Does Suboxone Show Up on a Drug Test? Detection Factors

Find Out if You Are Covered by Insurance

VERIFY INSURANCE

What you will learn

• Suboxone is a combination drug that contains buprenorphine and naloxone.
• Though suboxone contains buprenorphine, which can have mild opioid-like effects, it does not typically show up as an opioid on a standard drug test unless specifically tested for buprenorphine.
• Most drug tests don’t look for suboxone or its metabolites.
• Suboxone is commonly used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to manage cravings and reduce the risk of relapse in individuals with opioid addiction.

In drug and alcohol addiction treatment, regular drug tests are often part of the protocol to track drug use and adjust treatment plans. Drug tests are also used to gain employment or as part of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which may be used to treat addiction to opioids like morphine and heroin.

Suboxone is a commonly used medication to treat opioid addiction, so you may be wondering if it would show up on a drug test as an opioid. While suboxone contains buprenorphine, which can mimic the effects of opioid drugs, it doesn’t typically register as an opioid on a standard drug test unless the test specifically screens for buprenorphine.

What Is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a combination drug that contains buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine is an opioid partial agonist-antagonist that mimics the effects of opioids to ease the symptoms of withdrawal and intense cravings. This can effectively establish normal brain function and reduce the risk of relapse.

Naloxone, the other drug in suboxone, is an opioid antagonist that blocks the effects of opioid drugs. This prevents the misuse of buprenorphine by causing withdrawal if the medication is used other than intended.

Does Suboxone Show Up on a Drug Test?

Though buprenorphine is similar to opioids, it’s a distinct drug from opioids. It’s broken down into different metabolites, the chemical effects of the body processing a drug.

Routine opiate drug tests can detect morphine, codeine, and heroin. However, they typically don’t include hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone, fentanyl, buprenorphine, and tramadol unless the test is specifically designed to include these substances.[1] Some expanded drug screenings include hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and oxycodone, but not buprenorphine.

Regardless of the specific opiates a test looks for, suboxone will not cause false positives for other opioids. [2] If it’s detected, it’s shown as buprenorphine or its metabolites.

Is Suboxone Part of Employment Drug Tests?

No, suboxone is usually not part of the panel an employer uses to test for drugs before employment. If you are taking suboxone as part of a treatment, you can disclose it before the drug test. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), addiction to substances other than currently illegal drugs is considered a disability.[3] If you’re not using illegal drugs or misusing prescription medications but are prescribed suboxone for treatment, it can’t be used as a reason to deny you employment.

How Long Does Suboxone Stay in Your System?

The buprenorphine in suboxone has a long elimination half-life compared to other opioids, which is the amount of time it takes for half of a single dose of the drug to leave your body. The half-life of buprenorphine is about 37 hours for suboxone, so it can take about 8 days for suboxone to no longer be detectable.[4]

Suboxone metabolites can stay in the body longer than the drug itself, however. If a drug test looks for suboxone, it may be detectable for up to 90 days in the hair, two weeks in urine, and a few days to a week in saliva.[5]

Several factors can affect how long suboxone stays in your system, including your metabolism, height and weight, body fat content, age, time you’ve taken it, liver health, and more.

Suboxone with Medication-Assisted Treatment

Suboxone is often used in MAT programs for opioid addiction because it can reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Maintaining focus and removing discomfort and distractions that can inhibit your treatment experience is important.

There are several benefits to suboxone, including reduced cravings and a lower risk of euphoria with buprenorphine. Used as directed, suboxone can reduce the effects of other opioids and reduce the risk of relapse.

Suboxone isn’t used on its own, however. MAT combines medications like suboxone with counseling and behavioral therapies that address addiction beyond the physical, including the emotional, social, and psychological aspects. Suboxone can be used for extended periods to improve treatment outcomes.

Like any medication, suboxone can have side effects and risks, including:[6]

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Headache
• Insomnia
• Sweating
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Mouth numbness or tingling
• Muscle pain
• Irritability and mood changes
• Difficulty concentrating
• Decreased libido
• Allergic reactions

Suboxone has a lower risk of overdose compared to full opioid agonists, but it’s not impossible. It’s important to take suboxone as directed under the supervision of a medical professional.

Suboxone Treatment Phases

Suboxone typically has three treatment phases:[7]

• Induction phase: This begins 12-24 hours after opioid use to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
• Stabilization phase: Cravings have been reduced and the use of the addictive drug has stopped or been significantly reduced. This may be time to reduce the suboxone dosage to prepare for the next phase.
• Maintenance phase: If the person responded well to the adjusted suboxone dosage, the maintenance phase can begin. There’s no timeline for how long suboxone treatment should last, but it may be as long as 18 months. When the time comes to stop suboxone completely, the dose is tapered slowly to minimize withdrawal symptoms.

Can You Get Addicted to Suboxone?

Opiates create a feeling of euphoria in the brain and block pain signals, “numbing” the body to pain. This is why these drugs are often used for severe pain that hasn’t responded to other treatments, but there’s a risk of dependence and addiction. Over time, opiate painkillers can change brain chemistry, causing the body to become dependent on the drug. When they stop, withdrawal symptoms occur.

With dependence, the person taking the drug doesn’t crave more of it or lose the ability to control their dose or how much they take. If they do, that’s when dependence becomes addiction. They crave the euphoria and can no longer control their substance use, ultimately leading them to increase the dosage or frequency of opiate use.

Suboxone has mild opioid effects and a long duration, which makes it less addictive than other opioids. This makes it a good choice for MAT, especially in the early stages of recovery when opioid withdrawal and cravings can be intense. However, suboxone only treats the physical effects of opioid addiction, not the underlying causes of addiction itself.

Because of the way it works in the body, suboxone can cause dependence without leading to an addiction. If you stop using it abruptly, withdrawal symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, shaking, extreme body temperatures, and cravings may occur.

Though addiction isn’t common, it’s possible to abuse or become addicted to suboxone. Like other addictions, people addicted to suboxone will start to lose interest in hobbies, distance from friends and family, and struggle with problems in their lives as they prioritize getting and using suboxone.

Stopping Suboxone on Your Own

If you’re prescribed suboxone for opioid addiction treatment, the dosage is carefully monitored and planned out. If you decide to stop suboxone use abruptly, you could go into withdrawal from suboxone and experience cravings for the original opioid drug. This is a serious risk for relapse.

If you feel it’s time to stop taking suboxone, it may be tapered and discontinued under the guidance of a medical professional. In some cases, you may want to undergo medical detox to make the suboxone withdrawal experience more comfortable and avoid the risk of relapse with suboxone or other opioids, restarting the cycle of addiction.

Suboxone Offers Help for Opioid Addiction

Suboxone can be a safe and effective option for MAT with opioid addiction, reducing cravings and limiting the risk of relapse. Suboxone doesn’t show up on most standard drug tests, and if it does, it’s a valid treatment for addiction. However, suboxone isn’t a “cure-all” and may be abused on its own, so a medical professional should always administer it as part of a comprehensive addiction treatment program.