No, Suboxone is NOT an “opiate” but it IS an “opioid.”
“Opioid” is an umbrella term, and opiates fall under this umbrella: Opiates are natural opioids, meaning that they come from opium, an ingredient in poppy plants. Opiates include morphine and codeine. So, for example, if you take tylenol-3 (tylenol with codeine), you are taking in a natural opiate.
Opioids, on the other hand, are alterations of these natural opiates, in which the opiate has been modified in the lab to create a semi-synthetic version. These include things like heroin, oxycodone (in Percocet), hydrocodone (in Vicodin), and hydromorphone (also known as Dilaudid).
Then there are other opioids, which are completely man-made in a lab. They are NOT derived from natural opiates. These include things like buprenorphine (Suboxone), methadone, and tramadol.
