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SUBOXONE Film: What Patients Are Saying

Listen to patients share, in their own words, how treatment with SUBOXONE Film has helped them work to manage their disease.

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How SUBOXONE Film works

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  1. When opioids attach to the mu receptors, dopamine is released, causing pleasurable feelings to be produced.1,2
    How SUBOXONE Film works
  2. As opioids leave the receptors, pleasurable feelings fade and withdrawal symptoms (and possibly cravings) begin.1
    How SUBOXONE Film works
  3. Opioids continue leaving the mu receptors until the person is in a moderate state of withdrawal. At this point, induction treatment with buprenorphine can begin.

    You should know: SUBOXONE Film is indicated for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. SUBOXONE Film is not indicated for induction. A buprenorphine-only medication is used instead. After induction, ask your doctor for a prescription for SUBOXONE Film. If you are currently taking SUBOXONE (buprenorphine and naloxone) sublingual tablets (CIII), you do NOT need to repeat the induction step when switching to SUBOXONE Film. However, your doctor should monitor you for overmedication.


    How SUBOXONE Film works
  4. The primary active ingredient in SUBOXONE Film—buprenorphine—attaches to the empty opioid receptors, suppressing withdrawal symptoms and reducing cravings.1 As a partial opioid agonist, buprenorphine works by controlling withdrawal symptoms and cravings and produces a more limited euphoria or "high" than a full opioid agonist.1
    How SUBOXONE Film works
  5. Buprenorphine attaches firmly to the receptors. At adequate maintenance doses, buprenorphine fills most receptors and blocks other opioids from attaching. Buprenorphine has a long duration of action, so its effects do not wear off quickly.

    You should know: SUBOXONE Film is indicated for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence and should be used as part of a complete treatment plan to include counseling and support.


    How SUBOXONE Film works

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References

  1. Johnson RE, Strain EC, Amass L. Buprenorphine: how to use it right. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2003;70(suppl 2):S59-S77.
  2. Walsh SL, Eissenberg T. The clinical pharmacology of buprenorphine: extrapolating from the laboratory to the clinic. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2003;70(suppl 2):S13-S27.

Please see full Product Information and Medication Guide for SUBOXONE Film

For more about SUBOXONE Tablet, please see full Product Information and Medication Guide.

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SUBOXONE® and Here to Help® are registered trademarks of Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare (UK) Ltd.
SUBOXONE Film is manufactured for Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc.,
Richmond, VA 23235 by MonoSol Rx LLC, Warren, NJ 07059.
Copyright © 2012 Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Important Safety Information

SUBOXONE® (buprenorphine and naloxone) Sublingual Film (CIII) is indicated for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence as part of a complete treatment plan to include counseling and psychosocial support. Treatment should be initiated under the direction of physicians qualified under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act.

SUBOXONE® (buprenorphine HCl/naloxone HCl dihydrate sublingual tablets) (CIII) is indicated for the treatment of opioid dependence.

SUBOXONE Sublingual Film and SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets should not be used by patients hypersensitive to buprenorphine or naloxone.

SUBOXONE Sublingual Film and SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets can be abused in a manner similar to other opioids, legal or illicit. Clinical monitoring appropriate to the patient’s level of stability is essential.

Chronic use of buprenorphine can cause physical dependence. A sudden or rapid decrease in dose may result in an opioid withdrawal syndrome that is typically milder than seen with full agonists and may be delayed in onset.

SUBOXONE Sublingual Film and SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets can cause serious life-threatening respiratory depression and death, particularly when taken by the intravenous (IV) route in combination with benzodiazepines or other central nervous system (CNS) depressants (ie, sedatives, tranquilizers, or alcohol). It is extremely dangerous to self-administer nonprescribed benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants while taking SUBOXONE Sublingual Film or SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets. Dose reduction of CNS depressants, SUBOXONE Sublingual Film and SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets, or both when both are being taken should be considered.

Liver function should be monitored before and during treatment.

Death has been reported in nontolerant, nondependent individuals, especially in the presence of CNS depressants.

Children who take SUBOXONE Sublingual Film or SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets can have severe, possibly fatal, respiratory depression. Emergency medical care is critical. Keep SUBOXONE Sublingual Film and SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets out of the sight and reach of children.

Intravenous misuse or taking SUBOXONE Sublingual Film or SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets before the effects of full-agonist opioids (eg, heroin, hydrocodone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone) have subsided is highly likely to cause opioid withdrawal symptoms.

Neonatal withdrawal has been reported. Use of SUBOXONE Sublingual Film or SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets in pregnant women or during breast-feeding should only be considered if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk. Caution should be exercised when driving vehicles or operating hazardous machinery, especially during dose adjustment.

Adverse events commonly observed during clinical trials and postmarketing experience for SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets are headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, constipation, signs and symptoms of withdrawal, insomnia, pain, and swelling of the limbs.

Adverse events commonly observed with the sublingual administration of SUBOXONE Sublingual Film are numb mouth, sore tongue, redness of the mouth, headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, constipation, signs and symptoms of withdrawal, insomnia, pain, swelling of the limbs, disturbance of attention, palpitations, and blurred vision.

Cytolytic hepatitis, jaundice, and allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock, have been reported.

This is not a complete list of potential adverse events associated with SUBOXONE Sublingual Film and SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets. Please see full Product Information for a complete list.

To report an adverse event associated with taking SUBOXONE Sublingual Film or SUBOXONE Sublingual Tablets, please call 1-877-782-6966. You are encouraged to report adverse events of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

 

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