Posted by Crotale on June 1, 2008, at 12:00:50
In reply to Suboxone???? Is it only for Opiates or an Ad Too?, posted by Phillipa on May 25, 2008, at 13:07:47
> I know this is used for opiate addiction no I don't take opiates but the sender of the link the link says it is good for depression too. Is that true? Love Phillipa
I take Buprenex (buprenorphine HCl injectable) for depression and have been taking it for around 8 years. It has the same active ingredient that is in Suboxone, but there are a couple of key differences between the two:
1. As I mentioned, Buprenex is intended for IM or IV injection (I use it IM). Suboxone is a pill intended to be taken sublingually.
2. Buprenex contains a *much* lower dose of buprenorphine, because Suboxone *is* intended to be for drug addicts who have a high tolerance to opioids. (supposedly, the dosage is the same: that is, if you take 0.3mg buprenorphine IM, you are supposed to take 0.3mg SL.) Based on my experience, the 2mg of buprenorphine in a single Suboxone tablet (and this is the lowest dose, mind you) would make a non-tolerant person sick.
3. Suboxone contains, in addition to the 2mg buprenorphine, 0.5mg naloxone. This is to prevent the addicts who are prescribed this drug from injecting it. (Kind of silly IMO, as buprenorphine doesn't get people high anyway.) Basically, the naloxone would block the opioid-agonist effects of the buprenorphine if you tried to inject it (naloxone only works if injected: it isn't absorbed sublingually).
In some countries (e.g., France, Mexico) you can get a SL pill called Temgesic containing a low dose of buprenorphine, similar to the dose in Buprenex. I would probably be taking this instead of Buprenex but it isn't available in the USA, where I live.
Crotale
poster:Crotale
thread:831072
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080528/msgs/832360.html