Partial Opioid Agonists
Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist sold as generic sublingual tablets for opioid use disorder and as the Butrans skin patch and Belbuca cheek film for long-term pain. It is Schedule III; generic tablets and patches come from several makers, while Belbuca is brand-only.
This page is general information about a medication and how cash prices for it are set. It is not medical advice and does not replace the label, your prescriber or your pharmacist. How we handle medical information
Tablets and patches have several generic makers, the patches rated equivalent to Butrans; Belbuca has no rated generic.
About Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine activates opioid receptors only partly, unlike full opioids such as oxycodone. The sublingual tablet treats opioid dependence and is preferred for starting treatment, once clear withdrawal has begun; the label prefers the combination with naloxone, which has its own guide, for maintenance and doses taken at home. The original brand, Subutex, is discontinued. Since 2023 no separate federal waiver is needed to prescribe it for opioid use disorder.
Butrans, a patch worn for 7 days, and Belbuca, a film held against the inside of the cheek once a day or every 12 hours, treat severe, persistent pain that other options cannot control. They carry the opioid boxed warnings (addiction, slowed breathing, fatal accidental exposure, deep sedation with benzodiazepines or alcohol, newborn withdrawal) and the Opioid Analgesic REMS. Because of an effect on heart rhythm, Butrans is capped at 20 mcg per hour and Belbuca at 900 mcg every 12 hours. Using either with a full opioid can weaken pain relief or cause withdrawal.
Heat from heating pads, electric blankets, heat lamps, saunas, hot tubs, heated water beds or hot baths can make the patch release more drug and cause an overdose, and a fever means calling the prescriber. Nausea, headache, constipation, dizziness and sleepiness are common; the patch can irritate the skin, and tablets and film can harm the teeth. Sublocade (monthly) and Brixadi (weekly or monthly) are injections given only by a healthcare provider and, under their REMS programs, never dispensed to patients.
Taking Buprenorphine
- How to take it
- Tablets: let them dissolve under the tongue without chewing or swallowing, then sip water, swish and swallow; wait an hour before brushing. Patch: apply to the upper outer arm, upper chest, upper back or side of the chest for 7 days, waiting 21 days before reusing a site; showering is fine, and if it falls off, put a new one on a different site. Film: wet the inside of the cheek, press the film there for 5 seconds and avoid food and drink until it dissolves.
- If you miss a dose
- Tablets and film: take it when you remember unless the next dose is almost due. Patch: replace it as soon as you remember, removing the old one first; never wear two at once unless told to.
- Storage
- At room temperature, securely, out of reach of children and others. Fold a used patch in half, sticky sides together, and flush it, as the label and MedlinePlus describe.
- Interactions to know about
- Benzodiazepines, sleep medicines, gabapentin, pregabalin, alcohol and other sedatives add to its effect on breathing. Erythromycin, ketoconazole and ritonavir can raise its levels; rifampin, carbamazepine and phenytoin can lower them. Serotonin-affecting antidepressants can cause serotonin syndrome, and MAO inhibitors are not recommended within 14 days.
This summarizes the official prescribing information. Your prescriber’s and pharmacist’s instructions, and the leaflet that comes with your medicine, take priority.
Why the cash price for Buprenorphine differs from pharmacy to pharmacy
Generic tablets come from many makers, so quotes differ mostly by fee and markup. Generic patches come from several makers, and a pharmacy without your strength may need to order it. Belbuca has no generic, so it is priced as a brand. Wholesalers may also set ordering thresholds for controlled drugs, which can limit stock.
Upload it and licensed pharmacies reply with their own cash price. You pay the pharmacy, not us.
Ways to pay less for Buprenorphine without insurance
- For the patch, ask for a generic rated equivalent to Butrans, and make sure the prescription allows substitution.
- Schedule III prescriptions can carry up to five refills within six months; ask the prescriber whether refills suit your treatment.
- If Belbuca is prescribed, ask the maker about savings programs and the prescriber whether a generic option would suit you.
- Upload the prescription to Script Unlock so licensed pharmacies can quote their cash price. You pay the pharmacy directly.
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for Buprenorphine
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your Buprenorphine prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Questions to ask your pharmacist about Buprenorphine
- 1.Is this the plain tablet or the combination with naloxone?
- 2.Where should the patch go, and what if it falls off?
- 3.Is it safe with my anxiety, sleep or pain medicines?
- 4.Can you dispense naloxone, and how many refills do I have?
Where Buprenorphine fits
Refill, transfer and electronic-prescribing rules for controlled substances differ by state. See pharmacy rules by state.
Related medications
Sources
- FDA-approved labeling on DailyMed (buprenorphine)
- MedlinePlus drug information (National Library of Medicine)
- FDA Orange Book (approved generics and therapeutic equivalence)
- SAMHSA, waiver elimination (MAT Act)
- FDA, Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)
- DEA questions and answers on ordering thresholds for controlled substances
- Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR part 1306 (prescriptions)
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.