Sublocade and Depression: What Users Say

• Bra...
• April 8, 2019

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "Been on subs for almost 8 months, 16 mg a day. Got the shot a little over 2 weeks ago. The first day was excellent. I was really excited about the month to come and finally felt as though I would be able to come off of the maintenance sooner with less withdrawal. That was the plan. Since then, I have needed to take my original 16 mg daily and feel as though that is not even working. I've had severe anxiety bouts and deep depression since receiving the shot. I even went on vacation to the beach and was miserable, feeling like a black, scary cloud was engulfing my life, sensing impending doom and fear. Out of the last 6 years, I've been clean for 4 and a half. And only 8 months has been on subs. If it weren't for my devotion to my newborn son, 6 months old, my relationship with God, and my first-hand knowledge in recovery, I would have failed already. I encourage everyone to write their own truths here so that we can make better decisions based upon real-life experiences. (34-year-old male)"

• Pai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 14, 2025

For Opioid Use Disorder "I was on Suboxone for 8 years (4-6 mg). I decided to go the Sublocade route. I did have to increase my dosage to 8 mg daily before I got the shot. The shot itself was painless (my doc numbed me up before). At first, I HATED the shot, I was groggy, numb, and withdrawn. However, after two weeks, I started to feel better. I recommend that YOU DO NOT SUPPLEMENT!!! The whole reason to get this shot is to get off daily Suboxone. Yes, there was some discomfort in the beginning, but try to stick it out. My doctor recommended 3 shots total: 300 mg, 300 mg, 100 mg. After the first shot, I realized I feel fine, I called the doctor's office and canceled my next shots. There are some side effects, my constipation is horrible, I feel like I gained a few pounds (for some reason, I craved SWEETS the first month). However, it’s been two months since my shot, and I feel better every day!"

• Sub...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 26, 2022

For Opioid Use Disorder "I seem to be the only person who has noticed a marked increase in depression since taking this injection. I start feeling like rubbish a couple of weeks after my injection, and become listless and overall have little motivation. I certainly am puzzled that I’ve read nothing from others who might be experiencing the same. I’ve taken a lot of recreational drugs for a couple of decades but stopped opiate use a few years ago with the help of Subutex (and a personal preference for coke), and I am really not a success story with coming off Subutex. I hoped the Sublocade injection would help, but it’s actually worse than the strips. The pain others cite regarding the actual injection is not an issue for me, it’s the depression that sneaks up on me a couple of weeks after I have the injection. It seems odd that after years of methadone then Subutex strips I’d have bad depression only on Sublocade, but that’s how it is. I have nothing to gain or lose by writing here. It’s rubbish for me!"

• Rhi...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 5, 2019

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I will make this short. For some, this stuff may be a godsend, for me, it was good until several months into it, then deep depression. I’ve been fighting the depression for 4 months. I received my last shot 4 months ago as well. I had a blood draw a couple weeks ago to check my bup levels, and they are almost none, but no withdrawal yet. If you're anything like me, I bet you have found nothing on what happens when it fully dissolves? Does anyone have experience with what does happen? I’m expecting withdrawals, but since not even Suboxone/Sublocade, the manufacturer can tell me, I’m at a total loss for information! Thanks for any help...."

• Fer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2022

For Opioid Use Disorder "I was extremely excited to try the Sublocade shot for several reasons. For one, I had heard a lot of really good reviews on TikTok from creators who had tried it and were or seemed to be very successful and happy with it. And for two, I have been on Suboxone strips for at least 15 years or more for pain pill addiction, and I had heard that if you wanted to get off Suboxone, that this was the best and easiest way to do it without so much sickness. So I finally talked to my doctor about it and finally got my insurance to approve it, and I was so excited to get my first injection. I did really well the first 5-7 days. I felt great, with no withdrawals. I was excited that I had made the decision to get the injection, but that quickly changed for me after week 1! After week 1, I began to fall into a deep dark depression as well as anxiety and crying spells and no motivation! I would be okay one hour and literally not okay the next hour like I was on a roller coaster! Long story short, for me, I wish I had never gotten it!"

