Suboxone Overdose Deaths
by
Phyllis J. Lile-King on Jul. 06, 2016
Accident & Injury Household Mold Accident & Injury Medical Malpractice Accident & Injury Personal Injury
Summary: Suboxone has been marketed as a safer alternative to methadone, and less likely to cause an overdose death. Unfortunately, some physicians make mistakes in dosing suboxone with xanax or other benzos and this can cause fatal overdose.
SUBOXONE, a
medication that combines buprenorphine and naloxone is a film administered by
placing under the tongue. Buprenorphine
HCl is a mu-opioid receptor partial agonist and a kappa-opioid receptor
antagonist. Naloxone HCl dehydrate is an
opioid receptor antagonist. Suboxone is
considered "safer" than other opioids, because of its respiratory
depression "ceiling effect" that limits the risk of death by
overdose. However, this ceiling effect
that protects a patient from lethal respiratory depression can be affected by
the use of other medications.
Preclinical
studies have shown that the combination of benzodiazepines and buprenorphine
alter the usual ceiling effect on buprenorphine-induced respiratory depression,
making the respiratory effects of buprenorphine appear similar to those of full
opioid agonists, like methadone. Deaths
from suboxone combined with benzodiazepines like Xanax, valium, and Librium
have been documented, and the medical literature warns against using these
medications concurrently (at the same time).
For more information about suboxone deaths or suboxone overdose, go to www.methadonelaw.com or www.overdoselaw.com and click on
“Contact Us.” We can provide this
information free of charge, or consult with you about the proper starting dose,
or whether the dose your family member received was likely the result of an overdose.