Does Suboxone Help With Pain Relief? Uses, Dosage & Safety
It has become a norm for patients to take up opioid painkillers for their pain management. Doctors usually prefer full opioids like Norco or Vicodin and prescribe them to patients for pain relief, but sometimes they might prescribe another opioid called Suboxone when one suffers from chronic pain or discomfort caused by opioid overdose. Many patients ask or compare Suboxone’s effectiveness compared to other drugs, as it is a combination of an agonist and a blocker, which allows it to work on both pain relief and overdose risk. But many think this medication is effective than the usual opioids used for pain relief, so let us find out does Suboxone helps with pain management or not.
Does Suboxone Help With Pain? Understanding Its Benefits And Risks
What Is Suboxone?
Suboxone is an opioid medication prescribed for reducing the addiction to strong opioids, or basically to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Doctors prescribe it off-label for pain relief because it can suppress the side effects of painkillers, which also helps in relieving one from pain. Suboxone is mostly found in the form of sublingual film strips or oral tablets that can dissolve under the tongue effectively. As a Schedule III controlled substance, it can only be acquired by prescription because Suboxone has two important components: Buprenorphine and Naloxone, and it is because of Buprenorphine that Suboxone is a controlled drug.
Why Do We Use Suboxone for Pain?
The functions of Buprenorphine and Naloxone are interconnected, and together they not only provide the best solution for opioid overdose but also for pain relief. Buprenorphine is an opioid agonist, which means it can work like any other opioid, i.e, by binding with mu-opioid receptors. But after the interaction, it releases a smaller amount of pain-reducing chemicals that make sure that there is no respiratory depression occurring in the system. Naloxone works by blocking the calming and euphoric effects of other opioids and Suboxone itself to some extent, which makes it almost impossible for the patient to use it again.
Benefits Of Suboxone In Pain Relief
With that kind of mechanism, Suboxone becomes a perfect alternative for strong opioid painkillers like Vicodin and Norco that are very addictive. It provides patients with many more benefits, these are:
- The dual mechanism of Suboxone is much more effective, as it not only relieves one from pain but also makes one vigilant about using opioids carefully.
- There is a “ceiling effect” in Buprenorphine that allows the doctors to provide higher doses of Suboxone to patients without the risk of misuse.
- The effects of Suboxone last much longer than other opioid drugs, which is for around 24-36 hours, providing a stable relief from pain and discomfort.
- Suboxone has fewer side effects after its dosage than other painkillers, as a result of which one faces almost no respiratory or gastrointestinal issues.
- Even with its lesser effectiveness, Suboxone has been very helpful in the cases of chronic forms of pain, like surgical or cancer pain.
Is Suboxone Taken With Other Opioid Painkillers?
Patients might have a query about whether Suboxone helps reduce the effects of other opioids, then it can be taken with other opiate painkillers or not. This type of use of the medication is absolutely not advisable. Suboxone can be taken with non-opioids like Tylenol or Ibuprofen for enhanced pain relief, that too only under strict supervision by doctors. The reason is that Buprenorphine is a fairly strong opioid that binds with opioid receptors but never allows any depression to take place. Once mixed with other opioid stimulants, the interaction will become even stronger, and the stimulants can be too high for the body to resist. The side effects can be extremely serious in this case.
Side Effects Of Suboxone
Like any other medication, Suboxone has its side effects, and it also takes place when one overdoses on it. This is very unlikely but it can happen, as some effects can be common, but some could be very fatal. Let’s take a look at these side effects.
Common Side Effects:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Appetite Loss
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Blurred Vison
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Dry Mouth
Serious Side Effects:
- Shortened breathing
- Face Swelling
- Throat Itching
- Increased Heart Rate
- Loss of Libido
- Liver Issues
- Hormonal Imbalances
- Dental Issues
Drug Interactions Of Suboxone
Suboxone can interact with many drugs, some being major interactions with lot of consequences, and some can be normal interactions. These drugs are:
Is Suboxone Better Than Other Opioid Painkillers?
The answer to this question completely depends on the patient. If one has OUD, which causes some discomfort as it persists in the body, Suboxone is the best remedy. Not just that, but even if someone is merely addicted to opioids like morphine and oxycodone, it is very helpful. Suboxone is also helpful in giving chronic pain relief, like in cancer, it has been as an effective painkiller. But when a patient is not suffering from addiction or abuse, stronger and full opioids should be preferred for pain relief, as Suboxone is approved only for countering the effects of opiates.
Conclusion
Suboxone is a great option for pain relief for those who are suffering from opioid addiction. People suffering from chronic pain should rely on Suboxone. Its dual mechanism makes it stand out, where Buprenorphine relieves one from pain without causing any depressant effect, and Naloxone stops the euphoria from painkillers, so that the patient never gets addicted to it. If used properly, this medication is going to be the best medication for those who are looking for stable and long-lasting pain relief. So, does Suboxone help with pain? Yes it does.