Alvogen Generic Suboxone Film Hits the Addiction Market
Dr. Reddy was the first (as far as we know) to bring a generic Suboxone sublingual film to the market. Now, they have some competition.
Alvogen, a fairly large pharmaceutical research and manufacturing company is based in Korea and produces over 350 pharma products. According to their website they are primarily focused on creating generic versions of brand-name medications. They serve many countries, and are gaining traction in the addiction world with the release of their new buprenorphine & naloxone sublingual film – A Suboxone knock-off.
Alvogen Suboxone films are made in 4 different strengths, which may be of benefit to those addicted, and here’s why:
Many doctors are hesitant to prescribe more than two of Suboxone’s 8-2 sublingual films. The 8-2 film is comprised of 8 milligrams of buprenorphine and 2 milligrams of naloxone which is not always enough for certain patients, especially those who need a higher dose during their induction phase. Patients coming off a high daily dose of oxycodone and/or OxyContin can require more than 16mg of buprenorphine and 4mg of naloxone. Especially those who’ve been supplementing their prescribed does by buying additional narcotics on the street.
What to do, right?
Alvogen solves this “2 per day dilemma” by having created a 12-3 sublingual film that contains 12 milligrams of buprenorphine and 3 milligrams of naloxone, making it more palatable for physicians who only wish to prescribe two units per daily dose, but need to help their patients who simply need a higher dose. (see product details)
Since first writing this article we’ve heard from hundreds of people who’ve shared their experience with taking generic Suboxone films. Some good, some not so good.
If you or someone you know is taking the Alvogen sublingual film for opioid addiction, we’d like to hear from you by commenting below.
The goal here is not to smear the names or reputations of these generic Suboxone film makers. Only to share our experience, strength and hope.
Honestly I think they are absolutely horrible they do not last long at all. Every single time I have taken them I wake up in the middle of the night with the sweats in the beginning stages of withdrawal. I literally want to cry every time I go to the pharmacy and I see the yellow packages. I have received them from my pharmacy on and off for 6-7 months. With the other generic brands I take my prescribed amount and have no problems whatsoever and go about my daily life, but when I receive that brand it’s really hard not to take more than what I am prescribed so i can feel “normal” it is so bad that when my pharmacy has Alvogen brand my doctor has given me a prescription of clonidine to help with the withdrawal symptoms. That is ridiculous to have to take another medicine to help with withdrawal while taking medicine to prevent it.
Me too. Alvogen site says you need more. That’s why its cheaper bc you need.more of yellow strips. Read it under 7 things you should know anout alvogen strips
You have got to be kidding… It actually says that? Is it on the box or somewhere online? I’d really like to share this with everyone. Great find Regina! Thanks again.
Congratulations on your sobriety! I was a year clean and recently relapsed and am working on weaning myself back off opiates. However I just wanted to say hang in there! I hope your doctors office was able to figure out a solution for you!!!!! Stay on the straight& narrow, love ❤️ think about how far you’ve came. Don’t look back !!!
Andrew, were you able to find what Regina stated anywhere on the Alvogen site? I am a bit late to this thread, but I cannot find it.
I was switched to Alvogen from brand name 2 weeks ago and am developing all of the same problems that I did the last time I was put on a generic; sweating, poorer sleep, feel like crying all the time, headache…
I am 2 months into a long taper as well. This is the last thing I need when the taper was going very smoothly and I was feeling confident.
Thanks for any help!
I don’t see anything on the Alvogen site that even mentions they offer a Suboxone-like film. It’s all corporate / investor info. If anyone knows what Regina was talking about, please share it.
I know im late on commenting but i have been switched to the generic yellow films from the name brand. I was on name brand for 2 yrs done great no relapse,no issues. Since taking the yellow generic. I have relapsed 2 times (luckily i had a great support system an got back on track)also i have nausea feeling an headaches everyday. I work a very stressful job i always thought my job was cause of a stress headache. Just like everyone else i always run out of medicine early. One more thing that has changed i was always very energetic now im like a slug. I was laying in bed thinking what has changed in my life in past year. I hate to think i was so naive to say i trusted Pharmaceutical company when their the reason alot of people even got addiction to deal with. I honestly never put it together til just now. Next question what can be done about it?
