How Long Does Suboxone Stay in Your System?

For years, Suboxone has been used as an effective tool to help people wean off opioids. However, due to the risk of abuse and addiction, Suboxone is only prescribed as a part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes counseling and behavioral therapy. If you or someone you know is taking Suboxone, you must know how long the drug stays in your system and the factors that can influence its detection. Understanding how long Suboxone stays in your system will help you avoid any potential problems associated with its detection and prevent addiction.

In this blog, we'll discuss Suboxone, how long it stays in your system, the factors that influence the duration, and how it can be detected in different tests.

What Is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a drug approved by the FDA in 2002 to treat opioid addiction. Since then, it has become one of the most commonly prescribed drugs.

Suboxone contains buprenorphine and naloxone -- two drugs that work together to block the effects of opioids and decrease cravings.

Buprenorphine is an opioid partial agonist, which binds to the same receptors in the brain as opioids but produces weaker effects. On the other hand, naloxone is an opioid antagonist which blocks the effects of opioids in the brain to help prevent abuse.

However, despite the safety net provided by naloxone, Suboxone can still, in fact, be abused. That is because of the opioid nature of buprenorphine which can lead to a feeling of euphoria, albeit weaker than other opioids.

It can happen when a person takes Suboxone more frequently than prescribed or in higher doses. When this occurs, it’s considered abuse and can lead to addiction.

Suboxone staying in a person's body for an extended period can increase the risk of abuse and addiction. And that's one reason why it’s necessary to be aware of how long Suboxone stays in your system.

Suboxone Half-Life & Metabolism

According to Mental Health Daily, to understand how long Suboxone stays in your system, it’s essential to know the half-life of its two main ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone.

Half-life refers to the time it takes for a drug to be reduced by half in the body.

The half-life of buprenorphine is considered to be extremely long – around 37 hours. It means it can take up to 37 hours for the body to reduce the concentration of buprenorphine by half.

On the other hand, naloxone's half-life is much shorter, around 30 minutes to 1 hour and 21 minutes. It means it’s completely metabolized in the body much quicker than buprenorphine.

Now, buprenorphine is metabolized to turn into "norbuprenorphine". And "norbuprenorphine" has a longer half-life than buprenorphine, with some reports saying its half-life is around 150 hours. It's not known how long these Suboxone metabolites specifically stay in the body, but it's speculated to be around for 9 to 14 days.

In summary, the half-lives of Suboxone’s main ingredients are:

• Buprenorphine: 37 hours

• Naloxone: 30 minutes to 1 hour and 21 minutes

• Norbuprenorphine: 9 to 14 days (speculated)

How Long Does It Take Suboxone to Work?

It's generally pretty quick for Suboxone to take effect once it’s ingested.

Most people feel the effects of Suboxone within 20 to 60 minutes after taking it. The peak effects of the drug usually occur around 2 hours after taking it. The effects of Suboxone in the body last 24 hours or more.

It's necessary to note multiple factors may affect how fast or slow Suboxone works in your body. It includes:

• Your age

• Your weight and height

• How quickly your body metabolizes drugs

• History of Suboxone use and substance abuse

So, while the effects of Suboxone are typically felt within 20 to 60 minutes, it’s possible for some people to feel them sooner or later, depending on these individual factors.

How Long Does Suboxone Stay in Your System?

Earlier, we mentioned that a critical factor in how long Suboxone stays in your system is the half-life of its main ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone.

We also noted that Suboxone metabolites could be detected in the body for up to 14 days. So based on these two pieces of information, it’s safe to say that Suboxone can stay in your system for up to 2 weeks after your last dose.

But there's a catch. Another factor that must be considered in how long Suboxone stays in your system is the duration of your treatment.

If you take Suboxone for an extended period, the drug can build up in your system. That is because your body will develop a tolerance to the drug and will require higher doses to achieve the same effects.

So if you take Suboxone for an extended period, the drug can remain in your system for longer than two weeks.

Other Factors That Influence How Long Suboxone Stays in Your System

Now, it isn't just the half-life of Suboxone’s main ingredients and the duration of your treatment that determines how long the drug stays in your system. Other factors can influence this as well.

These include:

• Your age

• Weight and height

• How quickly your body metabolizes drugs

• Frequency of Suboxone Usage and Dosage

• Liver health

Let us explain:

Age

Age can play a role in how long Suboxone stays in your system. As we age, our bodies become less efficient at metabolizing and eliminating drugs. It is due to reduced hepatic blood flow, reduced liver enzyme activity, changes in body composition, or diseases that the patient may have.

So if you’re an older adult (ages 65+), Suboxone can stay in your system longer than someone younger.

Weight and Height

Weight and height can also affect how long Suboxone stays in your system. These two factors affect your body composition and how quickly your body metabolizes drugs.

Generally speaking, the more body fat you have, the longer it will take for Suboxone to be eliminated from your system. That is because Suboxone is lipophilic, which dissolves in fat. So if you have a higher percentage of body fat, the drug, specifically buprenorphine, will be more likely to settle in your fatty tissue and be eliminated more slowly.

Metabolism Speed

How quickly your body metabolizes drugs can also affect how long Suboxone stays in your system. The faster your metabolism is, the quicker Suboxone will be eliminated from your body.

People with a fast metabolism may find that Suboxone is only detectable in their system for a few days after their last dose. In comparison, people with a slow metabolism may find that the drug remains detectable for up to two weeks.

Frequency of Suboxone Usage and Dosage

How often you use Suboxone and how much you take can also affect how long the drug stays in your system. As we mentioned earlier, tolerance can develop with extended use of Suboxone.

So if you’re taking Suboxone for an extended period at high doses, the drug can remain detectable in your system for longer than someone taking a lower dose for a shorter period.

Liver Health

Finally, liver health can also influence how long Suboxone stays in your system. That is because the liver is responsible for metabolizing and eliminating drugs from your body.

If you have liver damage or disease, Suboxone may be eliminated from your system more slowly because the liver may not be able to metabolize the drug as efficiently.

How Long Does Suboxone Stay in Your Urine?

When you take Suboxone, buprenorphine is broken down into norbuprenorphine and metabolized by your liver. Norbuprenorphine is then eliminated in your urine.

Since norbuprenorphine's half-life is estimated to be around 150 hours, traces of Suboxone, specifically buprenorphine, may be detectable in your urine for up to two weeks after your last dose.

How Long Is Suboxone Detected in Saliva, Blood, and Hair?

Suboxone may also be detectable in saliva, blood, and hair. And each of these tests has a different detection window.

• For saliva, Suboxone may be detectable for up to 5 days after your last dose.

• For blood, the drug may be detectable for up to 86 hours.

• For hair, Suboxone may be detectable for up to 30-90 days.

Wrapping Up

Suboxone is a medication used to treat opioid addiction. And while it’s effective, it can also stay in your system for up to two weeks.

In addition, detection tests for Suboxone, like urine, saliva, blood, and hair tests, all have different detection windows. So it’s essential to know which test you’re taking and when Suboxone will be detectable. This understanding should help you plan accordingly.

If you're worried that Suboxone may be detectable in your system, you should talk to your Suboxone doctor. They can help you understand the detection windows for different tests and when it’s best to take them.

And if you’re struggling with opioid addiction, know that help is available. You don’t have to go through this alone. There's a Suboxone treatment available that can help you get your life back on track. So don’t wait. Get help today.