Administration of Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, is mostly done in treating opioid use cases, but it may also require further research in its capability of pain management. The partial agonist opioid buprenorphine, for instance, can bind to pain receptors and provide pain relief without causing too much damage to its dependents causing bone.
Now the question is: Does suboxone help with pain? Let’s find out here! Suboxone is sometimes prescribed off-label by some physicians for chronic pain because of its exceedingly long half-life and ceiling effect, which makes overdose highly unlikely. Unfortunately, it’s not FDA-approved for pain management, which is the reason why it is not highly effective for different patients’ pain management. Patients wanting to go on suboxone treatment first have to go over the pros and cons with their physician.
What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a trade name for a medicine designed to manage dependence and opioid dependence. Suboxone aids with withdrawal symptoms by working on opioid receptors in the brain without producing a great ‘high’ as an outcome. Suboxone is quite valuable for helping someone trying to stop using opioids to another type of drugs for opioids, given how it works.
Usually, this drug is recommended along with other measures such as behavioral therapy and psychotherapy. Suboxone comes as a film or tablets meant to be dissolved under the tongue. Properly administered, Suboxone decreases the relapse probability, hence simplifying recovery and making long-term sobriety more manageable.
How Suboxone Works for Pain
Suboxone’s ability to relieve pain is provided through buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist that binds to brain pain receptors. Increased doses of buprenorphine will not produce much stronger effects; this is known as its ceiling effect, different from complete agonists of opioids. This reduces some lower breathing rates and the risk of overdose. It also increases the level of pain control while substantially decreasing the level of dependency developed when compared to standard opiates. While taking Suboxone, the following benefits are apparent:
- It has a long half-life, relief lasts longer.
- The chance of addiction is so low, it is an even safer option.
- Pain comes as a result of stopping, but minor withdrawal symptoms are felt.
Suboxone is prescribed clinically in a misuse-resistant formulation, inclusive of naloxone, which does not serve a purpose if Suboxone is taken on prescription. While Suboxone is primarily indicated for opioid dependence, there are cases where its analgesic effects may be useful in some patients with chronic pain or in patients with developed tolerance to opioids. However, because of its unsupported FDA status for pain medication use, some patients with chronic pain are managed with other, more liberal buprenorphine preparations, which are long-acting.
Does suboxone help with chronic pain?
Buprenorphine (a component of Suboxone) does provide some chronic pain relief, although it will not be given FDA approval to treat pain with, particularly because Suboxone does not have the approval of the FDA in pain treatment.
In more severe cases, some doctors may use buprenorphine for patients suffering chronic pain. Lower rates of tolerance build up and fewer incidents of respiration depression make it commonly accepted to be much safer than full opioid agonists.
Suboxone, on the other hand, has abuse deterrents since naloxone, which blocks the effects of opioids, acts faster than buprenorphine. Although it is not as effective in pain management, multiple studies found it to help manage pain with the combination of buprenorphine, which alone.
Suboxone For Pain Control
One of the active components in Suboxone, buprenorphine, operates in a fashion that could also be beneficial for the management of chronic pain. It binds to the same brain receptors as do opioids. These receptors cause pain relief. It also remains connected to those receptors; therefore, it has a protracted impact.
Since buprenorphine activates somewhat, it is weaker than opioids. It eventually does not deliver opioid-like elation level. Suboxone’s other active component, naloxone, can counteract opioid effects, including hypotension (low blood pressure), sedation, and respiratory depression.
Does Suboxone Help with Pain? Advantages and Disadvantages
1. Advantages of Suboxone
- Symptoms and craving control alleviate the likelihood of progressing with opioid use.
- Due to the inability to achieve a ‘high’ when injected due to the presence of Naloxone, misuse is highly unlikely.
- One dose has a duration of effect of twenty-four to thirty-six hours.
- Unlike Methadone, these medications can be self-administered, resulting in no daily clinic schedules.
