When you start your recovery journey for opioid use disorder (OUD), medication options are often one of the first things that you’ll talk about with your provider. Suboxone is a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) that can be a beneficial part of your treatment plan.
Suboxone is known as one of the gold standard treatments for opioid use disorder. You can take it at home every day, as the formula is put in a tablet or film placed against the inside of the cheek (buccal) or under the tongue (sublingual). Once it’s dissolved, the medication stays in your body for a few days.
In this article, we’ll dive into the details so that you know what to expect. Read on to learn the timeline of Suboxone once it enters your system. We’ll also discuss the time frame for Suboxone withdrawal and how to manage it. Then you’ll learn how Groups can help you throughout your journey with Suboxone.
A timeline of Suboxone in your system
The overall takeaway about Suboxone is that it lasts for quite a while in your body. This is mostly due to the active ingredient of buprenorphine having a half-life of more than a day. Buprenorphine works by partially attaching to the brain receptors that are activated by opioids. This helps to reduce withdrawal symptoms, including cravings, without making you feel high. It stays in your body between seven and 10 days.
Buprenorphine has a half-life of approximately 37 hours, meaning it takes over a day for the potency to drop by half. However, this can vary widely from person to person due to factors like metabolism and dosage. The half-life can stretch anywhere from 25 to 70 hours. Factors like liver function and weight can also affect how long it takes to leave your system.
Here’s a timeline of Suboxone once it enters your body:
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First hour after dose
Once dissolved, it usually takes between 30 and 60 minutes for Suboxone to enter your bloodstream and start working. The film tends to dissolve a bit quicker than the tablet. Research shows that it takes an average of five to 6.6 minutes for the film to fully dissolve under the tongue or against the cheek. The tablet averages seven to 12.4 minutes.
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Four hours after dose
As with many medications, the effects of Suboxone tend to be the strongest in the first few hours once it enters your system because that’s when the concentration is the strongest. The effects of Suboxone, which are milder than the effects of other opioids, tend to peak in the three to four hours after the dose.
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One week (or more) after dose
Due to the long half-life of buprenorphine, your body will be affected by a dose for days after taking Suboxone. It takes four to five half-lives for a medication to be almost completely gone from your system. With an approximate half-life of 37 hours, that means it would take more than one week for most of Suboxone to leave your body.
Suboxone is a daily medication, so your body won’t likely reach its half-life before the next dose. You’ll regularly be experiencing its positive effects.
If you’re concerned about the timeline of Suboxone because you’re taking a drug test for employment or court-mandated reasons, most drug tests do not test for buprenorphine. However, traces of buprenorphine can last up to two weeks in urine, and 48 hours in saliva and blood. Hair testing can detect it for three months or longer.
Suboxone can be a long-term option for people being treated for opioid use disorder. Once you hit the maintenance phase, in which your system has gotten used to it, your provider may adjust your dosage.
How long does Suboxone withdrawal last?
So now that you know what to expect when Suboxone enters your system, it’s important to know what happens if you don’t give your body another dose.
If you don’t remember to take your Suboxone until later than usual, you can likely still take it without any issue as long as it’s not too close to your next dose. If you’re unsure, call your provider. But if you take too long to take your dose, you might start to experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.
You will typically start to feel withdrawal symptoms about 24 hours after your last Suboxone dose. The withdrawal symptoms are similar to those for opioid withdrawal, including:
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Muscle aches
- Cramps
- Diarrhea
These physical symptoms are likely to worsen over the next couple of days, peaking around the 72-hour mark. However, cravings and depression are two symptoms that tend to linger for up to a month afterward.
Even though Suboxone is effective for many people with opioid use disorder, it’s possible that it’s not the right choice for you. You might want to try monthly injections of buprenorphine, such as Sublocade, if you’re having trouble staying consistent with your Suboxone. Having an allergic reaction to either buprenorphine or naloxone would be another reason to stop taking Suboxone.
If you and your provider think that Suboxone is not the right medication for you after you try it, they can help you safely withdraw through tapering. They can recommend coping mechanisms to help you through possible withdrawal symptoms, such as paced breathing to help you move through cravings or practicing mindfulness to decrease the intensity of symptoms
If you’re switching to a different medication, such as methadone, your provider may recommend that you start taking low doses while finishing out your Suboxone prescription.
Groups can support you throughout your Suboxone prescription
Suboxone can be an essential part of your opioid use disorder recovery, and it’s helpful to learn about the inner workings of the medication. When you have a better understanding of how it works and what to expect as it enters your system, you can alleviate some of the nerves about taking a medication and focus on the other aspects of your treatment, such as therapy and self-care
At Groups, we make sure that you know everything you need to know about your Suboxone prescription, including how long it lasts in your system. Once you receive fast access to your prescription, we’ll continue to help you manage your medication. We’ll monitor how your body is reacting to the medication and if any changes need to be made, such as dosage.
We also collaborate with your providers, such as your general practitioner, to make sure that your overall health is taken care of during treatment.
As Suboxone works its way through your system, we also make sure the other parts of your well-being are taken care of during treatment. OUD does more than affect your physical health. That’s why it’s important to incorporate your mental and emotional health into your treatment. At Groups, our members attend a weekly group support session with peers and a licensed counselor. It gives you a place to open up about your challenges with OUD, learn coping strategies that have helped others, and expand your support network during difficult times.
We also want to help you work toward the life you want by setting attainable goals. In our custom life-goal assistance program, our Recovery Support Specialists can connect you with resources to help you reach your personal goals, such as housing, employment, and transportation.
Give our Recovery Support Specialists a call today at 888-858-1723 for more information or to begin your recovery. We provide treatment across the country — and we’re always expanding. See if we offer care in your state, either online or at one of our 130+ local offices. If Groups doesn’t offer treatment in your area, you can locate other treatment options here.
