Common myths about buprenorphine
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Buprenorphine is a prescription medication for opioid use. It eases withdrawal and cravings so you can feel steady day to day. You may know it as Suboxone, the most common form, which combines buprenorphine with naloxone to help make sure the medication is taken as prescribed.
There's a lot of mixed information out there about buprenorphine. Here are a few things people often hear, and what the research actually shows.
Myth: you're only supposed to take it for a short time
Opioid addiction is a chronic condition, which means it can stay with you over the long term. Research shows that people who take buprenorphine for longer tend to do better than people who stop sooner.
National treatment guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services say your clinician should work with you to fit treatment to your needs, and that you should be able to keep taking buprenorphine for as long as it's helping you. That's how we do it at Boulder.
Myth: if you're still using, the medication isn't working
Using while you're taking buprenorphine doesn't mean the medication has failed. It can still be doing a lot for you, like easing withdrawal and cravings and lowering your risk of overdose, even if you haven't stopped using.
There are lots of reasons someone might use substances while in treatment. Some people want to cut back, and others want to stop completely. Sometimes the dose isn't high enough yet, especially for people who have been using fentanyl. If you're still using, it usually means you could use more support, not less. That might look like more frequent visits with your care team, a higher dose of medication, or connecting with other services.
It also helps to know that buprenorphine only treats opioid use. It isn't designed to help with other substances like alcohol, cocaine, or meth, so using those doesn't mean your buprenorphine isn't working.
Myth: if you take buprenorphine, you have to be in counseling too
Counseling helps some people, but not everyone. Others get more out of peer support or leaning on the people in their lives. At Boulder, we don't require counseling. We let you choose what's right for you, and your care team can connect you with anything we don't offer ourselves.