What’s the Difference Between Suboxone and Subutex?

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On December 10, 2025

If you’ve been searching for what’s the difference between Suboxone and Subutex, you’re not alone — many men and women in Tennessee aged 18 to 65, who are dealing with opioid addiction and looking for help, ask this exact question. At Nashville Addiction Clinic, we’ve helped over 1,000 people across Tennessee get on the path to recovery, and we’ll break down how these medications differ, and how our telemedicine MAT program (“TeleMAT”) can offer you a route to freedom from withdrawal, cravings and chasing pills.

Understanding Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Addiction

When you or someone you care about has become dependent on opioids — whether it was from surgery, pain management, growing up around it, or chasing pills from friends or the street — the fears are real: withdrawal, overdose, legal problems, losing your job, your kids, your family. The risk of overdose or death is high if you keep using. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) support medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine as a key way to treat opioid use disorder (OUD).

Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist. That means it attaches to the same receptors in the brain that drugs like heroin, oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine, hydrocodone, etc., do — but it activates them less, and has a ceiling effect (so you’re less likely to overdose).

Using buprenorphine as therapy means you can mitigate withdrawal symptoms, reduce cravings, and have a stable platform to build your recovery — which is exactly what our clinic offers via TeleMAT with virtual appointments and same-day prescriptions to local pharmacy or overnight delivery.

What Are Subutex and Suboxone?

What is Subutex?

Subutex is a brand name for tablets that contain only buprenorphine (monotherapy). It was one of the earlier formulations used for opioid addiction treatment.

In many cases, its use is limited now — for example in pregnancy or special medical circumstances.

What is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a brand name for a fixed-dose combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist — meaning it blocks the effect of opioids and is a safety measure.

When taken properly (under the tongue or dissolved as a film) naloxone remains mostly inactive; but if someone tries to misuse the medication (for example by injecting), the naloxone triggers rapid withdrawal symptoms. That reduces the risk of abuse.

What’s the Difference Between Suboxone and Subutex?

Here’s a detailed comparison of “what’s the difference between Suboxone and Subutex” so you can see clearly:

Feature	Subutex (buprenorphine alone)	Suboxone (buprenorphine + naloxone)
Active ingredients	Buprenorphine only	Buprenorphine + Naloxone
Use in home-treatment / take-home dose	Often used in supervised settings; higher risk of misuse	Preferred for unsupervised or take-home MAT because of abuse deterrent
Misuse potential	Higher misuse/diversion risk	Lower risk of misuse because of naloxone component
Availability	Brand discontinued; generic buprenorphine monotherapy still exists	Widely available and the standard in many MAT programs
Typical use case	May be used in pregnancy, rare allergy to naloxone, or highly supervised detox settings	Long-term maintenance therapy for OUD, including outpatient, virtual settings
Which is “better”?	Not necessarily better—depends on your situation	Often preferred because of safety and real-world outcomes

Simply put: If you’re wondering what’s the difference between Suboxone and Subutex, the short answer is: Suboxone has an extra safety component (naloxone), while Subutex is buprenorphine alone. In practical terms, Suboxone is the go-to for most MAT programs.

Why the Difference Matters for You

If you are living in Tennessee — say in FDA, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga or Murfreesboro — and you are between 18 and 65, possibly divorced, low-to-mid income, have kids, may lack reliable transportation, may have TennCare or commercial insurance, are hiding your opioid addiction, chasing pills (or heroin) just to stay stable, tired of it — then understanding the difference between Suboxone and Subutex is more than academic. It affects your life.

Withdrawal & Cravings Relief

Both medications work by using buprenorphine to block opioid withdrawal and reduce cravings. That means you don’t have to wake up in tears, shaking, cold-sweating, wondering how you’ll get through the day. Studies show these medications help you stabilize.

Risk of Overdose & Death

Opioid addiction carries the constant risk of overdose or death, especially if you’re using on the street, mixing drugs, or chasing pills. The addition of naloxone in Suboxone helps reduce that risk by deterring misuse.

Ease of Access — Virtual Telemedicine

Because you may lack transportation, have work/family obligations, or feel ashamed, the idea of going to a clinic every day may not be realistic. That’s why our TeleMAT at Nashville Addiction Clinic is a game-changer: you never have to come to a clinic. We were the first in Tennessee to receive a virtual medical license for treating addiction using telemedicine. You can meet via your mobile device in Knoxville, Jackson, Clarksville or Maryville. Same-day prescription of Suboxone medications, sent to your local pharmacy or delivered overnight.

