Using Benzodiazepines With Suboxone Can Be Deadly
Heroin and opiates are considered the most addictive class of drugs because of how they affect the pleasure center of the brain. Suddenly stopping causes intense, unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous withdrawal symptoms. To ease symptoms and make it a little easier to quit, suboxone is sometimes prescribed as part of an addiction treatment regimen.
When you are struggling with sleep or anxiety while receiving treatment, you may be wondering if mixing Suboxone and Xanax is dangerous.
Using Xanax or other benzodiazepines while on Suboxone is incredibly dangerous because of how the drugs interact. It has serious risks including respiratory depression, decreased breathing and heart rate, coma, and even fatal overdose. The risks are not worth it – but Purpose Healing Center is here to help.
At our facility, we offer dual diagnosis treatment for addiction and conditions like anxiety. We can also help you manage withdrawal symptoms in a safe, comfortable setting. Keep reading to learn more and remember you can reach out any time confidentially to our Admissions staff for confidential support.
Is Mixing Suboxone and Xanax Dangerous?
Any time that you take two drugs together, there is a risk of adverse effects. Combining Suboxone and Xanax can be a deadly cocktail. Both pharmaceuticals cause central nervous system depression. Alone, they can slow your respiratory rate, cause low blood pressure, and suppress breathing.
Together, these drugs can lead to coma or death. The potential interactions of Suboxone when mixed with Xanax, Alprazolam, and other benzos are extremely dangerous. In 2021, approximately 14% of cases of opioid overdose involved benzodiazepines.
How Does Suboxone Work?
Suboxone is prescribed for people with opioid use disorder who are ready to quit using heroin, pain pills, and other opioid drugs. Opioids are incredibly addictive because of the mental and physical dependence many people develop after using them. When used as prescribed, Suboxone helps discourage use while easing withdrawal symptoms. It is a combination of two drugs; naloxone and buprenorphine.
Buprenorphine is a Partial Opioid Agonist
Opioids work by activating the opioid receptors in the brain, resulting in pain relief and feelings of euphoria. They are full opioid agonists. When you take Suboxone, the buprenorphine works as a partial opioid agonist. It activates the same receptors, but not as strongly as opioids.
This can prevent opioid withdrawal symptoms, but it does not have the same addictive properties as a full opioid agonist. By satisfying your dependence on the drug, buprenorphine can also help reduce cravings for heroin and prescription painkillers.
Naloxone Blocks Opioid Receptors
Even though buprenorphine stimulates the brain similar to the way opioid medications do, people taking Suboxone cannot get high from it. The naloxone in the medication blocks key receptors, stopping feelings of euphoria associated with buprenorphine, making it hard to abuse Suboxone.
Naloxone also blocks the effects of opioids and prescription painkillers, so even if you have cravings the drugs will not work.
What Happens When You Mix Suboxone and Xanax?
Both Suboxone and Xanax are CNS depressants, making it potentially dangerous to mix them. Xanax works by increasing the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain, which has a calming effect. Suboxone can also make users tired, but by contrast, it creates this sense of fatiue and calm by activating opioid receptors in the brain. When used in high doses, Xanax can also slow reflexes, alter your mood, and lead to erratic thinking and behavior.
When the two medications are combined, these drugs strongly affect the central nervous system. You’ll experience respiratory depression, meaning your breath rate and heart rate start to slow. Your blood pressure may also drop and you’ll experience excessive sleepiness. In some cases, this can lead to coma and even death.
Our Accredited Options to Treat Opioid Addiction
With the risks associated with withdrawal from opioids, alcohol, or benzos, medication-assisted treatment can be helpful to treat opioid dependence. Drugs like opioids and alcohol are depressants. As your body becomes physically dependent, you may not feel normal when you are sober. It can lead to flu-like symptoms, shaking, tremors, and even seizures.
At Purpose Healing Center, we offer medical detox from benzos, opioids, alcohol, and other medications in a safe, comfortable setting. You’ll be monitored closely by a medical team and a doctor may prescribe medications to ease uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal.
Following detox, we also offer residential and outpatient treatment options, including partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient programs. We believe that everyone can recover from substance use disorder with the right support. Our team aims to offer that support at every level of care, alongside evidence-based programs that can help you overcome the battle that is opioid addiction.
