What Do Suboxone/Buprenorphine Pills Look Like?

Brand-name Suboxone tablets or pills are small, orange, and hexagonal. They contain both naloxone and buprenorphine, and they’re marked accordingly. 

But plenty of generic Suboxone versions exist, and some manufacturers make pills that contain just buprenorphine without naloxone.

If you’ve purchased Suboxone from a pharmacy, it’s safe. You can ask your pharmacist to explain who manufactured your medication.

If you’ve bought Suboxone illicitly, it may not be safe or contain buprenorphine/naloxone. Dealers know how to disguise their drugs to trick even people who have experience taking Suboxone. Never trust anything you buy from a dealer. There’s no way to ensure these medications are safe, even if you use an online pill identifier. One of the main reasons people might consider buying Suboxone illegally is that they’ve lost their medication and need it immediately. However, there are still safe and legal ways to obtain emergency Suboxone.

Keep reading to learn more about what your Suboxone medications might look like.

Suboxone Tablets & Pills: How to Recognize Them

Pharmacies dispense Suboxone in bottles and sealed packages. You may not see them until you prepare for your first dose. Here’s what your medications should look like:

Brand-Name Suboxone

Suboxone pills typically look like this:[1,2]

• Hexagonal
• Orange
• Uncoated
• Debossed with the word Suboxone and the pill’s strength  

Each Suboxone pill typically contains buprenorphine and naloxone in a 4:1 ratio, with buprenorphine being the dominant active ingredient.

‍Two Suboxone tablet doses exist:[2]

• 2 mg of buprenorphine with 0.5 mg of naloxone: This pill has either “N2” or “B2” embossed on it.
• 8 mg of buprenorphine with 2 mg of naloxone: This pill has either “N8” or “B8” embossed on it.

[source: drugs.com]

Other ingredients in Suboxone pills help the dose release at a stable rate into the body, create the color of the tablet, and preserve the medication’s shelf-life. These ingredients might include the following:

• Lactose
• Mannitol
• Corn starch
• Citric acid
• Sodium citrate
• Povidone 30
• FD&C Yellow No. 6
• Magnesium stearate
• Acesulfame K sweetener
• Lemon/lime flavor

[Warning: You should never, under any circumstances, buy generic or brand-name Suboxone from illicit sources, such as dealers or the dark web. You have no way of confirming that the drug you’re purchasing is actually Suboxone—it could contain potent and dangerous drugs like fentanyl or other chemicals that can harm your health. ]

Generic Suboxone

Suboxone pills taken under the tongue are also available in generic form, which could be less expensive.[3]

These pills are typically round with dosage and strength information embossed on them.

Generic Suboxone options include the following:

Generic Variants and Identifiers

Several manufacturers produce generic Suboxone, including:

• Alvogen
• Aveva
• Dr Reddys Labs SA
• Mylan Technologies

There are many different kinds of generic buprenorphine/naloxone but below are some images of common types:

[source: drugs.com]

[source: drugs.com]

[source: drugs.com]

Other Buprenorphine Pills

Generic versions of buprenorphine without naloxone are also available, though these medications have a higher risk of misuse than Suboxone. This is because naloxone, which is an opioid antagonist, acts as a misuse deterrent by causing precipitated withdrawal if someone injects or snorts their Suboxone.

A buprenorphine-only brand-name medication is called Subutex, which looks like an oval-shaped white pill. However, Subutex has been discontinued and is no longer available.

Other buprenorphine pills you might encounter include the following:

How Do I Get Suboxone Treatment?

Suboxone is a prescription medication for opioid use disorder (OUD), so you must work with a doctor to get it. Sometimes, it’s hard for people to get the treatment they need. You may not have a local doctor willing or able to handle your case. Bicycle Health can help.

Bicycle Health uses an innovative telemedicine approach to help people with opioid use disorders get the help they need. All you need is a safe, secure internet connection to see if you are a fit for Suboxone online. 

You’ll work with a qualified, compassionate team that can assess your addiction and connect you with a prescription. Visit your local pharmacy with that prescription, and you’re on your way to combatting your addiction.

Contact us to find out if this treatment model is right for you.