Putting Treatment Into Context

At our clinic:

Over 1,000 Tennessee people treated in the last six years
Six years’ stable history of delivering compassionate, evidence-based care
Over 250 five-star patient reviews on Google
Accredited with The Joint Commission
Counselors hold master’s degrees; staff includes people in active recovery who built this clinic because they were treated badly elsewhere
Keys to lifelong recovery: Suboxone + counseling + a clinical team that understands you

Which Medication Would Your Provider Choose — Suboxone or Subutex?

This is a question that only you and your clinician can answer together, but here are typical considerations:

If you are just starting treatment and still have opioids in your system, your provider may delay buprenorphine initiation to avoid precipitated withdrawal. Some providers in detox will use a monotherapy like Subutex in a controlled setting.
For long-term outpatient maintenance, most prescribers favour Suboxone because of the added safety.
If you are pregnant, or have a known allergy / intolerance to naloxone, your provider might consider Subutex (or generic buprenorphine alone).
Your insurance (TennCare or commercial) plus your individual health history, liver/kidney status, and your past treatment history all matter.
The single most important thing is: the medication must be combined with counseling, support, and a treatment team you trust. Medication alone is not enough.

At Nashville Addiction Clinic we’ll walk you through all these variables.

Register Now for Virtual Addiction Treatment

How We Make the Transition Painless

If you’re coming off hydrocodone, morphine, codeine, oxycodone, OxyContin, fentanyl, heroin, kratom, 7-OH (7-Hydroxy), or any opioid — the fear of withdrawal is massive. But with the right protocol at our clinic, your transition to Suboxone doesn’t have to be traumatic.

Here’s a basic outline of how we help you:

Virtual assessment same day via mobile device
Clear instructions: when to stop other opioids, when to begin buprenorphine/naloxone
Prescription sent to your local pharmacy or overnight delivery
Counseling begins immediately (via tele-session) with a master’s-level counselor
Regular follow-ups, cravings and withdrawal monitored, adjusting dosage as needed
You stay in your home (in Nashville, Franklin, Hendersonville, Murfreesboro, or any city in Tennessee) — no clinic commute needed

Because the clinic founders are in active recovery and built this with kindness and respect, there’s no shame, no judgement. You’re treated like a human being.

FAQs – What’s the Difference Between Suboxone and Subutex?

Q1. Can I still get Subutex in Tennessee?

A: In most cases the brand name Subutex is not commonly used; generic buprenorphine alone may still be prescribed in limited or special cases.

Q2. Is one safer than the other?

A: Generally yes — Suboxone, because of its naloxone component, is considered safer for take-home maintenance and has lower misuse potential. But safety also depends on supervision, patient history, and clinical support.

Q3. Does the difference affect how quickly I’ll stop withdrawals?

A: Not significantly — both use buprenorphine to reduce withdrawal and cravings. The difference is in the misuse deterrent and maintenance setting. The key is starting at the right time (after withdrawal begins) to avoid precipitated withdrawal.

Q4. Will this program work for someone that lacks transportation or has TennCare?

A: Yes. Our TeleMAT program is built for people in rural or semi-rural Tennessee (e.g., Cookeville, Clarksville, Columbia) with limited transportation, dependable mobile device but not clinic access. We accept TennCare, commercial insurance and self-pay options.

H3: Q5. If I’ve been buying Suboxone or my own meds on the street, does that matter?

A: It matters because street dosing is unpredictable and dangerous. At our clinic we bring you into a safe, legal, medically-supervised framework where you don’t have to chase pills or heroin just to avoid withdrawal. That’s real freedom.

Q6. How long will I need to be on Suboxone (or buprenorphine)?

A: The length of treatment varies — many stay on it as long as needed to secure stability, work on recovery, regain job and family life, then taper under medical supervision. The goal is life-long recovery, not just medication.

If you’re wondering what’s the difference between Suboxone and Subutex, you now know: the core is buprenorphine, the difference is whether naloxone is added. For most outpatient treatment in Tennessee, especially through a virtual clinic like ours, Suboxone is the preferred option because it supports safe, long-term recovery.

At Nashville Addiction Clinic we believe in offering you compassion, flexibility, telemedicine convenience, same-day medication, full support, and a respectful environment. If you’re ready to stop taking drugs, stop hiding your addiction, stop chasing pills or heroin just to stay numb or stable — we’re ready to help.

Still have questions? Call or text us at (615) 927-7802, or message us securely on the Spruce Health mobile app. You don’t have to do this alone.

You can stop the cycle. You can reclaim your job, your children, your future.