Author: James Anderson

Mixing Suboxone and Alcohol: What Are the Dangers?

At MedMark, we use evidence-based MAT programs that allow patients to learn coping and recovery skills. With a combination of medicine, therapy and social support, we assist patients as they work toward opioid-free lives. More resources for a variety of healthcare professionals can be found in the Additional Links for Patient Care. If you suspect an overdose due to Suboxone and alcohol, call 911 immediately. Calling The Recovery Village can get you into a treatment program but cannot send emergency services to your location. Avoid using Suboxone with other opioids completely because it will only counter the entire purpose of the treatment plan.

1. Remember that it takes some time before the alcohol is fully absorbed into your bloodstream, which makes it easy to consume much more than what you intended.
2. Mixing alcohol with opioids like buprenorphine or Suboxone can be very dangerous due to the risk of oversedation, respiratory arrest, overdose, coma, hypoxia, brain damage and more.
3. The resources below can help alert you and your patients to important potential risks.

The potential for a harmful interaction may provide a compelling reason for patients to cut down or quit drinking when warranted (see Core articles on screening and brief intervention). Treatment for addiction to Suboxone and alcohol usually begins with consulting a healthcare professional. Talking to a healthcare provider is something not to be taken halfheartedly. Patients who really notice that their alcohol intake adversely affects their Suboxone treatment and their health condition in general should immediately inform their physicians. Beyond the acute dangers of mixing Suboxone with alcohol, the use of both substances can also cause chronic health issues, including higher drug tolerance, dependence, and substance abuse.

Let’s talk about your recovery

The most widely used medication for treating opiate dependence is methadone. Often patients need to present themselves every day at an office or clinic to get their daily maintenance. Methadone can help patients remain emotionally stable and can thwart the occurrence of severe withdrawal symptoms commonly experienced by opiate sufferers. We do not receive any compensation or commission for referrals to other treatment facilities. Call our helpline today for more information about alcohol abuse and Suboxone, or to find a drug rehab program that offers treatment for Suboxone and alcohol abuse near you. If someone is showing signs of alcohol poisoning or drug overdose after mixing these two substances, call 911 for help right away.

Suboxone’s formula is designed with safety features to support successful recovery. Suboxone is a medication that is safe to use when taken as advised by a prescribing physician or other behavioral healthcare providers. Suboxone doesn’t dampen the effect of alcohol like it does with other opioids. Instead, people who mix these substances often experience stronger intoxication symptoms while drinking an amount they once considered safe.

The resources below can help alert you and your patients to important potential risks. In particular, Suboxone medication used to treat opiate addiction demands consistent medical care. Most patients are required to check with their physicians every four weeks. Missing a schedule with their doctors would mean patients cannot take their medications on time, resulting in the appearance of withdrawal symptoms. Mixing Suboxone with alcohol can also cause the body’s tolerance and dependence to further increase. As such, the body will require progressively higher dosages of Suboxone to adjust itself to the amplified effect.

Is It Safe to Detox While Pregnant?

To safely come off of Suboxone and alcohol addiction, you need a team of medical professionals who know drug dependency inside and out and who know exactly how to treat your condition. The doctors and clinicians at The Recovery Village can help you break free from addiction; the first step is reaching out. A current controversy concerning the use of Suboxone and other substitute drugs has arisen.

Mixing alcohol with opioids like buprenorphine or Suboxone can be very dangerous due to the risk of oversedation, respiratory arrest, overdose, coma, hypoxia, brain damage and more. This CME/CE credit opportunity is jointly provided by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and NIAAA. If you are abusing any of these substances, it is clear that you need urgent treatment, especially if you were using Suboxone to treat opioid overuse disorder. If you have been combining these substances behind your doctor’s back, then it is time to take action and reassess your treatment program. Since Suboxone has an opioid, albeit weakened, taking other drug substances while on Suboxone treatment can be life-threatening.

If you or a loved one is unable to stop drinking alcohol while taking Suboxone, we can help. If you are taking a medication that contains alcohol, it’s important to tell your prescribing physician about all other medications you are taking while using Suboxone. Mixing alcohol with Suboxone increases the risk of accidental opioid overdose due to its complementary effects on the central nervous system. Therefore, mixing Suboxone and alcohol is considered drug abuse because there is no medical situation where doing is appropriate. Suboxone is a drug containing the active ingredients buprenorphine and naloxone.

Most people know that Suboxone is a drug used to treat abusers of other substances. The problem is that Suboxone itself shows addictive potentials, requiring patients to undergo another detox. This makes people become wary about the ability of Suboxone to end the vicious cycle of addiction. Patients struggling with their addiction are again facing another threat of being addicted to Suboxone, leaving them open to other forms of substance abuse, including alcohol. As with any medication, Suboxone can have interactions and side effects that require careful attention.

The helpline at AddictionResource.net is available 24/7 to discuss the treatment needs of yourself or a loved one. This helpline is answered by Ark Behavioral Health, an addiction treatment provider with treatment facilities in Massachusetts and Ohio. MedMark Treatment Centers helps patients with opioid use disorder across the United States reclaim their lives.

Suboxone® and Alcohol Interactions and Risks

The key to safe and sustainable recovery from opioid overuse disorder is deciding to treat your body and mind better and committing to the plan. Most of us already know that drinking a lot of alcohol can cause severe damage to body organs such as the liver. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association, there are approximately 30,000 suboxone-related emergency room visits every year. At least 50% of these hospitalizations involved mixing Suboxone and alcohol. We are here to provide assistance in locating an Ark Behavioral Health treatment center that may meet your treatment needs. You nor your loved one are under any obligation to commit to an Ark Behavioral Health treatment program when calling our helpline.

Suboxone is the brand name of a partial opioid agonist, and is a mixture of naloxone and buprenorphine. Suboxone binds to the same receptors in the brain as opioids, triggering a relieving high, while not as harmful as opiates themselves. Overdosing on Suboxone alone can require resuscitation, and mixing Suboxone with alcohol can be fatal. Mixing Suboxone, an opioid agonist, and alcohol can have severe — and even fatal — consequences. To understand why taking these two substances together is dangerous, it’s important to know how each affects your body. Suboxone (naloxone and buprenorphine) is an opioid agonist that binds to the same receptors in your brain as opiates, increasing its abuse potential.