Subutex is one form of a drug called buprenorphine. It helps people who are overcoming an addiction to opioids. Buprenorphine is one aspect of a complete treatment program that includes counseling, lifestyle changes, compliance monitoring and more.
Some people with opioid dependence have a condition called opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine has approval from the Food and Drug Administration as part of Medicated Assisted Treatment for OUD. It is the first drug to treat OUD that physicians can prescribe or dispense in their offices, making it highly accessible to OUD patients.
How Subutex Works
Buprenorphine is in a drug class called mixed opioid agonist-antagonists. It is an opioid that works by stopping other opioids. This process happens in two steps:
Buprenorphine displaces other opioids from brain receptors.
It binds to those receptors so that other opioids cannot attach to them.
While Subutex is an opioid, it does not mean that the physician is substituting one addictive drug for another. The dose used during treatment does not create the addicting “high” of illicit use. Instead, it reduces withdrawal symptoms and opioid cravings. It also restores balance to the brain chemistry that addiction can knock out of balance.
How Opioids Work in the Body
Opioids are drugs that work by binding to opioid receptors in the nervous system, especially the digestive tract and brain. They reduce the perception of or reaction to pain by triggering an abnormal dopamine release. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that associates with learning, rewards and pleasure.
Doctors prescribe opioids to patients to manage pain. Prolonged opioid use changes the chemistry in the brain, however, and people taking the drug may want to continue using it to maintain dopamine levels.
Side Effects of Opioids
Aside from reducing pain, opioids can have side effects that include:
Sedation
Constipation
Euphoria
Nausea and vomiting
Respiratory depression