You’re not late 🙂 This is happening everywhere, now more than ever. If you have a friendly doctor, sit down with he or her and explain your symptoms. A decent doctor will offer alternatives. This is your life and it’s important. Please let us know what happens.
Hello Andrew and thanks for the information. My Dr. put me on Suboxone and I was given the Alvogen strips. I experienced headaches (migraines), chills and withdrawal along with other negative side effects. I asked my doc to let me switch to SANDOZ which my insurance company let me do early and everything was fine. 2 months went by and then CVS tells me that they can’t get the Sandoz and that I must take the ALVOGEN. I again had the same problems and i asked my doctor to let me go back to a small dose of Oxycodone for the time being. I thought that it was bad manufacturing or that my body chemistry was the problem. But after buying some Generic Pills and the testimonials on your site I am going to ask for the Pills next time which will be from a small pharmacy instead of CVS. Who i no longer can trust. Do you know if SUN or HI-TECH are consistent brands? Have you herd of any problems with these generic pill brands? And again thanks for this site and letting people know that it is not their immagination. I have never totally trusted generics especially now with the underfunding of the FDA. Its sad to see when people who have been preyed on by companies like Purdue, that even the solution is tainted. Thanks again Deon
Hi Deon. Thanks for reaching out. I think I’ve tried every generic tablet made and never had an issue. Not one. All of the generic tablets seem to be strong, long-lasting, and zero side-effects. Please, if anyone reading this has a different story, share it. For me, the generics have been the best, most consistent remedy. Good luck my friend!
Yes they are junk they dont work gives me withdrawals 4 hour later and they say they are made in the USA when they are from Korea they need to take them off the market
So I don’t know what everyone else in this threads drug habits were like, but I had around a 70 – 80mg a day oxy habit. I had taken the Suboxin brand name 2mg strips before, but didn’t have a script for them and would just take one full 2mg strip a day and it seemed to last for 24hrs. At the time, I was really just taking them when I couldn’t find oxy pills. When I decided that I needed to quit for good, I was prescribed the Alvogen generic 8mg. I now had plenty of them, so I was cutting them in four pieces and started taking them twice a day. I did not feel well on that dosage, so I cut it to 1/4 8mg strip per day. I had to fight the urge to take more in the afternoon, but that went away in a few days and I eased into that dosage. When I was ready, I asked my doctor to change me to the 12mg strips, which I cut into 8 pieces yielding a 1.5mg dose. Then the 4mg cut into 4 pieces, followed by the 2mg cut into 4 pieces. Each time I did this I suffered a little, but never experienced the wild leg shaking at night that kept me from sleeping. They’re not a magic bullet, but with the determination to quit, they did what I felt they were supposed to.
Always great to hear a success story! Congratulations and best of success!
I actually got this off their site(down below) they offer four different kinds. If you read between the lines it’s says certain ppl may need more. Well if you think a minute about generic form, they are generic which mean you would have to have more for it to be as equal to a name brand Suboxone, to me that’s how I take it. With that brand my husband and I actually went through withdrawal systomps on those kinds by Alvogen. They are junk in my opinion. But down below is what I found they do offer.
Buprenorphine and Naloxone Sublingual Film C-III
AB rated to: AB Rated to: Suboxone®**
NDC# 47781-355-03
Strength 2 mg/0.5 mg
PKG size 30
GCN 28958
GCN SEQ#
NDC# 47781-356-03
Strength 4 mg/1 mg
PKG size 30
GCN 33741
GCN SEQ#
NDC# 47781-357-03
Strength 8 mg/2 mg
PKG size 30
GCN 28959
GCN SEQ#
NDC# 47781-358-03
Strength 12 mg/3 mg
PKG size 30
GCN 33744
GCN SEQ#
This is excellent information for everyone to see. Thanks for doing great research and taking the time to share it! Thanks Sheree.
