User:Mr. Ibrahem/Buprenorphine/naloxone
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Buprenorphine/naloxone, sold under the brand name Suboxone among others, is a combination medication that includes buprenorphine and naloxone.[2] In combination with counselling, it is used to treat opioid use disorder.[2][3] It decreases withdrawal symptoms for about 24 hours.[4] Buprenorphine/naloxone is available for use in two different forms, under the tongue or in the cheek.[1]
Combination of | |
---|---|
Buprenorphine | Opioid modulator |
Naloxone | Opioid antagonist |
Clinical data | |
Trade names | Suboxone, Bunavail, Zubsolv, others[1] |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Suboxone |
License data | |
Routes of administration | Sublingual |
Legal status | |
Legal status |
|
Side effects may include respiratory depression (decreased breathing), small pupils, sleepiness, and low blood pressure.[2] The risk of overdose is lower with buprenorphine/naloxone than with methadone.[4] However, people are more likely to stop treatment on buprenorphine/naloxone than methadone.[4] Methadone, or buprenorphine alone, are generally preferred when treatment is required during pregnancy.[4]
Buprenorphine, at lower doses, results in the usual opioid effects; however, high doses beyond a certain level do not result in greater effects.[5] This is believed to result in a lower risk of overdose than some other opioids.[5] Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that competes with and blocks the effect of other opioids (including buprenorphine) if given by injection.[2] Naloxone is poorly absorbed when taken by mouth and it is added to decrease the risk that people will misuse the medication by injection.[1] Misuse by injection or use in the nose, however, still occurs.[2] Rates of misuse in the United States appear to be lower than with other opioids.[6]
The combination formulation was approved for medical use in the United States in 2002 and Europe in 2006.[2][6][7] In the United States the wholesale cost as of 2017 is between US$2.32 and US$3.15 per day.[8] In the United Kingdom a similar dose costs the NHS £0.90 to £2.72 per day, according to 2015 data.[9] A generic version was approved in mid 2018.[10] In 2017, it was the 288th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than one million prescriptions.[11][12]