Suboxone is beneficial in the treatment of opioid addiction, but in order to receive the intended benefits of the medication, it is important to take it properly. The best way to take Suboxone is to follow the instructions on the medication label and to adhere to your doctor’s guidance. Below, learn how to maximize Suboxone absorption so that you receive the greatest possible benefit from the medication, but be sure to contact your physician if you have additional questions.
How Can I Absorb Suboxone Better?
The medication label you receive from your pharmacy should tell you how to properly take Suboxone as directed by your prescribing provider. For the medication to work for reducing withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings, you must take it sublingually. This means that you should place the Suboxone film under your tongue and allow it to remain there until it is completely dissolved.
Suboxone absorption is highest when you place the film under your tongue. The medication should not be chewed, swallowed, or cut. When the medication is chewed or swallowed rather than dissolved, Suboxone absorption is reduced, and its effectiveness is lower.
Ways To Take Suboxone
Suboxone is intended to be dissolved rather than swallowed or chewed, but there are two primary routes of administration for Suboxone films.
Sublingual Administration
Sublingual administration, in which Suboxone is placed under the tongue and dissolved, is the most effective way to take Suboxone. This route of administration increases the speed of Suboxone absorption and is the preferred method of taking the medication, when compared to methods like chewing or swallowing.
Buccal Film
Suboxone can also be taken as a buccal film. This means the medication is placed between the cheek and gums and dissolved. Like sublingual Suboxone films, buccal films should never be chewed or swallowed.
What Is The Best Way To Take Suboxone?
The best way to take Suboxone is according to your doctor’s instructions and the guide on your medication label. You should never chew, cut, or swallow the medication, as it will not be fully absorbed and will not be as effective. If you have questions about how to take Suboxone strips, consult with your doctor.
In terms of the difference between sublingual vs. buccal administration, taking the medication in the sublingual form does seem to be the best way to take Suboxone. For example, one study found that Suboxone absorption was significantly higher when taken in the sublingual vs. the buccal form, but there was variation in absorption levels from person-to-person.
What works best for you may not be the best option for someone else, but your Suboxone doctor can provide you with guidance regarding the best way to absorb your Suboxone film.
The Importance Of Learning The Proper Way To Take Suboxone
Suboxone is intended to be taken as a maintenance medication to reduce drug cravings and withdrawal symptoms so that people can remain abstinent from opioids. When taken daily, the medication is effective, because it contains the active ingredient, buprenorphine.
Buprenorphine is effective for treating opioid addiction, because its effects are relatively long lasting. This means that when taken regularly as prescribed by a doctor, buprenorphine will always be active in the body. To achieve this desired effect, you must learn the most effective way to take Suboxone. When the drug is not taken properly, less of the drug is available to do the work of alleviating withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.
For instance, Suboxone absorption is lower when the medication is swallowed, which means that less of the buprenorphine is available. Swallowing will therefore reduce the effectiveness of the drug, because it will wear off sooner, instead of having the long lasting effects that keep patients stabilized while receiving medication-assisted treatment.