I just switched from Actavis 8mg Subutex sublingual tablets to the Alvogen Generic Suboxone 8mg/2mg strips.
The Actavis tablets stopped working for me and with my metabolism wore off way too quickly. After reading this entire comment thread I am freaked the hell out because I just forked over $156 for 60 strips/1 month supply. I don’t have health insurance. I’ve taken 2 of the strips today and I am already experiencing headaches and am in a mental fog. The Alvogen strips are stronger than the Actavis Subutex tablets in my opinion but are definitely weaker than name brand Suboxone. I feel like I’m in for a long rough month now. Trying to stay positive because I’m on a titration plan. Will keep updating on the effectiveness of the Alvogen strips for me. I know that acidic foods/beverages affect the metabolic rate of buprenorphine and have been trying to adjust my diet to see if that makes them last longer.
I’m really freaked out now because I have a physically demanding job and am worried about my performance since switching to these yellow packaged strips.
I wish I would’ve read this sooner. Are there any oftener generic suboxone strips or tablets that would work better? My Dr. is very understanding and flexible so I know I can get something different after I finish this month’s script. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
The good news is Alvogen are considered to be good replacements for the actual Suboxone films. Just pay attention to how you feel after a week or so of use. So far these have had the least side effects, whereas Dr Reddy’s seem to affect a lot of people. Hang in there and hopefully you’ll do just fine with these. Let us know how you feel in a week or so 🙂
Rinse your mouth out, dont eat, or smoke or drink any coffee prior to taking your subs, wet your mouth with water then place 2 subox films under your tongue, DO NOT push your tongue immediately to bottom of mouth, let saliva build up and suspend your tongue in the saliva for 12mins, at 12mins swish the saliva around like mouth wash and hold in mouth for another 13mins for a total of 25mins, then pinch nose and swallow the nasty mouthful of salvia and chemicals. If you start this process 90mins before you have to leave every morning, i guarantee you will get through work just fine and won’t start to feel the films ware off until after your shift.
Just wanted to mention i paid cash for 30 name brand strips and it was 300.00 . These insurance companies are crazy for not at least cking what they are and arent doing to their people they cover. Also the dr offices are now taking tn care in place ofthe cash only policey they did have but what about the people who served their counrty for 20 years with tricare or paid insurance … Crazy huh??
HOLY COW! $10 per strip? Honestly, we are put in a strange position in that we need the meds to save our lives, but get screwed on the pricing. I’ve said this before ad really mean it – the generic tablets are every much as good as the original Suboxone films for strength and quality. However, they take a lot longer to dissolve. Hope you find a solution that works Jan. Staying clean is all that matters 🙂
It’s stupid cuz we could either buy the strips at 10s each or go back to the old stuff for cheaper it sucks I have that same problem iv been paying for mine every mo th and sorry for just jumping in just looking up the difference between the name brand and this wieard ass yellow package I got
Yes just about.I get 56 a month and when I had a lapse in my insurance it was $600!I scraped together every discount card I could find and it was still over $300.
GoodRX.com is the only coupon I’ve found that seems to work well. It saved me $300 on a “special antibiotic” my wife needed for stomach issues. Can you believe that? I could have wasted $300 had I not checked. I used GoodRX for everything now. Best of luck Tim.
Have you looked into programs in your area such as baycare
I was tapering and I had actually had 40 strips left over over 4 months, but since the switch I am out of my extras, and they don’t last at all! I was doing a little better on the Mylans, and I have searched out the generic that made the original Suboxone, but can’t find anywhere
Ugh! I know how you feel Tiffany. They just suck. If you can find Sandoz, those are the ones that are just like the original. Someone posted that CVS carries Sandoz generic Suboxone films, so maybe call a couple CVS’s and ask. I wish you the best and hope your taper goes smoothly once you get the right films. God bless 🙂
Stephen cvs no longer carries sandoz anymore, they were taken off the market. I just found out last week. No one carries them anymore. I also think the Alvogen brands are weaker. Every pharmacy in my town now carries them.
