When a person addicted to narcotics such as morphine, heroin or oxycodone tries to stop the addiction, he may go through severe withdrawal symptoms. Doctors may prescribe the brand-name drug Suboxone to help prevent these symptoms from occurring, the Mayo Clinic reports. The drug, which combines the medicines naloxone and buprenorphine, helps the person make it through withdrawal during detoxification on the way to a drug-free life. Suboxone, however, does produce some side effects.
Pain
Taking Suboxone can cause some pain, the Mayo Clinic reports. The medication may cause the person using it to experience pain while urinating. He also may get headaches. Pain also may occur in the right or left side of his body, or in his back. Any one of these side effects requires an immediate consultation with the person's doctor for possible treatment, the Mayo Clinic recommends.
Syncope
The use of Suboxone may induce lightheadedness or dizziness as side effects of the medicine. She also may feel as if she may faint, a condition referred to by the medical term syncope. These side effects may mean she has a severe reaction to the medication, so she needs to question her doctor about them immediately.
Cold-Like Symptoms
The person using Suboxone may experience some side effects that appear cold-like. He may develop a cough or he may experience hoarseness in his throat. He may feel overly warm and he may develop a fever. With the fever, he may experience the chills. His neck and face may flush or appear red, and he may break out in a sweat more than usual. These types of side effects, too, require immediate medical intervention.
Constipation and Diarrhea
Less serious side effects also may occur when a person undergoes treatment with Suboxone. She may have digestive problems, for example, simply because her body reacts to the medication as it first enters her body. She may find it difficult to move stools through her large intestines to make a bowel movement. Conversely, she may find she has loose or watery stools known as diarrhea. Cramps in her abdomen may occur with both of these side effects of taking Suboxone. Drugs.com reports these as non-serious side effects that typically go away. The organization does recommend contacting the doctor if they do not abate in a reasonable amount of time.
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