Zubsolv is a brand-name medication used for the treatment of opioid dependence in adults; it is also known as Suboxone. Zubsolv is a partial opioid agonist and contains two ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone. The buprenorphine blocks the opiate receptors and reduces cravings, while the naloxone reverses the effects of opioids. Buprenorphine is an opioid itself and is stronger than morphine, but since it is a partial opioid agonist, it prevents any other opioids from binding to the opioid receptors; it prevents other opioids from affecting the brain. The naloxone in Zubsolv reverses symptoms of overdose. It is an opioid antagonist, so it blocks and reverses the effects of other opioids on a person’s nervous system. The purpose of naloxone is to prevent people from overdosing on buprenorphine. If a person tries to take another opioid while taking Zubsolv, it will not work. 
Can Zubsolv Be Abused?
Zubsolv is classified as a Schedule III drug according to the DEA. This means it does have a medical use, but still has abuse potential. Zubsolv does cause a mild euphoria when taken because it is an opioid and does act on the same opioid receptors in the brain. When it is taken it creates a flood of dopamine in the brain. This high is less intense than other full opioid agonists. Partial opioid agonists do not activate the opioid receptors as full agonists do, so Zubsolv does have a “ceiling effect”. This means that medication has a certain point that once it is reached, a person can no longer achieve a “high”.
More on Zubsolv Abuse Potential
Zubsolv or Suboxone is sometimes used by those that are battling heroin addiction or addiction to other short-acting opioids. They will take the medication in between doses to prevent withdrawal symptoms from occurring. Also, other people seeking an opioid-like high may abuse it because of the mild euphoria it does cause. Zubsolv is supposed to be used as part of a drug treatment program, but because it does have abuse potential, its use has to be closely monitored. This medication has saved a lot of people’s lives and has given many their lives back, but the individual has to want recovery, and it has to be used in combination with behavioral therapy. Zubsolv should only be used for a short period because it can be addictive just like any other opioid. If the individual is working hard in the group and individual therapy while taking Zubsolv, they should be able to slowly decrease their dose and wean off of the medication. Although this medication can be abused due to its mild euphoric effects, the benefits far out way the risks. According to the National Institute of Health:
Buprenorphine was first used at low doses as an analgesic for postoperative and cancer patients in the late 1970s. Shortly thereafter, reports of buprenorphine misuse—marketed at the time as Tamgesic®—began to surface in New Zealand and reports of injection misuse arose in Europe. A recent report from the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug Dependence noted that, while the diversion is currently occurring and does pose a public health concern, the risk-to-benefit ratio for the continued use of buprenorphine is favorable. (NIH)
Rehab for Opiate Addiction
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