Hi there! So I was on the Sandoz brand for about 3 years when about 6 months ago I got the yellow kind (alvogen) I took one and it completely knocked me on my ass! I was like wow that was way too much. I had taken the whole 8mg strip on Sandoz and never had issues. I haven’t said anything to my doctor but I think at my next appt I might. Everytime i go to the pharmacy I just pray I don’t see yellow and I do 🙁 I can only take 2-4mg of it or else I feel sick, hot, sweaty and most of all DROWSY ugh! I absolutely hate it. I literally took 6mg today (cut it) and had to go to sleep I felt sick.. the only good thing I guess is it lasts the whole 24-29 hours for me..of course I get the sweating if I hit the 24 hour mark but I can wait til I take it. Oh and I wake up deathly thirsty at night, atleaat 10 times. Makes me want to get off them completely I’m just so afraid of relapse since I work so much and have alot going on.
I get it Lauren. I’ve been told by many therapists that tapering off is tricky, until someone has their life in great order. Truth is, life never stops changing, so when is a good time to get off Suboxone? Do we risk it, or do we continue living a good life while taking it? That’s a really tough question for me. Taking Suboxone changed my life and made everything better. Family, career, money, friends, etc. Everything got better as a result of being clean. Can I stay clean without Suboxone? We’ll see, but only when I feel the time is right. What has helped a lot is dropping my dose down to 4mg. I’ve stayed here at 4 for a long time and feel good. Recovery is such a personal thing. I hope you’re doing well 🙂
Hey Lauren, those feelings of hot, sweaty, tired, etc. that you’re experiencing are not because the meds are too much. That
Means it’s not enough and you are slipping into withdrawal mode. I’m only saying this because it seems that you feel the yellow(alvogen generic) is too strong but looks to me like the total opposite is taking place.
Hello Andrew, are you a undercover Spy? , I don’t know why but I have the feeling that you are from the Alvogen company,. You are Way too concerned asking questions but you don’t have anything to share from ur side . I have been on Alvogen twice and everytime I took this film ,it got me sick to my stomach …. If you are in fact from the Alvogen than now you have enough evidence for this horrible medication, they Should fix it or get it out of the market.. Period!!!
Hi Nick. No, not a spy. My story is actually what started this thread. I am a recovering addict who went through hell not long ago thanks to Dr. Reddy’s films. I slowly got very sick over a 5-6 week period and couldn’t understand why. I had taken the original films for two years, generic tablets for 3 years and did great. Then. I switched to Dr. Reddy’s. At about week six I was very sick. The only thing that made sense was the Dr. Reddy’s films. I changed back to generic tablets and felt great in about two days. I wrote my story in this blog and it seemed to hit a nerve with hundreds of other people who have had issues with pretty much all of the generic Suboxone films. My goal was to start a conversation for good reasons:
If I had taken Dr. Reddy’s when I first got clean I would have gotten sick, quit, and went back to my old ways. I would have assumed Buprenorphine just doesn’t work and stayed an active addict until I died from overdose. By people like you and me sharing our stories, we’re letting newbies know that buprenorphine DOES WORK, but some of the generics are crap.
Hope this helps Nick. Thanks for sharing.
Abstract
Introduction: On June 14, 2018, the FDA approved generic buprenorphine/naloxone, as an alternative to the brand Suboxone (FDA,2018). A patient who developed acute withdrawal symptoms when switched from Suboxone to generic buprenorphine/naloxone at the same dosage, with resolution with replacement with brand name Suboxone, is presented. Induction of withdrawal with generic buprenorphine/naloxone has not heretofore been described.
Methods: Case Study: A 39-year-old right handed single male presented with a past medical history of intravenous heroin dependence. He was relapse free for 5 years and without change on Suboxone film 8mg/2mg twice daily, and was provided with prescriptions for the same, which was substituted to generic brand Dr. Reddy’s Lab SA buprenorphine HCl/naloxone HCl 8mg/2mg film. After two days on this, one hour after taking generic buprenorphine/naloxone film, symptoms of withdrawal began as manifest by hot flashes, diaphoresis, cold chills, leg cramping, and nausea without vomiting. These were the same symptoms he experienced during his past inpatient withdrawal from opioids. These symptoms recurred every day for an entire week until switching back to brand name Suboxone, whereupon his withdrawal symptoms resolved.
