Asking "how long does suboxone stay in your system" may prove to be exhausting if you don't know where to look for the answers. Luckily, Transcend Recovery Community have all you need to know about this prescription medication to help you progress on the path to recovery. Continue scrolling down to learn more.
How Long Does Suboxone Last in the Body and by Type of Drug Tests?
Drug testing is the surest way to detect suboxone in the body and to ensure if buprenorphine and suboxone stay in your system long term. They are enforced randomly in workplaces and schools to promote a drug-free environment and overall safety in society.
Here are some of the common lab tests or drug test options that you may encounter along the way.
Suboxone in Urine Tests
Individuals can encounter a 12-panel urine lab test to determine "how long does suboxone stay in your system." The test can typically detect suboxone within 7 to 10 days before the last use. In some cases, suboxone metabolites (traces of it) may be detected from 8 to 14 days (or up to two weeks) after last use.
Suboxone in Hair Follicle Tests
Hair follicles or hair tests provide the longest detection window as traces of buprenorphine metabolites remain detectable for longer. It's also the most reliable form of drug testing for both buprenorphine and naloxone detection within the system.
Suboxone in Saliva Tests
Saliva tests are another alternative that provides a non-invasive method with easier administration. Most individuals and specialists alike prefer this kind of lab test over blood tests. The traces of the chemical remain detectable up to five days after the last dosage.
Suboxone Detection in Blood Tests
Blood tests are rarely used but can, however, detect suboxone in your plasma up to four days or 96 hours after the last dose. A blood test may be used in conjunction with another testing option to detect buprenorphine and verify how long suboxone stays within the system.
It's important to note that drug tests are needed as part of a healthy treatment program to ensure the welfare and safety of the patient or individual.
What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a prescription drug that helps in treating opioid use disorder as well as opioid withdrawal symptoms. The formulation contains buprenorphine and naloxone.
It can treat opioid addiction by blocking opioid receptors as it contains a partial agonist. Buprenorphine also decreases the symptoms and cravings.
At present, it became the preferred treatment medication for opioid abuse, but is not advised for long-acting opioid and is given in smaller doses. It is often used during different treatment stages while offering a better long-term solution for opioid addiction (especially for those who had higher doses).
However, it is more habit-forming. Therefore, proper prescription and monitoring from a consulting physician must be observed at all times.
It takes at least seven to nine days before suboxone chemicals completely leave the body. It also doesn't create the same intense high as other illicit and abused medications.
Determining Factors on How Long Suboxone Stays in Your System
Many factors significantly prolonged the duration of Suboxone in one's body. They dictate how our system can digest the chemicals and excrete them altogether.
On average, it may take at least 7 to 9 days for the drug, Suboxone to exit one's body. But it can differ in most cases for each individual. Some of these factors include:
- Combining Suboxone with other drugs - Some medications may interfere with or affect how your body processes Suboxone when you take them together. As a result, it may leave the body in varying lengths and may take longer especially if the individual is suffering from another substance abuse condition such as opioid use disorder.
- The condition of your liver - Good liver health or liver function allows your body to rid itself of harmful chemicals and metabolize suboxone. However, severe liver disease can weaken or slow down the breakdown of these chemicals inside your body.
- The amount and number of times of Suboxone use - In essence, people who consume Suboxone in large doses in a much more frequent manner will experience substance build-up in their system. It will result in a long time for a person to clear their body of the drug due to excessive suboxone abuse.
- Weight, age, and Suboxone metabolism - People who are younger, lighter, and have faster metabolism will process and metabolize Suboxone faster than an older individual. However, it will still take more time before the substances completely leave the system.
When ensuring an individual's sobriety will never fail, it's important to check again to make sure that they adhere to their rehab program. The addiction recovery service provider may encourage relapse prevention programs to help maintain consistency in a suffering individual's regimen.
What Happens When You Stop Taking Suboxone?
Weaning one's self from Suboxone addiction may prove to be a tough call for an individual who wants to turn over a new leaf. With a long-term substance use disorder, an individual may develop a physical and psychological dependence on the drug, similar to other substances.
Addiction medicine, such as Green Xanax, manifests several signs when an individual goes into full withdrawal--particularly if drug use is abruptly stopped. To ensure that a person may not suffer uncomfortable and painful withdrawal symptoms, and attending physician must be present when slowly tapering the dosage with their help.
Some of the common symptoms a user may feel include:
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- drug cravings
- headache
- lethargy
- sweating
- nausea
- muscle pain
- anxiety
- irritability
Withdrawal may last roughly up to ten days and would peak on the 5th day. Sometimes, the symptoms may last for a few months. Therefore, the appropriate addiction treatment route must be observed to help the patient progress faster.
About Suboxone Misuse and Addiction
While drug addiction can occur in anyone regardless of their age, creed, and sex at any point of their lives, young adults often fall prey to drug abuse (such as opioid addiction/opioid use disorders).
As one falls deep into addiction, there are some varying reasons that people cite when they resort to these dangerous narcotic drugs. Here are some of them.
- Growing pressure from peers and friends - The 2016 survey from the National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that 1.9 million adolescents used illicit drugs. Sometimes younger individuals may conform with their peers or colleagues just to gain acceptance in their circle.
- Escapism - Growing problems brought about by an individual's finances, career, family problems, or traumas from a dark past may contribute to a person using other medications or substances to cope with their day-to-day problems.
- Prescription medication - what starts as a seemingly harmless way to get better later develops into a full-blown addiction. A person's dependence on suboxone as part of their treatment options may bring more harm than good.
At the end of the day, what a person needs is help and guidance. A mental health mentor may be the key to helping them experience sobriety as well as giving them the strength to rally forward. They also ensure that they will not revert to their old ways while keeping them aligned in their treatment path.
How To Get Help from Suboxone Addiction?
Getting help with your suboxone addiction is easier, especially in this digital age. You can ask for advice and the appropriate addiction treatment from experts who can recommend the right sober living therapy program that would suit your needs and comfort level.
Transcend Recovery Community is with you as you face difficult challenges with long-term sobriety. Through its transitional housing offerings and after-care programs, problems encountered with other opioids and other drugs can be easily remedied.
Contact a drug recovery specialist to learn more about how you can easily start a treatment program right on this very day. We believe that through collaboration and positive reinforcement, a purposeful and enriching life can be achieved.
