Suboxone comes in several different forms, shapes, colors, and strengths, just like most other prescription drugs. When a provider writes you a script of Suboxone as part of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), it is important that you take the proper dosage to ensure safety and efficacy. You could mistakenly take the wrong dosage if you don't know what your Suboxone prescription should look like. Pharmacy errors are rare, but they can happen, so you should be vigilant and double-check that you receive the correct medication. On that note, you should only obtain Suboxone through a valid prescription from a qualified provider. This is also a helpful tip for any other medication you take. So, what does Suboxone look like, and how can you protect yourself from counterfeits? Familiarizing yourself with how your Suboxone prescription should look can help prevent potential harm to your health and recovery maintenance.
If you aren't sure that your Suboxone medication looks correct or that the dosage is accurate, you can consult with the expert clinicians at Confidant Health's online Suboxone clinic. Our competent team is here to help answer all your questions about Suboxone treatment for opioid use disorder.
What Forms Does Suboxone Come In?
Suboxone is available in dissolvable strips or films and sublingual pills or tablets. Each form comes in different colors, shapes, and sizes to easily distinguish one form from another. Each pill or strip is also imprinted to identify the strength of the medication.
N2 Strip
The Suboxone N2 strip is orange, rectangle-shaped, and imprinted with N2 in white lettering. The "2" in N2 represents the strength of buprenorphine in this formulation, which is 2 mg along with 0.5 mg of naloxone. You'll notice that Suboxone contains four parts buprenorphine to one part naloxone.
N4 Strip
The Suboxone N4 strip is also orange and rectangular. It is imprinted with N4 in white lettering to represent its strength, which is a 4:1 ratio of 4 mg of buprenorphine to 1 mg of naloxone.
N8 Strip
The Suboxone N8 strip is also a rectangular orange strip. It is imprinted with a white N8, representing its strength of 8 mg of buprenorphine and 2 mg of naloxone, following the same 4:1 ratio.
N12 Strip
Like the other Suboxone strips, the N12 strip is orange and rectangular. It is imprinted with N12 in white lettering to identify its strength of 12 mg of buprenorphine and 3 mg of naloxone, in the usual 4:1 ratio. This is the highest strength of Suboxone prescribed.