Traditional 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. Dealers know how to disguise their drugs to trick even experienced Suboxone users. Never trust anything you buy from a dealer. There's no way to ensure these medications are safe.
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]
- 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.
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
Generic Suboxone
Sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone formulas 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 options include the following:
- A 14: This generic pill is orange and circular, with A 14 embossed on the front. It comes with 2 mg of buprenorphine.
- Actavis 154: Circular and white, this pill is available in 2 mg doses.
- Actavis 155: This round, white pill comes in 8 mg doses.
- AN 415: This generic tablet is circular with AN 415 embossed on it. It contains 8 mg of buprenorphine.
- M 2N: This generic looks a lot like Suboxone, as it is hexagonal and orange. It comes in 2 mg strength.
- ML 2: This pill is hexagonal, white, and has 2 mg of buprenorphine.
- ML 8: This tablet has 8 mg of buprenorphine. It is hexagonal and white.
- N2 Logo (Arrow): This round and white generic medicine is 2 mg.
- N8 Logo (Arrow): This round, white generic pill comes in an 8 mg dose.
- RP n2: Round and orange, this pill comes in 2 mg.
- RP n8: This generic is round and orange, and it comes in 8 mg.
- W21: This pill is white, round, and has 2 mg of buprenorphine.
- W22: This is white and round with 8 mg of buprenorphine.
- 2: This hexagonal, pink generic pill comes in 2 mg strength.
- 54 122: This generic medicine is peach, round, and available in 2 mg strength.
- 54 375: This is a round, peach-colored pill in an 8 mg dose.
- 8: This hexagonal generic is pink and comes in 8 mg.
- 93 B9: White and capsular, this pill is available in 2 mg.
- 93 5721: This pill is white, round, and available in 8 mg.
- 969: This generic medicine is orange and round and comes in 2 mg.
- 970: Orange and circular, this pill comes in 8 mg buprenorphine strength.
Other Buprenorphine Pills
Generic versions of buprenorphine without naloxone are also available. A buprenorphine-only brand-name medication is Subutex, which comes in an oval-shaped white pill.
Other buprenorphine pills you might encounter include the following:
- b 798: This pill is elliptical/ovular and white, with 2 mg strength.
- b 799: This oval-shaped pill is white and has 8 mg of buprenorphine.
- M 923: In 2 mg form, this pill is white and round.
- M 924: This pill is available in 8 mg. It is white and round.
- RP b2: This round and white pill has 2 mg strength.
- RP 8b: This pill has 8 mg of buprenorphine in a round, white generic form.
- 2 Arrow Logo: This white, round pill has 2 mg strength.
- 459: This pill has 2 mg of buprenorphine. It is round and white.
- 460: This white, round pill has 8 mg strength.
- 54 411: This round, white pill has 8 mg strength.
- 54 775: This white, round pill has 2 mg of buprenorphine.
- 8 Arrow Logo: This pill is white and round with 8 mg of buprenorphine.
- Actavis 153: This buprenorphine-only pill has an 8 mg dose. It is orange and oval-shaped.
- Actavis 156: This pill is orange, elliptical, and has 2 mg of buprenorphine.
How Do I Get Suboxone Treatment?
Suboxone is a prescription medication, 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.
Sources
- Suboxone. RxList. https://www.rxlist.com/suboxone-drug.htm#description. December 2021. Accessed November 2022.
- Suboxone Pill Images. Drugs.com. https://www.drugs.com/suboxone-images.html. Accessed November 2022.
- “Buprenorphine” Pill Images. Drugs.com. https://www.drugs.com/imprints.php?drugname=buprenorphine. Accessed November 2022.
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