The Evidence Based Treatment Options at Purpose Healing
Our substance abuse treatment programs often involve individual counseling, where you’ll discuss motivations for getting sober, your personal stressors and triggers, and how to overcome them. You’ll begin to understand the root cause of addiction and its impact on your life. Behavioral therapies can also help you learn how to change unhelpful thought patterns and regulate emotions that might lead to relapse or other unwanted behaviors.
Clients also participate in group therapies to build social skills in a supportive environment. You’ll be able to discuss the struggles and triumphs of addiction among people who understand what you are going through.
Lastly, holistic therapies including nutritional support, art and music therapy, physical activity like yoga or tennis, and meditation are offered. Building healthy lifestyle habits, learning coping skills, and developing a routine can help you on the road to long-term recovery.
Is Suboxone an Effective Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder?
Several studies have evaluated different types of medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction. Both buprenorphine and naloxone found in Suboxone have benefits for treatment. In fact, patients taking buprenorphine only had a 25% rate of relapse compared to 100% relapse in the placebo group.
Is Suboxone Safe?
Suboxone is a medication considered to be a safe option for treating opioid dependence and severe withdrawal symptoms. However, taking Suboxone does come with the risk of drug interactions, especially when combined with other medications with calming effects on the central nervous system. Drug interactions aside, Suboxone treatment is safe when administered as prescribed.
Treating Anxiety While Taking Suboxone
Xanax and other benzos are commonly prescribed to treat anxiety and panic disorder. Even with a prescription medication, however, taking Suboxone with these medications can be dangerous. This is especially true if your prescriptions for Suboxone and Xanax come from different doctors.
Furthermore, mixing Xanax with other drugs can have adverse effects and lead to polysubstance abuse.
For people with a benzodiazepine prescription to treat anxiety disorders, it’s important to discuss that with your doctor before starting medication-assisted treatment. Sometimes, a doctor prescribes medication outside of the benzodiazepine group to treat symptoms without the same risk of breathing suppression or sedation.
Holistic interventions including swimming, hiking, and other physical activity, meditation, yoga, massage, mindfulness, music therapy, art therapy, or meditation may be recommended to manage anxiety symptoms. Talk therapies, including targeted approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, can also help with managing anxiety and panic disorders.
Sometimes, a moderate dose of benzos may be prescribed – but it’s important to watch for dangerous interactions and avoid misuse. This combination is safest under close medical supervision, such as during an inpatient treatment program. The risk of drug abuse should also be considered. Xanax is commonly abused and can be addictive on its own. Some people also experience Benzo withdrawal when they quit using Xanax.
Dual Diagnosis Care
Anyone struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health symptoms while seeking sobriety and recovery may benefit from dual diagnosis care. Dual diagnosis programs are recommended for clients who have mental health conditions occurring alongside substance use disorders.
It’s critical to address underlying mental illness or trauma as part of addiction treatment. Otherwise, there’s a much higher risk of relapse after completing a rehabilitation program.
Substance use disorders occur alongside mental health issues because they share similar contributing factors, such as genetic factors and environment, including upbringing and trauma. Untreated mental illness or trauma also leads to an increased risk of substance abuse, especially when drugs or alcohol are used as a coping mechanism.
Lastly, long-term substance abuse takes a toll on mental health. It affects important neurotransmitters in the brain and can cause depression, anxiety, or symptoms of psychosis in some people. These effects can last for months after you quit.
Get Help for Opioids and Benzos at Purpose Healing Center
The opioid epidemic has spiraled out of control in the last decade. There’s a high potential of taking drugs laced with fentanyl, even those that appear to be authentic painkillers. With so much on the line, it’s important to find quality help when you are ready to quit.
If you or a loved one are ready to take those first steps toward sobriety, call our caring Admissions staff today. We serve multiple locations across Arizona, with facilities conveniently located in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
At Purpose Healing Center, you’ll find high-quality inpatient and outpatient treatment treatment programs, including residential, medical detox, IOP, and PHP. We offer evidence-based treatments and dual diagnosis care across all our programs and our results speak for themselves.
Reach out today with your questions, to have your insurance verified confidentially, or to set up an intake appointment – one of our staff is waiting by the phone!
480-579-3319