How Long Does Suboxone Stay in your System?

So How Long Does Suboxone Stay in your System? Synthetic opioids are the driving force behind the rise in substance abuse-related ER visits and overdose deaths in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioids were implicated in over 70% of overdose deaths in 2019. Read through to get more information on this topic.

What Is Suboxone?

Suboxone, a semisynthetic opioid made comprised of buprenorphine and naloxone, is primarily used to treat addiction to other opioids such as heroin and hydrocodone.

They produced it as an alternative to methadone, which has long been used to treat heroin addiction. Methadone and buprenorphine, while still opioids, do not produce the same powerful high as illicit and often abused prescription opioids.

They can thus minimize or eliminate withdrawal symptoms and cravings, but they are less addictive and less appealing.

How Long Does Suboxone Stay in your System

Several factors determine how long Suboxone stays in your system. Suboxone’s half-life is one such determining element. A half-life is a time it takes for half of a drug to completely depart the body.

Suboxone’s buprenorphine has a long half-life of 24-42 hours. Because it takes roughly five half-lives for a chemical to entirely exit the body, buprenorphine can take seven to nine days to totally leave the body.

However, depending on the length of treatment, residues of buprenorphine can be detected in the body for a longer period. The other ingredient in Suboxone, naloxone, has a half-life of two to twelve hours and can persist in the body for up to 60 hours.

How The Body Metabolizes Suboxone

How The Body Metabolizes Suboxone

The body through urine and feces, metabolizes and eliminates buprenorphine. Naloxone is metabolized by the liver and excreted in the urine.

To comprehend how the body metabolizes Suboxone, it is necessary to first comprehend its half-life. The half-life of a chemical is the time it takes for half of a dose to completely depart the body.

Suboxone’s primary component, buprenorphine, has an exceptionally extended half-life. It can remain in the body for between 24 and 42 hours. Naloxone has a substantially lower half-life of 2 to 12 hours.

How Long Does Suboxone Stay in your System

Suboxone usually takes seven to nine days to completely leave the body. This can differ between people due to some of the following factors:

1. Frequency of Suboxone Use

Individuals who take Suboxone in higher dosages or regularly may gain a tolerance, or buildup, of the drug.

Because of this, it may take longer for it to exit your system than it would for someone who took a lower dose of Suboxone.

2. Liver Health

 Because naloxone is metabolized in the liver, hepatic health must be considered. In persons with moderate-to-severe liver illness, the drug’s half-life is lengthened.

 Buprenorphine’s half-life is similarly prolonged in patients with liver impairment, but to a smaller extent.

3. Combining with Other Substances

Suboxone use with other drugs and substances can raise Suboxone levels in your system and change how long it takes to exit your body.

Individuals’ weight, age, and metabolic rate are also aspects to consider. Someone who is younger, and healthier will process and excrete at a higher rate Suboxone and has a faster metabolism.

Will Suboxone Show up on a Drug Test?

They can detect Suboxone using a variety of drug tests. Many people are afraid that Suboxone would cause them to test positive for other opioids, but this is not the case.

Standard urine screens frequently reveal opioids through the detection of morphine. Many opioids, including heroin, convert into morphine, which is then identified in urine screening tests.

Special tests, however, are required to detect opioids that do not convert into morphine, such as Suboxone. They can also detect Suboxone in hair. A 1.5-inch hair sample often reveals the last 90 days of drug use.

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Getting Treatment for Suboxone Addiction

If you or someone you know is battling a Suboxone dependence or addiction, realize that you are not alone. Admitting and accepting that your Suboxone use is no longer healthy is the first step toward therapy.

It’s one of the hardest actions to take, but it’s also one of the most crucial. Suboxone addiction treatment differs from person to person, but typically includes detox, addiction counseling, medical therapy, and aftercare.

The goal is to teach you how to manage daily situations after you leave an addiction treatment facility, rather than just getting you through detox and your treatment program.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Long Will Suboxone Show up in your System?

For buprenorphine, this period lasts for 37 hours, meaning that it can take over 8 days for Suboxone to no longer be detectable in a person’s body.


2. What is the half-life of a 2mg Suboxone?

Various factors influence the duration in which Suboxone remains in your body. And one such determining factor is Suboxone’s half-life


3. How long does Suboxone Last in the Brain?

Suboxone replicates some effects of opiates, reducing the brain’s need for the opiate substance itself. This drug is relatively safe and long-lasting, working for up to three days after administration.


4. How does your Body get Rid of Suboxone?

Most buprenorphine, and therefore, Suboxone, is metabolized in the liver where it is then excreted as bodily waste. Only 10-30% is excreted as urine.


5. What Medications can you not take with Suboxone?

Drugs that can have negative effects when taken with Suboxone include: Benzodiazepines, such as Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Valium (diazepam), Ativan (lorazepam) and Restoril (temazepam).


More Frequently Asked Questions

6. What is the Suboxone Spit Trick?

Place the medication under your tongue, close your mouth and place your tongue over the medication, and do not smoke, talk, drink, eat, or chew. Suboxone can take between 5 and 15 minutes to dissolve.


7. Does Suboxone make you Tired or Energetic?

In short, yes, Suboxone can make you sleepy even if you take it as prescribed. Individuals who are taking Suboxone should avoid driving or operating heavy machinery for this very reason. 


8. Does Suboxone keep you Awake?

Insomnia (trouble sleeping) is a common side effect of Suboxone. In one study, insomnia occurred in about 14 percent of people taking Suboxone. 


Although Suboxone is used to treat opioid use disorder, individuals can get addicted if not used as directed by their doctor. If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to Suboxone, our team is here to help.

Riverside Recovery of Tampa specializes in behavioral therapy for opioid addiction treatment. 

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