Suboxone won’t reduce meth cravings. Our Suboxone therapy program treats opioid use disorder, and methamphetamine isn’t an opioid, so there’s nothing for the medication to act on.
Here at Porch Light Health, we hear the question often enough that it deserves a fuller answer than no. Suboxone can matter a great deal for someone who uses meth when opioids are also in the picture, which they often are.
Below we walk through when that’s true, and what actually helps for meth itself. If you use meth, love someone who does, or are trying to work out whether medication has any role here, this one is for you.
Suboxone is a buprenorphine and naloxone medication for opioid use disorder. It doesn’t reduce methamphetamine cravings and isn’t approved for stimulant use disorder. It still matters for many people who use meth: much of today’s supply carries fentanyl, and most meth overdose deaths also involve opioids. For meth itself, the strongest evidence is behavioral, especially contingency management.
Suboxone is a brand-name combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, taken as a film or tablet that dissolves under the tongue. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, meaning it occupies opioid receptors in the brain enough to stop withdrawal and cravings without producing the high a full opioid does, which is also why clinicians consider Suboxone for 7-OH withdrawal.
The naloxone in the formulation is there as a deterrent. Swallowed as directed, it stays largely inactive. Injected, it can trigger withdrawal, which discourages misuse.
Used as prescribed, buprenorphine also blunts the effect of other opioids and lowers overdose risk.
Those effects are the core of what MOUD, or medications for opioid use disorder, is designed to do. Buprenorphine stabilizes someone medically so the rest of opioid use disorder treatment has a chance to work.
Methamphetamine and opioids move through completely different systems in the brain:
Because meth never touches those receptors, a medication built for them has nothing to work on.
Taking Suboxone won’t reduce meth cravings, shorten a stimulant crash, or make it easier to stop using meth on its own. We’d rather be blunt about that than leave someone waiting on a medication to do something it was never designed to do.
If meth is your only substance, the right plan is behavioral, and the rest of this article covers what that looks like day to day.
For a large share of people who use meth, opioids are already part of the picture, whether they intend that or not. NIDA notes that opioids may be added as a hidden ingredient in illicit methamphetamine, so exposure isn’t always a choice.
The overdose data reflects that overlap. In the CDC’s review of overdose deaths involving stimulants, covering January 2021 through June 2024, stimulants were involved in 59.0% of all overdose deaths, and 68.8% of methamphetamine-involved deaths also involved an opioid.
If you use both, or if there’s any chance your supply is contaminated, buprenorphine can meaningfully lower opioid overdose risk. It takes a very small amount of fentanyl to cause harm, and contamination is close to impossible to spot by look or taste.
In that situation the medication isn’t treating the meth. It’s treating the opioid exposure sitting underneath it, which is a different and very real clinical problem.
A clinician can sort out which of those applies to you, and whether buprenorphine belongs in your plan at all.
People weighing meth addiction treatment tend to ask about the same handful of options. The table below lines up what each one is for and what the evidence supports for methamphetamine specifically.
| Approach | What It’s Approved or Used For | Evidence for Methamphetamine Use | Where It Fits |
| Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) | Opioid use disorder | No direct effect on meth cravings | Relevant when opioids or fentanyl exposure are also present |
| Methadone | Opioid use disorder | No direct effect on meth cravings | Another MOUD option for opioid use disorder, dispensed through an opioid treatment program |
| Naltrexone | Opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder | Not approved for stimulant use disorder; studied in research combinations | Discuss with a clinician if opioid or alcohol use is also present |
| Contingency management | Stimulant use disorder | NIDA calls it the best-studied behavioral treatment for meth | Core of a meth-focused plan; offered as Porch Light Rewards |
| CBT and motivational interviewing | Substance use disorders broadly | Supported as evidence-based behavioral approaches | Paired with contingency management for skills and motivation |
| Naloxone (Narcan) | Reversing opioid overdose | No effect on meth itself | Worth carrying because of fentanyl contamination |
There is no FDA-approved medication for methamphetamine use disorder or any other stimulant use disorder, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse says so plainly.
Nothing has changed that as of this writing, and any source promising a pill for meth is getting ahead of the evidence.
Research is active, though. A National Institutes of Health study published in January 2021 tested a combination of extended-release injectable naltrexone and oral bupropion, and found that 16.5% of participants on the combination had negative urine screens during weeks 5 and 6, compared with 3.4% on placebo.