Discussion: The mechanism whereby the generic buprenorphine/naloxone combination induced withdrawal symptoms is unclear. It appears that this generic version was either not effectively blocking the mu receptors or the naloxone was inducing a withdrawal state. Possibly the porous nature of the film was such that less of the buprenorphine was absorbed through the mucosa. As a result, less was transferred into the bloodstream, across the blood brain barrier, to the nucleus accumbens, and ultimately on kappa opioid/mu receptor (Centerwatch, 2002). Alternatively, a greater amount of naloxone may have been absorbed transmucosally, thus inducing withdrawal. The absorption may have been normal, but the exact milligram dosage may not be accurate with either too little buprenorphine or too much naloxone. On the other hand, this buprenorphine compound may have been pH sensitive, such that it became inactivated upon exposure to the mildly acidic salivary pH. He could have been malingering this response. Again this is unlikely since he was not given a higher dose of buprenorphine/naloxone, rather the same dose of Suboxone as previously prescribed. It is important that physicians be aware of the possibility for acute withdrawal and increased cravings, which can lead to relapse while using this agent. Further investigation of the efficacy of the generic variant and Suboxone as replacement therapy is warranted.
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This is incredible information. Everyone needs to know about this. People think they are nuts going into withdrawal taking the same dosage of different generic brands. Others, feel thee generics are all the same and people are making it up. I know from personal experience that the different brands of buprenorphine & naloxone pills and films provide a different response. For example: Zubsolv offers two weeks free meds to any new patient who does not have HEP-C or highly elevated liver enzymes. Our clinic provides Zubsolv to many new patients who are on a budget and ready to get clean. I tried Zubsolv myself and noticed a strong initial reaction (euphoria) when first taking it, yet, it was very short lasting. At three days I was waking up to minor withdrawal symptoms, ready to take my next dose just to feel better. Dr Reddy’s: The FDA has been all up in their business over the past year for many violations, though the posted information does not specify as to which drugs they were having issues with. I assume that Dr. Reddy’s may have improved their formula over the past 6-12 months, since more people are saying it’s working just fine. Please share your thoughts and experience 🙂 Read the article on Dr Reddy’s FDA Warning
I have no problems with mine.
That’s great to hear. Not everyone has issues with these generic films. Now, I wonder why only some of us do? Thanks for sharing and God bless my friend.
The yellow ones are terrible. Ive been on subs for to long. Over 6 yrs. i got switched over to these from tablets. I just switched back to tablets. I thought i was crazy until i read all tjis. Ty all for your insight.
Am i the only person who has teeth problems? Its scaring me to death, most of my back teeth are breaking… i make sure to brush everytime i take my doses but it doesnt matter.
Sorry for the long delay. I would ask your doctor if taking a calcium supplement might do you some good. It sounds like these films are really causing you some issues. Tell your doctor, make him/her help you. Good luck Mark.
I took the name brand Suboxone since 2008 and my current jobs insurance decided to not cover name brand anymore and in my area the only generic strips I can find are the yellow alvogen strips. The first couple weeks on them were rough. My normal dose would not work so had to ask doctor to up my dose and I finally leveled out but now after taking them for a few months, they things I am noticing are that it will wear off sometimes ín the middle of sleeping. I’ve also noticed alot more stomach issues which I don’t know if that is from the meds or not but odd that it started around the same time. While the idea of a cheaper form of the meds is great, it’s sad that it doesn’t work as good as it should. Right now I’m in the process of trying to find different pharmacies that carry other generic versions to see if that helps or I may go as far as trying to switch to zubsolve or something
Zubsolv isn’t bad in my opinion. I tend to feel a little “buzz” when I first take it, like it feels kind of strong at first but then levels-out a bit. I didn’t have any side-effects with Zubsolv so I would definitely use it again if needed. Please keep us posted on what you find and how well it works. It’s sad we can’t simply use a generic film and get the same results. Really sad.
