Naloxone may be mixed with a number of opioids like buprenorphine. (Buprenorphine mixed with naloxone is called Suboxone.) Buprenorphine is used to decrease cravings for opiates. When buprenorphine and naloxone are mixed, and taken by mouth, only buprenorphine has an effect. Buprenorphine is a long-acting partial opioid agonist, meaning that although it binds to the body’s opioid receptors, it produces milder effects over a more prolonged period of time vs. the commonly abused full opioid agonists (heroin fentanyl, oxycodone, etc.). Buprenorphine has a high affinity for the opioid receptor, thereby preventing illicit and prescription opioid painkillers from attaching to the receptor. This leads to a lower risk of overdose and generally doesn’t produce a high in people who use opioids. Naloxone is added to reduce the risk of misuse, as it blocks the effects of buprenorphine if the medication is injected. But if a person misuses Suboxone by injecting it or taking large doses, the naloxone blocks the effect of the opioid. This combination is used to try to prevent abuse.