Substance misuse is a major concern in the US, affecting more than 16 million Americans. Among these, opioid misuse is the most common. Even more concerning, 120,000 Americans lose their lives to opioid use disorder (OUD) each year.
Studies show that medication-assisted treatments (MAT) are helping millions of Americans overcome OUD. MAT combines psychosocial interventions with FDA-approved medications (such as Suboxone) to combat opioid misuse. Unfortunately, Suboxone can be expensive — with average monthly costs often exceeding $500 and thus inaccessible for some people, especially those without health insurance.
Generic Suboxone is an affordable, FDA-approved alternative to brand-name Suboxone. This article breaks down everything you need to know about generic Suboxone and where you can get it.
Read on to learn more.
What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a medication containing two active ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone.
Buprenorphine is a partial agonist of opioid receptors in the brain. People that stop using opioids without replacement can experience dangerous withdrawal, which increases the risk of relapse. Buprenorphine helps prevent this by occupying opioid receptors.
Naloxone — the other ingredient in Suboxone — is an opioid antagonist with limited oral bioavailability. This means it occupies opioid receptors without stimulating them but is only active when injected. Thus, it deters users from injecting and misusing Suboxone by inducing sudden withdrawal.
Suboxone Formulations:
Suboxone is available in two formulations — a sublingual film/strip and an oral tablet — and has various strengths:
- 2 mg buprenorphine / 0.5 mg naloxone
- 4 mg buprenorphine / 1 mg naloxone
- 8 mg buprenorphine / 2 mg naloxone
- 12 mg buprenorphine / 3 mg naloxone
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