- Results in overdosing when full opioids are administered are less than with others, making it safer due to the ‘ceiling effect.’
2. Disadvantages of Suboxone
An opioid, which means there is potential for dependency.
- Withdrawal symptoms are likely to occur when discontinuing Suboxone.
- Nausea, headache, sleepiness, dizziness, and constipation are common possible side effects.
- Abuse potential exists, more so in tablet form.
- Doesn’t treat addiction by itself—needs behavioral therapy and support.
- It could be costly for those who do not have insurance.
Does Suboxone Help with Arthritis Pain?
Alleviative treatment for arthritis is not a recognized benefit of suboxone use. The primary purpose of suboxone is with patients dealing with opioid use disorder and not for managing achy patients.
This may not be the typical arthritis treatment, but commercially manufactured Suboxone is useful for pain relief due to its constituent’s pain-relieving effectiveness, one of them being buprenorphine.
Healthcare providers usually recommend an NSAID, acetaminophen, topical rubs, or other stronger prescription painkillers meant specifically for arthritis before taking the chance with restrictive opioid medications.
Does Suboxone Help with Pain After Surgery?
Originally used for opioid dependency treatment, Suboxone has found some relief in pain treatment. It has buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist that helps manage the brain in taking care of pain using the receptors. The impacts of buprenorphine are weaker than full agonistic opioids, for example, morphine and oxycodone. buprenorphine is, therefore, not helpful in severe post-surgical pain.
Stronger opioids or non-opioid analgesics usually manage post-surgical pains. Patients who have been put on Suboxone for addiction may find it more challenging to manage pain after surgery. Some practitioners will change the patient’s medicine temporarily and then return them onto Suboxone later. It is a must to speak to a physician regarding how to deal with pain after the surgery, especially when Suboxone is involved.
Bottom Line
Does suboxone help with pain? Suboxone is a medically approved medication for the treatment of opioid dependency that includes a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, which is effective in analgesia.
Agonist buprenorphine acts on the opioid receptors in the brain to relieve pain, just like in other opioids do, but only to some extent. Moderately effective for most pains, the relief offered by buprenorphine is less compared to other opioids like oxycodone and morphine.
Suboxone is rarely given to patients on chronic pain regimens in cases where they become dependent on buprenorphine. Patients willing to remain on Suboxone have their pain controlled in a way that results in a minimal chance of opioid dependency, which is complex in itself.
FAQs
Can Suboxone Be Used for Pain Relief?
Although usually indicated for opioid addiction, patients suffering from chronic pain might benefit from its analgesic effect. Some physicians prescribe Suboxone off-label because buprenorphine does provide analgesic relief. Belbuca and Butrans are also available, but those forms are reserved specifically for pain relief rather than addiction treatment.
How Long Does Suboxone Work for Pain?
Reports suggest most patients will receive pain relief for 12 to 24 hours after using Suboxone, when you account for metabolism and dosage. Pain-managed disorders are best controlled with a combination of multiple medications. Unfortunately, Suboxone’s primary use as an addiction medicine makes it not the best for pain management.
Is Buprenorphine a Good Painkiller?
Moderate to severe agonizing pain is debilitating, but thankfully, effective buprenorphine pain relief is available. As a partial opioid agonist, buprenorphine treats pain without the strong respiratory depression potential or addiction associated with full opioids.
How much Suboxone should I take for Chronic Pain Management?
Suboxone is rarely utilized for pain care, and therefore, no dosing algorithm for its use as an analgesic exists. Nevertheless, some clinicians do prescribe the medication in lower amounts (2-4mg) for chronic pain. Check with a doctor before using Suboxone for any type of pain.
What is the Suboxone 3-day rule?
This rule permits a provider to start buprenorphine treatment for patients on opioid withdrawal who do not have a prescription for three days. The patient can be given the drug for a maximum period of 72 hours and, at some point, will be expected to have a prescription, thereby facilitating “bridging” patients into formal addiction management. This does not include the later stages of pain management.