 1 of us injects the subutex (working on that) sure it stings if you miss but clearly the generic causes rashes, has a different make up and ...
1 answer • 24 Feb 2010 •
Addiction - Soboxone/Subutex Help!?
Hello all, I have been on Suboxone for about 60 days now total, I was having major headaches with that so they put me on Subutex instead. Seems to ...
1 answer • 27 May 2010 •
Suboxone sickness?
I switched from subutex to suboxone and I get very nauseous when I take it but my new dr won't prescribe me subutex because he says it's ...
1 answer • 30 Mar 2011 • 1 star
I just wanted to comment further on the differences in the various generic forms of medication. There has to be something different, sometimes, in the generic vs the name brand or even one generic vs another. Could they be using different fillers, different amounts of fillers or is there some difference in how they are made? There is something they (pharmaceuticle companies) aren't telling us or don't want us to know. Here's an example. I was taking 40mg of Celexa, for months at a time and even years. It started out being name brand and I continued using generic forms ever since. I found out that the pharmacy would change the generic medication based on where they could buy it at the cheapest price. That's what I was told at the drug store when I first asked why the pill was different. Celexa is a small pill both name brand and generic. About a year ago I was given a prescription for Celexa and the pill was three times the size I had been taking.
Expand this post...
Something was obviously different about this pill. After about five days or so of taking it I had a very strange sensation in my brain that had never happened before on this medication or any other. Nothing else had changed as far as taking other medications or anything else that could have been the cause of that experience. It was frightening and there was no way I was going to keep taking it like that. I couldn't just stop abruptly so I broke the pill down to five mgs and nothing like that has happened since. There was obviously more of some ingredient in those pills to account for the big increase in size. I have a personal opinion about "Big Pharma" that is shared by many but maybe it would not be a good idea to express it in this forum because it isn't very nice.
I'm just sayin...
rvnew
Hi rvnew,
I'm glad you pointed out that these differences are not just happening with drugs used by "addicts". I'm not on Sub because I was addicted to opiates. I'm on Sub because I become opiate dependent due to taking them for never ending pain. Depending on which pain is worse, Sub is usually best. But I digress.
I was taking Name Brand Wellbutrin since 1999. It was good, and I took it on & off for a year or 2. Then the 1st generic came out and it was identical to the name brand. Over the years that generic changed. It stopped working. What most of us on Wellbutrin like is the lift it gives us. I quit using it because I was no longer getting the lift. Then I got it at a new pharmacy and they gave me Watson Wellbutrin. Now I get the lift again, just like I always did. Obviously the previous generic co. changed something which took away the lift, and my reason for taking it. Why would they do that? Presumably to save even more money.
Expand this post...
But this goes against the whole argument and reason for why Congress voted to make generic drugs have popularity over Name Brands. I'm not political, but I think Congress OK'd this to help insurance companies, since they pay for most drugs. Back in the 1960's and 1970's when this happened, the generic companies went to great lengths to make the generics virtually the same as Name Brand. There were very few differences. Usually the generics were harder to digest, but the drugs worked the same. That was now over 40 years ago and most of the people involved in those decisions have gone on to hopefully, greener pastures, shall we say. There may be some very old ex-congress people left who are now also suffering with the low quality generics they voted into law. Although most of them are probably rich enough to buy Name Brands. Nowadays it's accepted that generics are the same as Name Brand, but anyone "in the know" who has money will still always demand Name Brand. Why? Because it's also known that generics are not the same as Name Brand and not even the same as each other.
So I ask, will a new generation of law makers find a way to straighten out this mess, or will they simply pay for Name Brand for themselves and their families, while the rest of us suffer with inadequate generics. That my friends is the question for young people today. Generics can indeed be made as virtually identical to the NB meds, but not with the windfall profits the generic companies have come to love. As usual, it's all about money.