• Fer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2022

For Opioid Use Disorder "I was extremely excited to try the Sublocade shot for several reasons. For one, I had heard a lot of really good reviews on TikTok from creators who had tried it and were or seemed to be very successful and happy with it. And for two, I have been on Suboxone strips for at least 15 years or more for pain pill addiction, and I had heard that if you wanted to get off Suboxone, that this was the best and easiest way to do it without so much sickness. So I finally talked to my doctor about it and finally got my insurance to approve it, and I was so excited to get my first injection. I did really well the first 5-7 days. I felt great, with no withdrawals. I was excited that I had made the decision to get the injection, but that quickly changed for me after week 1! After week 1, I began to fall into a deep dark depression as well as anxiety and crying spells and no motivation! I would be okay one hour and literally not okay the next hour like I was on a roller coaster! Long story short, for me, I wish I had never gotten it!"

• Dre...
• April 9, 2019

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "So, I have been on Suboxone for 4 years now in maintenance. I take two 8 mg strips a day and heard about this Suboxone shot because taking strips twice a day becomes an inconvenience. I took the shot Friday at 1:30 pm. It didn’t burn as bad as some people say. I started to feel the injection within a couple of hours. That night, I felt I had a pretty high dose of it in my body. The next day, Saturday, I felt great, plenty of energy, and no negative symptoms at all. I felt amazing. Sunday night, I started to slightly get tired and out of it. It’s now Monday night, and I feel horrible, like I’m withdrawing, like a really bad flu. So now I have to make a decision on what to do. If anyone on here has advice on what I should do, please answer my message. I would greatly appreciate it. I’m not sure if I should wait it out and see what happens. Will it get better or worse? I’m crossing my fingers, and I hope this advice helps someone out there."

• Rom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 5, 2022

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I first gave it 5 stars, but now I have to say worst mistake I ever made! I got on Sublocade to get off of subs, and all it did was prolong the misery I get on subs. No sex drive, no emotions except sadness and anger, and no motivation, and now I have to wait possibly 18 to 24 months for it to be out of my system! Don’t do it if you want to get off, just taper."

• Rom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 5, 2022

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I first gave it 5 stars, but now I have to say worst mistake I ever made! I got on Sublocade to get off of subs, and all it did was prolong the misery I get on subs. No sex drive, no emotions except sadness and anger, and no motivation, and now I have to wait possibly 18 to 24 months for it to be out of my system! Don’t do it if you want to get off, just taper."

• Rom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 5, 2022

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I first gave it 5 stars, but now I have to say worst mistake I ever made! I got on Sublocade to get off of subs, and all it did was prolong the misery I get on subs. No sex drive, no emotions except sadness and anger, and no motivation, and now I have to wait possibly 18 to 24 months for it to be out of my system! Don’t do it if you want to get off, just taper."

• Ade...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2025

For Opioid Use Disorder "I've been battling with this damn pill epidemic forever, it seems... I've been on and off pain meds for about 14 years, with limited success. Found myself back on Suboxone after being 'clean' for 3 years, but was battling serious depression with suicidal ideation. Finally found a suitable AD and was put back on Suboxone again after 2 detoxes. It didn't help me much at all, constantly sweating, up and down every day! A nightmare! Thanks to all the other reviews on this remarkable drug, I decided to take the plunge, and it's only been a short time frame, but I'm immediately feeling so much better and consistent with my moods. My injection site is quite sore though and red, but I don't feel bad. I have no cravings for extra subs, and my doctor even let me keep 8 8 mg strips for the last week if it doesn't hold up. I'm definitely interested in going off the injection and being clean from this in the coming months... Do it!!! Also, in Aus, we're very lucky with the cost of $8 a month. Amazing savings."

• Ner...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 30, 2023

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I have had a nightmare experience with this medication from the start and stayed on it for months longer than I should have. I had an opiate addiction and have been clean on Suboxone maintenance for over 10 years. I wanted to not be a slave to this medication and these doctors, so I jumped at the chance to try this new medication that had so many positive reviews. The 300 mg injection made me so overwhelmingly nauseous I had to take off from work the day I got the injection. For about a week, everything was okay withdrawal-wise, but mentally my motivation was completely gone. Then the profuse sweating of my hands and feet, as well as crippling anxiety. So I went from being stable and content to a blubbery, crying, depressed mess. Once I went to 100 mg, I was supplementing it with 2 mg of subs on week one, then 6 on week three and 8 on week four, so now what’s the point of the injection? I’m almost taking as much as I was originally, which was 12 mg. Long story short, I’m getting off the injection, thank God."

