What Does Suboxone Do to You Mentally?

Understanding the Mental Side Effects of Suboxone

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When people are taking drugs, they often think about the physical effects they have on the body. But what does suboxone do to you mentally? There is plenty to think about before deciding if this partial opioid agonist is the right course of action for you. It may be better to use this medication in the safety of treatment programs.

The most common side effects of suboxone on mental health include mood swings, depression, anxiety, impulsivity, increased cravings, personality changes, and worsening mental health conditions. This often happens when you’re abusing suboxone, whereas it can have positive effects in a robust treatment plan for opioid use disorder (OUD).

Purpose Healing Center can help you take the first steps toward proactive suboxone use and help you get through opioid withdrawal. Keep reading to learn more about the toll suboxone abuse can take on your mental health.

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Most Common Side Effects: Suboxone on Mental Health

Most people already know the common physical side effects of taking suboxone but often overlook the mental repercussions of the drug. It can help curb opioid use disorder in the right context. Meanwhile, it also poses a risk for those who abuse it.

Here’s what you can expect from the drug psychologically. Then, we’ll dive into how you can spot abuse of suboxone so that you can consider how these effects will impact you.

Mood Swings with Increased Depression and Anxiety

Mood Swings Caused by Depression and Anxiety

Perhaps the most common effects of suboxone are the rise in mental health concerns like depression and anxiety. You’ll often experience more mood swings as you take doses of suboxone as part of your addiction treatment. If you’re abusing it, these might worsen as the drug wears off and it’s time for a new dose.

This is especially true if you are abusing the prescription before attempting to quit Suboxone cold turkey.

Impulsive Decisions and Unnecessary Risk-Taking

Opioid addiction is known for increasing impulsivity in those who take the drugs. However, suboxone may not eliminate this unwanted side effect in its entirety. In fact, it could even worsen it just as much as if you were to take the real thing.

Taking suboxone can lead you to take more risks than you ordinarily would without the influence of the drug. In some people, this might look like taking more than you thought you would or should take. This only worsens your opioid withdrawal symptoms and leads to increased rates of addiction to suboxone.

Some high-risk behaviors that you might engage in beyond taking too much include risky sex or driving too fast.

Increased Opioid Cravings and Thoughts of Getting More or Other Opioids

Chances are that you wanted to start taking suboxone because you wanted to curb the risk of negative consequences from taking other opioids. The problem is that your OUD treatment might have some of the same effects as you go through withdrawal between doses.

You’ll likely experience cravings and increased thoughts of how you can get more or other opioids.

Suboxone binds to the opioid receptors in the brain, just like heroin or morphine. You won’t be able to get the same high with suboxone treatment, even if you were to take your drug of choice. It’s meant to curb cravings, but the opposite can happen if you abuse it and go into withdrawal.

Personality Changes

Unfortunately, one of the side effects of medication-assisted treatment programs like suboxone is that it can change your personality. You might find that you have more negative thoughts than you did when you were taking suboxone without abusing it.

And it isn’t just that you’re being more pessimistic than you used to be. Treating opioid addiction this way can lead to increases in guilt, negative self-perception, anger, and regret. If this sounds familiar, that might be because these personality changes are common with substance abuse of any kind.

Worsening Mental Health Issues

Did you know that many people who struggle with opioid addiction also have a mental health issue of some kind? Whether you struggle with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or something else, there are great odds that your condition could be worsened by long-term suboxone abuse.

This is why it’s so important to enroll in comprehensive addiction treatment programs where clinicians can assess you for more than just OUD. Getting a clear picture of your entire mental health will help you thrive long-term.

We may even be able to offer medication-assisted treatment to alleviate some of these symptoms and negate the effects of suboxone.

Deteriorating Relationships

You may also struggle with interpersonal skills when abusing suboxone. Drug use tends to eclipse all other needs, including those of your family, close friends, and loved ones. One of the patterns we tend to see in our family therapy sessions is how suboxone impacts these relationships.

Without the proper care and setting to work through some of these issues, you may have growing issues with your loved ones. You risk losing the relationships that mean the most to you. Purpose Healing Center can help facilitate hard conversations when you’re getting sober and stable.

How to Identify Suboxone Abuse

Suboxone is a wonderful treatment option for many people struggling to get sober with OUD. The only problem is that it can be prone to abuse if you aren’t careful. Always take suboxone only under the guidance and expertise of a trained medical professional.

You need a prescription to take suboxone, and taking it without one is a warning sign. In addition, you won’t have frequent dosage increases when under a doctor’s care. If you find yourself playing with the dosages of your medication without medical guidance, it could be a sign you’re abusing it.

Don’t combine it with other drugs or alcohol to enhance the high you might experience. Because of the way it acts on opioid receptors, you may find that opioids don’t have the same effect. The result could be a dangerous overdose.

If you find that more of your thoughts and hours of your day are preoccupied with suboxone cravings or withdrawal symptoms from not taking it, you might be crossing into dangerous territory.

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Finding Addiction Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)

If you’re worried about the withdrawal symptoms of taking opioids long-term, it might be time to seek suboxone treatment. While it may have some negative effects on your body, it also has the potential to be pivotal in your recovery from opioid use disorder or opioid dependency.

When taken properly and as prescribed, it can minimize your cravings and make you less likely to take prescription opioids. This partial opioid agonist has minimal physical and mental health effects when it is used as part of a thorough treatment plan.

Here are some things to look for when considering suboxone treatment.

Comprehensive Care for Opioid Addiction: More than Suboxone

The right course of care for your opioid addiction is about more than just getting the right prescription. At Purpose Healing Center, we take a comprehensive approach to your OUD. This means that we take your mental health and current drug use into consideration when deciding which FDA-approved course of action we should take.

We ensure that you take your medication under supervision, making it less likely that you’ll develop a new suboxone addiction.

Plus, we’re going to prescribe a course of therapeutic interventions to help you learn to live life without the use of substances. You’ll participate in individual and group therapy and complementary therapies like yoga, art, and music.

Kick Off OUD Treatment with Detox

Before you start thinking about how to treat addiction or whether your new medications will cause some sort of sexual dysfunction, it’s important to make sure that you’re no longer at risk for opioid overdose. Our team of medical professionals will make sure you’re safe and free from the risk of taking something harmful to counteract your early withdrawal symptoms.

Medical detox allows us to monitor your progress and help ease your symptoms. We may be able to offer non-habit-forming drugs to ease physical side effects like nausea and vomiting. In some cases, we may be able to help with spikes in anxiety as well.

From detox, you can safely transition into inpatient or residential care to get to the root of substance abuse.

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Get Help for Suboxone Use with Purpose Healing Center

Quitting drugs can have a profound impact on a person’s mental health, so you need the support of our team of clinicians who keep you from misusing suboxone and other potent opiates. We do the hard work of teaching you relapse prevention while keeping you safe with 24/7 care.

If you have questions about our program for substance use disorder, our enrollment team is ready and waiting to answer them. In a quick, confidential phone call, we can verify your insurance benefits and let you know the practicalities of enrolling in our continuum of care.

Reach out to us today for more help with your opioid use disorder and experience life sober!