What Do Suboxone/Buprenorphine Pills Look Like?

Brand-name Suboxone tablets or pills are small, orange, and hexagonal. They contain both naloxone and buprenorphine, and they’re marked accordingly.

But plenty of generic Suboxone versions exist, and some manufacturers make pills that contain just buprenorphine without naloxone.

If you’ve purchased Suboxone from a pharmacy, it’s safe. You can ask your pharmacist to explain who manufactured your medication.

If you’ve bought Suboxone illicitly, it may not be safe or contain buprenorphine/naloxone. Dealers know how to disguise their drugs to trick even people who have experience taking Suboxone. Never trust anything you buy from a dealer. There’s no way to ensure these medications are safe, even if you use an online pill identifier. One of the main reasons people might consider buying Suboxone illegally is that they’ve lost their medication and need it immediately. However, there are still safe and legal ways to obtain emergency Suboxone.

Keep reading to learn more about what your Suboxone medications might look like.

Quick Answer

Brand-name Suboxone tablets are small, orange, and hexagonal, stamped to identify their buprenorphine and naloxone content. Generics and buprenorphine-only pills come in other colors, shapes, and imprints. Knowing exactly what your medication should look like—and how to spot a counterfeit—is an important safety step, especially as fentanyl-laced fakes circulate.

Suboxone Tablets & Pills: How to Recognize Them

Pharmacies dispense Suboxone in bottles and sealed packages. You may not see them until you prepare for your first dose. Here’s what your medications should look like:

Brand-Name Suboxone

Suboxone pills typically look like this:[1,2]

• Hexagonal
• Orange
• Uncoated
• Debossed with the word Suboxone and the pill’s strength

Each Suboxone pill typically contains buprenorphine and naloxone in a 4:1 ratio, with buprenorphine being the dominant active ingredient.

‍Two Suboxone tablet doses exist:[2]

• 2 mg of buprenorphine with 0.5 mg of naloxone: This pill has either “N2” or “B2” embossed on it
• 8 mg of buprenorphine with 2 mg of naloxone: This pill has either “N8” or “B8” embossed on it.

Other ingredients in Suboxone pills help the dose release at a stable rate into the body, create the color of the tablet, and preserve the medication’s shelf-life. These ingredients might include the following:

• Lactose
• Mannitol
• Corn starch
• Citric acid
• Sodium citrate
• Povidone 30
• FD&C Yellow No. 6
• Magnesium stearate
• Acesulfame K sweetener
• Lemon/lime flavor

[Warning: You should never, under any circumstances, buy generic or brand-name Suboxone from illicit sources, such as dealers or the dark web. You have no way of confirming that the drug you’re purchasing is actually Suboxone—it could contain potent and dangerous drugs like fentanyl or other chemicals that can harm your health. ]

How to Spot Counterfeit or Fentanyl-Laced 'Suboxone' Pills

Pills bought outside a licensed pharmacy can be counterfeit and may contain fentanyl or other dangerous substances. Red flags include imprints that are blurry, missing, or don't match the manufacturer's markings; inconsistent color or shape within the same batch; crumbling or powdery texture; and packaging without a pharmacy label or lot number. You can verify a legitimate pill by matching its imprint, color, and shape using a pill-identifier tool or by confirming the NDC number with your pharmacist. When a pill doesn't match what you expect—even from a pharmacy that switched generic manufacturers—ask before taking it.

Generic Suboxone

Suboxone pills taken under the tongue are also available in generic form, which could be less expensive.[3]

These pills are typically round with dosage and strength information embossed on them.

Generic Suboxone options include the following:

[source: drugs.com]

Other Buprenorphine Pills

Generic versions of buprenorphine without naloxone are also available, though these medications have a higher risk of misuse than Suboxone. This is because naloxone, which is an opioid antagonist, acts as a misuse deterrent by causing precipitated withdrawal if someone injects or snorts their Suboxone.

A buprenorphine-only brand-name medication is called Subutex, which looks like an oval-shaped white pill. However, Subutex has been discontinued and is no longer available.

Other buprenorphine pills you might encounter include the following:

How Do I Get Suboxone Treatment?

Suboxone is a prescription medication for opioid use disorder (OUD), so you must work with a doctor to get it. Sometimes, it’s hard for people to get the treatment they need. You may not have a local doctor willing or able to handle your case. Bicycle Health can help.

Bicycle Health uses an innovative telemedicine appro’ll work with a qualified, compassionate team that can assess your addiction and connect you with a prescription. Visit your local pharmacy with that prescription, and you’re on your way to combatting your addiction.

Contact us to find out if this treatment model is right for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Suboxone pills and Suboxone films?

Brand-name Suboxone pills (tablets) are small, orange, and hexagonal, debossed with the word Suboxone and the strength, for example N2 or B2 for the 2 mg dose and N8 or B8 for the 8 mg dose. Suboxone also comes as films (strips), which look different from the pills. Either way, the medication is placed in the mouth to dissolve rather than swallowed.

How can I check whether a Suboxone pill is real?

If it came from a licensed pharmacy, it's safe, and you can ask your pharmacist who manufactured it. To verify a pill, match its imprint, color, and shape with a pill-identifier tool, or confirm the NDC number with your pharmacist. Watch for red flags: blurry, missing, or mismatched imprints, color or shape that varies within the same batch, a crumbling or powdery texture, or packaging with no pharmacy label or lot number. If a pill doesn't match what you expect, even after a pharmacy switches generic manufacturers, ask before taking it. Never trust anything bought from a dealer, because there's no way to confirm it's really Suboxone and it could contain fentanyl.