Loosening the grip of opioid addiction proves harder to do than most people expect. The use of prescription drugs that block pain signals to the brain presents a risk of becoming addicted. A dangerous situation that can occur with opioids can make breathing difficult or even stop completely. They do the same thing as morphine in relieving pain. However, anyone who uses them may need help in living without them when addiction occurs. Fortunately, suboxone can help.

Trying to Escape Addiction

Suboxone combines two semisynthetic ingredients to treat opioids and replaces methadone as a more modern and effective treatment. Benefits of using the medication include the reduction of cravings and withdrawal symptoms. However, suboxone has addictive powers as well, but it does not have as much effect as narcotic painkillers. While addition to the substance may not occur as commonly as some other forms, it presents an opioid problem nonetheless. Breaking addiction to it can prove almost as difficult as any other.

Understanding How Long Does Suboxone Stay in Your System

Drug tests can detect one of the ingredients in suboxone. As the liver works to remove it from your body, it creates small molecules that can last longer than the drug. The effect lasts for about one day, but traces of the drug may remain in your body for up to 8 days. It is a technique for estimating the time required to get the drug out of your system using its half-life. The concept calculates the amount of time your body needs to metabolize and eliminate half of one dose.

Considering Influences on Your Metabolism

The amount of time you need may not match what anyone else needs because you have unique factors that affect your body. They help determine how long the process takes. Since the process occurs in your liver, the health of that organ may have more significance than other factors. When your liver has experienced abuse, the amount of time the abuse lasted may control the time involved. The half-life of Suboxone takes longer if you have either moderate or severe liver disease. As a result, it stays in your system longer.

When you ask how long does Suboxone stay in your system, you need to think about conditions that can influence it. In addition to your liver health, your age makes a difference. Your weight and height help control the speed of the process, and your metabolic rate deserves consideration as well. Young people who have a fast metabolism and low weight can process Suboxone faster than others. Finally, the size of your last dose contributes a decisive factor. Large doses can allow the substance to build up in your system and take more time to leave your body than a single dose requires. Of course, the combination of other substances in your body can slow down the elimination process.

Wondering How Long to Wait Before Taking Suboxone

Part of the answer to your question about how long to wait lies in knowing how long does Suboxone stay in your system. Your body usually needs from 12 to 24 hours after your last dose of opioids before starting treatment with Suboxone. However, the type of opioid you used can affect the amount of time. For example, heroin acts quickly and lets your body process and eliminate it sooner than long-acting opioids.

The waiting period matters because you want your Suboxone treatment to coincide with your early opioid withdrawal symptoms. The gradual symptoms make it easier for your body to handle. If you happen to take it before the opioids leave your system, it can make the symptoms much more intense.

Asking How Long It Takes for Suboxone to Start Working

In addition to wondering how long does Suboxone stay in your system, you may also want to know when it starts to work. Under certain conditions, it can start to produce effects within less than an hour after the first dose. However, it does not reach its peak until two or three hours later and lasts for 24 hours. Your age and weight, metabolism and use history can make a difference in how long it takes to start working.

Healthcare professionals who offer guidance on using Suboxone suggest taking the first dose when you have acute withdrawal symptoms. Taking the drug with the advice of skilled and caring professionals can help provide a gradual withdrawal instead of an immediate one.

Taking Opiates While on Suboxone Treatment

The combined substances in Suboxone can block the strong “high” feelings that you get from opioids and dull them. Regular use of Suboxone at the appropriate dosage prevents other opiates from affecting your brain. Its combined substances occupy the receptors that opioids seek. However, careful monitoring of substances you put in your body matters a lot while you undergo addiction treatment.

For example, if you combine Suboxone with other drugs, the interaction can produce an overdose and even the possibility of death. A combination that includes alcohol, illicit drugs, benzodiazepines and other powerful sedatives can produce dire outcomes.

Checking on Safety and Side Effects

Suboxone does not seem to produce side effects for most people. It can, however, make you have nausea or even vomiting, but the symptoms go away after a few days of treatment. You may feel dizzy or drowsy in some cases. Most people take one tablet containing two to six milligrams per day that a doctor prescribes. How long does Suboxone stay in your system depends on how long you take it, among other factors. Your treatment professionals may let you stop taking it after a few days, but most clients need more than that. For example, some people need long-term care and support for opioid addiction that lasts longer.

The Food and Drug Administration gave approval for Suboxone in 2002. In addition, it continues to monitor medicines for safety and requires manufacturers to report any potential issues or concerns.

Wondering If It Works

Suboxone does work, and it can help you cope with extremely unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal. When you take it as prescribed, it can prevent overdoses and reduce cravings while you try to live without opioids. However, it does not work like magic or a silver bullet. Your determination to succeed and the help of caring professionals make it work.

Finding the Best Help When You Need It

The idea of treating an addiction to opioids with another opioid may sound tricky, and it requires the guidance of experienced professionals. Not something anyone can safely do on their own, treatment with Suboxone can create the balance that returns sobriety to people struggling with opioid addiction. Anyone who wants to know how long does Suboxone stay in your system has a reason for concern.

At Garden State Treatment Center, you can benefit from the programs that suit your needs perfectly. We offer treatment that allows you to maintain your job and home duties while you get help. Our outpatient program lets you live at home and come to our facility 3-4 days each week for counseling and therapy. In addition, we offer an enhanced version of the program for anyone who needs help avoiding relapse.

As an additional alternative, we offer a partial care program for clients who complete the detox process and need intensive care. Clients receive treatment in a nonresidential therapeutic program that provides support without an inpatient/residential requirement. The Joint Commission recognizes our excellence in substance abuse and behavioral health treatment programs.

When you need the best treatment for opioid addiction that you can find, give us a chance to help you find your way to sobriety. Click on the Live Chat button or call us today to start your return to sobriety.

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