Subutex Overdose | Can You Overdose on Subutex?

Physicians will often prescribe and administer the drug buprenorphine as a means to help opioid users reach their goals of recovery. This opioid medicine is marketed under its more identifiable brand name, Subutex.

Opioid drugs — such as heroin, oxycodone, and hydrocodone — bind to specific receptors in the central nervous system to create their pain-relieving and euphoric effects. Unlike these traditional semisynthetic opioids, Subutex is considered an opioid receptor modulator. This means it only partially binds to these receptors while also blocking most of the excessive effects and dangers attributed to substance use disorders. Methadone, another compound used for similar treatment methods, binds fully to opioid receptors — arguably making it easier to misuse in and of itself. Essentially, Subutex satisfies just enough of the opioid craving a patient may have while not enabling it further. This is why it is used for opioid treatment and replacement therapy.

After any amount of digging into the subjects of opioid substance abuse disorders or Subutex, the question will undoubtedly arise: what’s the difference between Subutex and Suboxone? There’s no denying their innate similarities. Both Subutex and Suboxone are used for treating opioid substance use disorders, and both do so in the same fundamental way within the brain. Additionally, both medications rely on buprenorphine to accomplish said task. The one true differentiator is that Suboxone contains one more active ingredient: naloxone. This drug is commonly used to suppress opioid overdoses and, when used in Suboxone, it curbs misuse of the medication by replicating a painful withdrawal and virtually blocking the satisfying sensation of a high.

When used as directed, Subutex is an effective medication for opioid treatments. Any variations to this, illicit or otherwise, can lead to destructive overdose symptoms.