Can A Person Go Into Respitory Distress When Taking Suboxene ?

Posted on Sun, 21 Jun 2020

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 Answered on

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 Last reviewed on

Question : Can a person go into respitory distress when taking Suboxene 8-2mg, 2x a day for years and a ER puts me on a Morphine IV drip of 4mg infused over 2 minutes for ?? (Don't know how long)

Answered by Dr. Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Respiratory distress can be a side effect of Suboxene.

Detailed Answer:
Hello dear and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

Your symptoms seem to be related to the use of Suboxene.
Suboxone is an opiate medication and can cause respiratory distress as a side effect.
It is a rare side effect, but it is severe and needs proper treatment as soon as possible.
Morphine is a medication which reduces respiratory rate and prolongs time in expiration.
So, while using morphine the inspiratory capacity improves.
I suggest to avoid using Suboxene.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Kind regards!

Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi
General &Family Physician

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T