Can You Take Xanax With Suboxone? Risk Factors & Safety Tips

Opioid addiction is a condition that is breaking out rapidly, in 2023 about 4.7 million people aged 12 or older had an Opiod use disorder in the US. It is noticed that many sufferers experience anxiety alongside their addiction problem. In managing anxiety-related issues, xanax is a popular medication. This is when sufferers tend to look for combination medications, one of the frequently searched combinations for anxiety and opioid addiction is xanax and suboxone. So, can you take xanax with suboxone? How well does this combination go? Learn about it with Secondnewlife’s today’s health tip.

Defining Xanax

Xanax is a first-line substance in dealing with anxiety and panic conditions. This medication belongs to the benzo group and its generic form is Alprazolam. Xanax is a CNS depressant that does its work by accelerating the work of GABA. This anti-anxiety medication is extremely potent and comes with habit-forming risks. This is why it is mostly preferred for short-term use only and long-term use of this drug should be avoided. The long-term effects of alprazolam can be dangerous; it can even cause chronic physical and psychological dependence. This is why xanax abuse treatment is out there everywhere.

Defining Suboxone

Suboxone is a well-known medication to manage opioid addiction and withdrawal conditions. This medication has two ingredients: one is a partial agonist, buprenorphine and the other is an antagonist, naloxone. This substance works as buprenorphine binds with opioid receptors to relieve withdrawal symptoms without any euphoric state and the naloxone makes sure to prevent misuse by inducing withdrawal in the case of injection. It is a strong and addictive property itself and can show withdrawal effects if stopped taking abruptly.

Can You Take Xanax And Suboxone Together?

Well, the answer to “ can you take xanax with suboxone?’’ is not a simple yes or no. There are some things about this that you need to know to understand this topic better. Mixing an opioid reliever like suboxone with a strong benzo like xanax is considered deadly and generally is not recommended. As the present buprenorphine in suboxone is a CNS depressant just like xanax, interaction of these two can bring unpleasant outcomes. So people who are looking for a quick relief and want to try this combination are completely wrong, as it can bring some severe issues. But sometimes, in the rarest cases and under strict circumstances, this combination can be taken under a professional’s supervision.

When Can You Take Xanax With Suboxone?

In rare instances, an expert might prescribe xanax and suboxone together. One should follow by strict professional supervision, and then only take it. However, clinicians mostly suggest suboxone and xanax in combination when other medications fail to manage anxiety issues, when anxiety is because of addiction recovery. In this combination experts usually suggest a tapering dose of alprazolam (xanax). This combination is considered deadly because nearly about 82% buprenorphine related death cases have benzos involved. However, if you have been prescribed this combination, you should be very particular with your dosage and should be in contact with your medical professional during the process.

How Long Do Xanax And Suboxone Stay In The System?

Understanding how long these substances stay in the system will help users to avoid interaction in some ways. This is why let’s have a basic idea about the stay-time of these two in human systems from the table below.

Name of drug	Half-time	Duration of effects
Xanax	11–16 hours	Up to 6–12 hours
Suboxone	24–60 hours	About 72hours

Knowing this can help a user to avoid interactions primarily. However, suboxone stays longer than alprazolam which means it still carries a chance of interaction even after avoiding these stay times. In addition, you can understand how long xanax stays in your system in detail for a better concept.

Risks Of Mixing Xanax And Suboxone

The mixing of suboxone and xanax can bring some noticeable and severe effects which can even be life-threatening. Both medications are strong and have significant side effects. This section aims to make you familiar with the effects that it can bring.

• Severe respiratory issues such as hypoventilation.
• Dizziness
• Intense confusion
• Disorientation
• Memory loss
• Severe hypotension
• Coma
• Serious unconscious state
• Fatal condition ( It says that the combination of buprenorphine and benzodiazepine has led to several deaths.)
• Lack of balance which often leads to vehicle accidents.

Safety Guidelines For Using Xanax And Suboxone

Usually, medical professionals try to avoid this combination but when safe alternatives are not an option, then the things one should do are:

• Use the lowest dosage possible
• Do not take two doses frequently
• Avoid alcohol
• Try lowering the dosage accordingly
• Clinicians often suggest alternatives

FAQs

Closing Note

As we are about to finish today’s health blog, we hope we could give our readers the answer to their query. However, have a detailed discussion with your medical professional before going for this dangerous combination medication and also tell your expert all of your previous medical records for a better understanding and a safer diagnosis.