Suboxone and Xanax – A Deadly Combination
What Happens When Someone Takes Xanax and Suboxone Together?
People who misuse Xanax with Suboxone take it in an attempt to feel euphoria from their Suboxone. Xanax strengthens the euphoric effects of full opioid agonists or opiates that activate the full opioid receptor. However, Suboxone acts as a partial opioid agonist, which means it causes partial activation. This effect lets the buprenorphine in Suboxone satisfy cravings without euphoria. Since Suboxone has no impact on mood, it doesn’t create more euphoria when combined with Xanax. Instead, it has stronger effects on the central nervous system.
“People have died from the deadly combination of taking Xanax with Suboxone.“
Doctors who prescribe Suboxone are taught during their addiction training that Xanax is never to be prescribed with Suboxone for good reason: People have died from the deadly combination of taking Xanax with Suboxone.
What Should I Do if My Addiction Doctor Prescribes Xanax Along with Suboxone?
Take these simple steps if your addiction doctor prescribes Xanax with Suboxone:
- Do not fill the Xanax at the pharmacy. A well-educated pharmacist is going to be perfectly aware of the interactions between Xanax and Suboxone and may choose not to fill it. Ultimately, this is something you need to be in control of.
- Seek out a different addiction clinic by calling multiple Suboxone clinics near you. Be sure to ask them questions about the type of recovery they provide their patients. Your recovery is important, so take the time to find the right clinic to meet your needs.
- Lastly, when you visit with a new physician, be sure to tell them about your previous doctor’s attempt at prescribing Xanax with Suboxone.
What Can Happen if I Take Xanax with Suboxone?
According to the FDA, taking Suboxone and Xanax together (also known as polydrug use) can cause the following:
- Deep sedation
- Lowered blood pressure
- Respiratory depression
- Coma
- Death
I have been taking 1 mg xanax tabs twice daily along with subutex, for over ten yearsp;l, . As long as I do not exceed the prescribed dosages, I haven’t had any problems. Of course I haven’t had anybody watch me while I’m sleeping and count my breaths, but I’m still alive. So I assume my dosage is Ok, but I am very careful not to exceed it.
Thanks for sharing this David. Xanax is one of the only medications I know of that is taught to doctors when they do their XDEA Waiver certificate training to prescribe Suboxone. Yet, I’ve known of at least 10 people who were taking Xanax with Suboxone. I think they key here is “possible” drug interaction. Glad you’re playing it safe!
Agreed David. Mindfulness is the key. Anxiety is a whole other animal. The stigma that is associated with taking a benzodiazapan is archaic. I’ve suffered from severe anxiety and treated my anxiety since I was 12-13 years of age with alcohol because they didn’t have a specific name for anxiety, P.T.S.D., M.D.D. and they just chalked it up to teenage angst. The sad truth is that they categorized it all as drug seeking behavior. Quality of life is important to those who suffer from chronic anxiety. Going through treatment by the age of 21 for alcohol, my drug of choice,, saved my life. No one could ever judge me harder than I’ve judged myself and I’m extremely hopeful that Psilocybin will become a main stream entheogen alternative for those of us that are given few choices on how to treat this debilitating condition.. Suck it up, just be positive, etc. is so dismissing when you struggle to even leave your house. I am currently in pain management due to severe nerve/spinal damage and pain and would prefer trying MMJ to help manage pain but my pain control doctor made me sign a contract while under his care. I’m disabled and my income is very tight that even if I wanted to, I could not afford it. It’s so sad that insurance will never cover Cannabis/MMJ, as an alternative. My blood pressure soars when I’m in pain or in a Fibro flare. For myself, there is no “getting high”, it’s physical relief from acute pain and we need as many humane options as possible because like shoes, it’s not one size fits all.I do try everything that is within my control as far as weight management, a clean diet, anti inflammatory diet, low in carbs and no processed foods. Of course using a therapist and having a support system is essential and sometimes messy, painful,emotionally, ,to work through life’s trauma is equally essential. For me that means having a strong support system in place, again, eliminating the stigma of treating mental health just as important as physical health, as I do believe it’s all connected Sorry about going on maybe too much but thank you for allowing me to share my experience.