Results like these are meaningful enough to publish and small enough to keep in perspective. Neither medication is approved for methamphetamine use disorder, and whether anything along these lines suits a given person is a conversation for a prescriber who knows their history.
We treat stimulant use with behavioral care first, and with medication where a clinician finds it appropriate for opioid or alcohol use that’s also present. Our behavioral health services include Porch Light Rewards, our contingency management program.
Porch Light Rewards offers rewards for progress such as negative urine screens and consistent therapy attendance.
Alongside that, our clinicians draw on a range of approaches:
Care reaches people three ways across Colorado and New Mexico:
We accept Medicaid and Medicare and work with commercial payers including Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Cigna, and Kaiser Permanente. We also offer a sliding fee program for people who need it.
If opioids are also part of the picture, medication can be layered into the same plan rather than handled somewhere else. One team, one chart, one set of appointments.
Nothing here requires you to be ready to stop.
Reducing harm while you figure things out is a legitimate goal in its own right, and it’s the stance we take across our services. Our overview of the principles of harm reduction explains the reasoning in more detail.
A few practical steps make a measurable difference:
None of this replaces treatment. It keeps the door to treatment open, which is the part that matters most.
You don’t have to know what you need before you reach out. Call 866-839-8868 or get in touch with our team, and we’ll help you work out what fits.
Can Suboxone make you fail a drug test for meth?
No. Suboxone contains buprenorphine and naloxone, neither of which is a stimulant. It won’t produce a positive methamphetamine result on a standard screen, though buprenorphine itself can show up on panels that test for it.
What happens if you take meth while on Suboxone?
Suboxone won’t block methamphetamine’s effects, because the two act on different receptor systems. Using stimulants while on buprenorphine also puts competing strain on the heart and blood pressure, so tell your prescriber honestly rather than hiding it. Prescribers who work in addiction medicine expect this and use the information to keep you safer. The same receptor logic applies to cocaine, which we cover in our guide to Suboxone for cocaine use.
Is there any medication for meth addiction at all?
Not one that’s FDA-approved. NIDA is explicit that no medication is approved for methamphetamine use disorder or any other stimulant use disorder. Research combinations have shown modest results in trials, but behavioral treatment remains the evidence-based core of care.
Does contingency management really work?
It has more research behind it than any other behavioral treatment for stimulant use, according to NIDA. The structure is straightforward: tangible rewards for meeting agreed-upon goals such as negative urine screens or attendance. Our version is called Porch Light Rewards.
Why does a meth article keep talking about fentanyl?
Because the two are entangled in the drug supply. NIDA notes that opioids are sometimes added as a hidden ingredient in illicit methamphetamine, and the CDC found that 68.8% of meth-involved overdose deaths from January 2021 through June 2024 also involved an opioid. Our article on why fentanyl is so dangerous covers how little it takes.
I use both meth and opioids. Where do I start?
With one assessment that covers both. A clinician can determine whether buprenorphine or another MOUD suits the opioid side while building a behavioral plan for the stimulant side. Splitting those across two providers tends to make both harder to stick with. If that conversation turns toward an opioid blocker instead, our guide to choosing between naltrexone and Suboxone lays out what each option asks of you.
What if I also have depression, anxiety, or PTSD?
Co-occurring conditions are common enough that we treat them as part of the same plan rather than a separate problem. Our psychiatry, therapy, and medication services are coordinated in one place rather than referred out.
What if I can’t afford treatment or don’t have insurance?
We accept Medicaid and Medicare and work with several commercial plans, and our sliding fee program reduces costs based on income and family size. Coverage varies by plan and eligibility, so the fastest way to find out where you stand is to ask us directly.
What should I bring to a first appointment?
A photo ID and proof of insurance, if you have it. Your first visit covers new patient paperwork and a one-on-one appointment with a medical provider who reviews your health and substance use history, then discusses whether medication fits your situation.
What happens after an overdose?
An overdose is a medical event with a real aftermath, and the window right afterward is one of the higher-risk periods for another one. Follow-up care in those first days matters, and starting medications for addiction treatment is often part of it.
You don’t need to have your situation figured out before you call. If meth is the only thing you’re using, we’ll build a behavioral plan around it. If opioids are also involved, we’ll assess that and talk through whether buprenorphine belongs in your care.
Call 866-839-8868 or contact Porch Light Health to get started. Care is available at our clinics, through our mobile medical units, and by telehealth across Colorado and New Mexico.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider about your specific situation. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
