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How to Take Suboxone

answered 09:28 AM EST, Mon September 09, 2013
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anonymous anonymous
I am confused about how to take Suboxone. Should I take it once a day or twice a day? If I take the same amount, is there any advantage to breaking it up into morning and evening doses? Does it work better for taking withdrawals away?

Anna Deeds Says...

Anna Deeds A. Deeds

Than you for your question. I suggest that you try taking your Suboxone medication once a day. The reason I believe once a day dosing is better is because it will make it easier should you choose to come off Suboxone one day. If you are taking it twice a day and begin reducing your dose, you will have to eliminate one of the doses at some point. Mentally, the hardest part of coming off any Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is when you stop taking it entirely. If you take it twice a day, you will have to reduce both doses to about 2 mg then stop taking one and then the other. That means stopping two doses instead of one. I think it makes it harder psychologically because when you stop a dose, there is always that part of you that will struggle against it.

I also believe that thinking of Suboxone as a medication like any other medication is important too. The reason MAT is different from substitution (replacing one drug for another) is that it gets you away from the same habits that are a part of addiction. When you abuse opiates, you take them multiple times a day and you take them whenever you feel the need to take them. Therefore, it's important to change that habit when taking Suboxone or any MAT. This is another reason why I recommend that addicts take Suboxone at a scheduled time once a day. Since you manage your own medication when taking Suboxone, it can be easy to fall into a habit of taking it whenever you feel the need. However doing this, puts you in the same place as you were when you were abusing drugs.

If you try once a day dosing and you feel like you are having withdrawal symptoms in the evenings, talk to your doctor about it. He may want to raise your dose or may feel you need to take it twice a day. If he wants you to take it twice a day, make sure to set a scheduled time to take it in the afternoon or evening. Taking it at the same time every day will make it more like taking medication and less like substitution.

I hope this answers your question. Good luck with your recovery!


Page last updated Sep 09, 2013

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