Print  |  Font Size Change Font Size
Search naabt.org  

The National Alliance of Advocates
for Buprenorphine Treatment

Buprenorphine (Suboxone®, Subutex®3, Zubsolv™4, Probuphine®5) is an opioid medication used to treat opioid addiction in the privacy of a physician's office.1 Buprenorphine can be dispensed for take-home use, by prescription.1 This, in addition to the pharmacological and safety profile of buprenorphine, makes it an attractive treatment for patients addicted to opioids.2

Does buprenorphine show up in an employer drug screening?


Buprenorphine has to be specifically tested for and still  isn’t commonly included on standard drug screen panels. Buprenorphine will NOT cause a positive result on tests for other opiates. The typical urine tests used to detect methadone, oxycodone, heroin, and other opioids check for a different metabolite than that found with buprenorphine and will not show a positive result in buprenorphine (only) maintained patients.

buprenorphine drug test

There are in-office tests specifically for buprenorphine that will detect it. These tests are not common (becoming more common since 2011) but can be purchased on the internet.

When reading in-office dip-strip tests be aware that faint lines are not "false positives” see this image of how to read this type of test correctly, and follow the manufacturer instructions: Reading test results

A typical employer multi drug screen might consist of a test for Amphetamine (AMP); Barbiturates (BAR)(Phenobarbital, Secobarbitol, Butalbital); Benzodiazepines(BZO)(Valium, Xanax, Librium, Serax, Rohypnol); Cocaine (COC); Marijuana (THC); Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)(Ecstasy); Opiates (OPI); Oxycodone (OXY); Phencyclidine (PCP); Propoxyphene (PPX)(Darvon compounds); and Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA)

Employers that expand their tests might include some of the following: Hydrocodone (Lortab, Vicodin), Methaqualone (Quaaludes), Methadone, Ethanol (Alcohol)

It is very unusual for an employer to test for buprenorphine, at least for now.  It is becoming more common for an employer to test for buprenorphine. (updated 2011)

Purchase test kits here: http://www.thelabmarket.com/  and http://www.drugtestingworld.com/ 

 



Back to FAQs

The Purpose of Buprenorphine Treatment:

To suppress the debilitating symptoms of cravings and withdrawal, enabling the patient to engage in therapy, counseling and support, so they can implement positive long-term changes in their lives which develops into the new healthy patterns of behavior necessary to achieve sustained addiction remission. - explain -

The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment is a non-profit organization charged with the mission to:

  1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA Talk Paper, T0238, October 8, 2002, Subutex and Suboxone approved to treat opiate dependence.
  2. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Buprenorphine in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 40. DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 04-3939. Rockville, Md: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2004.
  3. Subutex Discontinued in the US market in late 2011.
  4. Currently pending FDA approval. Expected approval in July 2013. see buprenorphine pipeline graphic
  5. Rejected by FDA 4/30/2013 - Future Unknown - Probuphine denied by FDA