What is the difference between Subutex and Suboxone?
The single active ingredient in Subutex is buprenorphine, which decreases the craving for heroin and other opioids. Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, which both reduces drug craving and induces withdrawal when injected. How is buprenorphine different from methadone? Compared with methadone, buprenorphine has a relatively lower risk of abuse, dependence, and side effects, and it has a longer duration of action. Because buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, its opioid effects, such as euphoria and respiratory depression, as well as its side effects reach a ceiling of maximum effect, unlike with methadone or heroin. For this reason, buprenorphine may be safer than methadone, as long as it is not combined with sedatives such as tranquilizers or alcohol. Can a physician in a methadone clinic prescribe or dispense buprenorphine for opioid addiction treatment? Physicians who have received special certification from Federal and State agencies can prescribe and dispe