• Rom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 7, 2021

For Opioid Use Disorder "Got my first 300 injection today, about 5 hours ago, after only taking 8 mg today and taking 32 mg daily until today for over 20 years, and I feel normal. I got the lidocaine injection a few minutes before to numb it, and I felt nothing. I’m hoping to jump off after one or two, or maybe even after the 100 mg one, which is the third. Tired of being on subs and feeling depressed and numb and angry and gaining weight and constipated and losing teeth, this awful drug! Heard it’s easier to come off of than the sublingual buprenorphine, so fingers crossed."

• ZDo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 16, 2022

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I have been on 8 mg per day of buprenorphine since 2005 (a total of 17 years), and it is about time I got off this medication. I feel that buprenorphine is very effective in helping me manage opioid dependence. However, I feel that buprenorphine has some unwanted side effects for me, like chronic constipation, depression, and an overall dulling of the feeling of being alive. I feel buprenorphine has robbed me of some of the joy of living and ambition. I discussed with my doctor a strategy for the cessation of buprenorphine for me, and we decided on Sublocade to accomplish this. I received one 300 mg shot exactly 88 days ago. So far, the Sublocade lump is completely gone, and I have been feeling very minimal negative effects. The symptoms I have been feeling are subtle, and I wonder if it's just in my head or I am really experiencing withdrawal symptoms as I have not received a follow-up shot. I do feel a little depression, and normal bowel function has resumed. So far, piece of cake...."

• Hop...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 30, 2022

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "God bless you all for sharing your stories and your strength in fighting each battle that is confronted by each of you individually. I am no different. However, I will tell you this: after seven months of my last injection, I am now in a terrible state of withdrawal, including depression, restless sleep, if at all, and all the other things that come with stopping oral strips. It is not a panacea. While it’s a tremendous way to avoid daily use, the Depo inside your body is much larger than you think, you will test positive for a year. You will experience withdrawal after around six months post-last shot. Hang in there. God bless and fight hard. But know, your body is still heavily influenced by the bup even though you are months 'without it'… one day it will become very evident, so stay strong!"

• Jun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 10, 2021

For Opioid Use Disorder "So my journey to the Sublocade injection was a little different from most as I was coming off 100+ mills of methadone. It took me about 2 weeks of dropping 10 mills a day, but taking Suboxone patches and Suboxone films. It wasn't an easy journey, and I felt uneasy and a little depressed during the process. But I've had my first Sublocade injection of 300 mg, and I'm starting to feel really good again and am able to work more hours now. Definitely worth starting your transition to the monthly Sublocade injections. Just a pity it's not free for some countries like it is here in Australia."

• MJ1...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 15, 2022

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "Getting the Sublocade shot has been the best decision I've ever made. Had a bad H addiction for about 6 years. This shot has been a lifesaver. Going on my 3rd shot and completely sober and couldn't feel any better. The shot has kept me from getting the usual depression that seems to come no matter what, the first few months of being sober. For the first time in a while, I look forward to life. No cravings, no withdrawal. I highly recommend Sublocade, my only regret is not getting on this sooner."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 12, 2022

For Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "Took my first shot yesterday of Sublocade 300 mg. My past history used 13 months of opioids (Hydromorphone) up to 30 mg per day. One day decided to withdraw it completely, so started to reduce my dose weekly and completely shut off on September 1, 2022, and on the night of September 2, when I got extremely bad withdrawal symptoms. So, by myself, I started Suboxone 4 mg for 1 day, then 1 week with 8 mg, 2nd week with 4 mg, 3rd week with 2 mg, and the 4th week 1 mg per day, but in my last stage, I failed, and everything has changed drastically. Got severe anxiety and depression, went to the doctor, and the doctor gave me antidepressants, which I didn't take because I haven't had any history of anxiety and depression before. So, finally went to a rehab center, explained everything, and they started Suboxone again, this time with 8 mg/day for 13 days. After that, my anxiety and depression was so minimal. So my doctor suggested Sublocade 300, and I got it yesterday, and the first day was like hell, went to the emergency due to severe anxiety."