Is Suboxone Bad for Your Liver?

Healthy people taking Suboxone properly should not have an increased risk of liver toxicity. But if you have underlying liver issues, you may need extra monitoring.

Your liver processes toxins from your bloodstream. Medications, including Suboxone, pass through the liver before entering your body. If you’ve harmed your liver in the past, it may have trouble processing medications, including Suboxone.

Factors That Impact Suboxone & Your Liver

Before starting Suboxone, tell your doctor if you have liver issues like the ones listed below. Even if you have liver disease, you can usually still take Suboxone safely. But you may need extra medical monitoring to stay safe.[1]

History of Alcohol Misuse

The liver processes each sip of alcohol you take. If you keep drinking, you can harm your liver cells. Drinking alcohol for even a few days can cause a buildup of fats inside the liver. Continued drinking can cause significant scarring.[2]

Alcohol-related liver issues can't be cured, unless you stop drinking for good. If you're drinking now or you have a history of heavy drinking, tell your doctor. 

Liver Infections

More than 100 million people in the United States have liver disease.[3] Some have problems caused by alcohol, but others have serious illnesses caused by infections. 

Hepatitis is one such infection. If you've been exposed, your liver could be functioning improperly. A simple blood test could help your doctor to spot it. 

Liver Injuries 

Car accidents, gunshots, or car crashes could damage almost every organ in your body, including your liver. People with liver injuries have all sorts of symptoms, including abdominal pain and tenderness.[4] 

If you hurt your liver, you'll know it. Tell your doctor about what happened.

Advancing Age

Researchers say that liver health declines with age.[5] The older you get, the more likely it is that you will deal with problems like alcoholic liver disease. While older people can and do use medications processed by the liver, it's a slightly riskier proposition. 

Obesity 

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is closely associated with obesity.[6] Researchers say people with obesity have more fat cells circulating in their blood, and they can get collected inside the liver. You may not notice this problem, but your doctor can find out about it through a blood test. 

Can You Take Suboxone if You Have Liver Disease?

If you've already damaged your liver through infection or injury, you might need additional monitoring and usually blood work or imaging. 

Generally, you can take Suboxone if you have underlying liver disease. However, you should always inform your doctor about your medications and medical conditions before starting Suboxone therapy.

Sources

1. Suboxone Prescribing Information. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2021/022410s042lbl.pdf. March 2021. Accessed January 2023.
2. Alcohol-Related Liver Disease. National Health Service. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-related-liver-disease-arld/. September 2022. Accessed January 2023.
3. How Many People Have Liver Disease? American Liver Foundation. https://liverfoundation.org/about-your-liver/facts-about-liver-disease/how-many-people-have-liver-disease/. August 2022. Accessed January 2023.
4. Liver Injury. Merck Manual. https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/injuries-and-poisoning/abdominal-injuries/liver-injury. June 2021. Accessed January 2023.
5. Aging and Liver Disease. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4736713/. February 2016. Accessed January 2023. 
6. Obesity and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Biochemical, Metabolic, and Clinical Implications. Hepatology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3575093/. February 2013. Accessed January 2023.