Many people who are dependent on or addicted to opioids desperately want to stop using them … but they need help. Opioids are physically and psychologically addicting, so stopping their use leads to physical withdrawal symptoms that can be intense and miserable, as well as cravings that can be difficult to withstand. Buprenorphine is an effective tool in recovering from opioid use disorder because it relieves cravings and withdrawal symptoms so that individuals have the opportunity to heal and establish stability.

How does buprenorphine do this? It’s an opioid itself, but it’s a kind called a partial opioid agonist. This means that although it bonds with the opioid receptors in the brain, it doesn’t fully activate them. This partial activation allows buprenorphine to provide relief from cravings and opioid withdrawal symptoms without creating the euphoria or the drive to take more that characterize the use of opioids like heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and morphine.

Suboxone and other buprenorphine/naloxone medications also include another medication: naloxone. Naloxone does not activate opioid receptors at all, but it is very good at bonding to them and blocking them off so that opioids can’t stimulate them. So why is it in a medication alongside an opioid? It’s a safety measure. Buprenorphine is effective when dissolved in the mouth, but not when swallowed (which is why Suboxone is dissolved under the tongue or against the inside of the cheek). Naloxone, on the other hand, is effective when snorted or injected, but not when dissolved in the mouth. So if buprenorphine/naloxone is taken as directed, the buprenorphine works while the naloxone does nothing. If the buprenorphine is misused (taken incorrectly in an attempt to get high), the naloxone goes into effect and blocks the buprenorphine.