Is there a pharmacy that anyone knows of that has any kind but the yellow strip’s? I hate them they are terrible. Thank you?
I have been taking generic tablets for almost the last 4 years now and recently asked the doctor to drop my dosage from 8mg to 6mg. He prescribed me 2mg 3times daily. To my surprise they don’t make 2mg tablets anymore so I had to get the film which I was okay with. Picked up my prescription and noticed the bright yellow packaging. Didn’t think much of it when I picked it up. However, ONE DAY later noticed I was having withdrawals. Stomach cramping, running to the bathroom, EXTREME anxiety, rapid heart rate, insomnia, drenched in sweat. I had some tablets leftover and took those on day 4 and noticed I did not have these symptoms whatsoever. BEWARE of ALVOGEN generic suboxone. I was absolutely convinced there was no medicine in the strip. It was like taking a placebo. This is awful for someone who would be new to treatment so I filed a complaint to the FDA as well. I’m just so glad I found this article and am going to show it to my doc on Tuesday to see if he can write me a new prescription for brand name. Will check back later.
Thanks for sharing this. Seems like some of us have had bad reactions to the generic films, and others seem okay. Are these bad batches? I have no idea. I just know that Dr. Reddy’s made me feel like hell inside and out. Please keep us updated, and God Bless!
I have teeth problems too and i didnt even realize suboxone was the issue. I thought is was genetics becuz my mom and dad both had dentures before 30years old. Im going to do some research on it now. I’ve been on suboxone for 9 years now and majority of my back teeth have all broken out. Im going to get dentures before the end of the year.
No you are not. The films are very acidic. It sucks so bad
Mark, I’ve also lost most of my teeth, some due to the bipolar medication I take,(dries out mouth), some due to having had gastric bypass surgery in 2003(back then they didn’t stress the importance of taking your calcium & Vit D almost others) & my teeth & bone density have paid!! Been on Suboxone & Subutex for the past 12 years. People ask me WHY I still take them when I haven’t ever relapsed back to Oxys. I just decided to tell them that they keep all of the receptors(opioid) in my brain, all firing correctly thus keeping me clean! The short answer is, withdraw sucks. Thanks everyone for opening my eyes that there are even generic Subs out there now.
Wow, this is crazy to read! I been on these things, and they are horrible! Every time I get them, I wanna cry! They don’t last long.. Wanted to ask you, I could be wrong but I thought I read where you been on something called zubsolv? Sorry if I’m wrong but, wondering how it does? I’m wondering if there is something better than these horrible yellow sub’s.. or fb tye ramsey. This yellow also breaks me out in blisters, early withdrawals. Any information will help. Thank you
Thanks for asking Tye. I tried Zubsolv 3 years ago and felt no difference. Some people say it’s stronger than Suboxone when they first take it, but I didn’t feel anything different. Zubsolv is Suboxone in a pill. I think it came out before the generic pills were widely available. A lot of people start recovery on Zubsolv for only one reason: You can get two weeks free if you’ve never taken it. A lot of people will do their first two weeks on Zubsolv and then switch to generic tablets or films. If your doctor will allow you to change meds, you can use these coupons to try it free: https://www.zubsolv.com/resources/patient-savings/ Best of success Tye!
Thank you all so much for posting about these horrible yellow strips. I did not have any issues in the beginning…but they changed something and every bone in my body feels like it is being stretched. I am anxious, nauseated, and honestly just feel sick.
I get my refill next week…I saw my doc 2 days ago and I explained this…that i thought there was something wrong with the ge Eric’s and asked if he would support me trying to get the name brand override from insurance and he was very supportive.
So, only 3 more days of suffering hopefully. I am going to call around and make sure I can get the white/blue Sandoz again…that had worked beautifully for the previous 5 years.
Thank you all for confirming my suspicions.