Suboxone, which contains buprenorphine and naloxone, can stay in your system for varying lengths of time depending on several factors such as dosage, frequency of use, metabolism, and liver function.
- The half-life of buprenorphine, the main active ingredient, ranges from about 24 to 42 hours. Naloxone has a shorter half-life of 2 to 12 hours
- Generally, it takes about 5 half-lives for a drug to be eliminated from the body. For most healthy individuals, Suboxone can be detectable for approximately 5 to 8 days after the last dose
- In people with moderate to severe liver disease, the elimination time can be significantly longer, up to 7 to 14 days or more
Detection windows by test type are approximately:
- Urine tests: Up to 7 to 10 days for regular users; in some cases, up to 14 days, especially with heavy or long-term use
- Blood tests: Typically 1 to 2 days, but can be up to 8 days depending on dosage and metabolism
- Saliva tests: Up to 3 to 5 days after the last dose
- Hair tests: Can detect Suboxone for up to 90 days or longer, but this is less common
The metabolite norbuprenorphine has a longer half-life (up to 150 hours) and can be detected in urine for up to two weeks in some cases
. In summary, Suboxone can stay detectable in the system from about one week up to two weeks depending on individual factors and the type of drug test used. For most people, urine tests can detect it for up to 7-10 days, while blood and saliva tests have shorter detection windows
