Mental health articles covering ADHD, depression, anxiety, Suboxone, psychiatric care, and more.
How to Manage Anxiety Without Medication Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 Anxiety is one of the most treatable mental health conditions, and a substantial number of people — particularly those with mild-to-moderate symptoms — achieve meaningful relief through non-medication strategies. If you are not … Read more
How to Manage Depression Without Medication Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 For mild depression with identifiable situational triggers, lifestyle changes and therapy can produce real, sometimes full, symptom relief. For moderate-to-severe depression, those same strategies remain valuable — but they function as supports alongside … Read more
How Long Does Suboxone Block Opiates? Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 Buprenorphine, the active ingredient in Suboxone, blocks opioid receptors for approximately 24 to 72 hours depending on your dose. At a standard 8–16mg daily dose, the blocking effect lasts 24–48 hours. Higher doses … Read more
Does Suboxone Make You Tired or Sleepy? Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 Yes — fatigue and sedation are among the most common side effects of Suboxone, particularly in the first two to four weeks of treatment. This is a normal response to buprenorphine’s activity … Read more
Can You Take Gabapentin with Suboxone? Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 Taking gabapentin while on Suboxone is medically possible and sometimes clinically appropriate — but it requires active prescriber oversight, not patient self-management. Both are CNS depressants. Combined, they amplify sedation and significantly increase … Read more
How to Maximize Suboxone Absorption Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 Suboxone only works as well as what your body actually absorbs. Poor technique — rushing the dissolve time, drinking coffee beforehand, eating immediately after dosing, swallowing the medication before it fully dissolves — can … