Is Suboxone addictive?
Yes. The active ingredient in Suboxone that keeps withdrawal at bay is buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist. Buprenorphine has an extremely high binding affinity to opioid receptors in the brain, but because it is only a partial agonist, full effects, as produced by full agonists (e.g. oxycodone, heroin), are not present. Many people are grossly misinformed about the addictive nature of buprenorphine, and claim that there is no withdrawal syndrome, which is incorrect; however, because of its long half-life and partial agonist properties, the withdrawal is longer, but milder than that of full agonists. Some people have horror stories of their attempts to get off of Suboxone, but most of them come from people who did not taper properly. The bottom line is Suboxone is addictive, and eventually some withdrawal has to be dealt with. Suboxone will soften the fall, and withdrawal from it is certainly not as bad as withdrawal from oxycodone or heroin.
