What Drugs Can Interact With Suboxone?

There are a number of different drugs that can interact with Suboxone, so it’s important to have your prescriber run a full check before you begin treatment. Commonly prescribed medications like statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs), birth control pills, blood pressure medicines, antibiotics, or anti-seizure medications could interact with Suboxone. It is also recommended that you inform your doctor about any other prescription medications or illegal narcotics you take. Your doctor will likely do an allergy test to ensure there are no allergic reactions between your body and Suboxone.

According to data reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, during the period of 2004-2011 the combined abuse of opioids and benzodiazepines significantly increased the rate of emergency department visits and nearly tripled the number of overdose deaths.4 The dangers of mixing these drugs was also demonstrated in findings from a recent study that showed 82% of buprenorphine overdose deaths involved the use of benzodiazepines.

Additionally, it’s important to tell our suboxone doctor if you plan on getting pregnant during opioid addiction treatment; certain types of medication may not be safe for pregnant women taking Suboxone.

It is not a good idea to take benzodiazepines, like Xanax or Valium, while receiving buprenorphine treatment. Benzodiazepines and suboxone both depress the central nervous system and can cause impairment, unconsciousness, respiratory failure, coma, or even death if taken together

People addicted to opioids are also warned against mixing suboxone and cocaine. There is evidence that mixing these drugs can reduce the effectiveness of suboxone. Patients who combine these drugs demonstrate low motivations to stay clean and are at increased risk for developing a multi-drug addiction.

Alcohol is a depressant, and when mixed with Suboxone, it can cause increased depression of the central nervous system. The effects of mixing alcohol and suboxone can include:3

Deep sedation
Coma
Death
Low blood pressure
Slowed breathing

The findings from one study looking at opioid-associated deaths showed that alcohol was involved in more than half of all buprenorphine poisonings that resulted in overdose death.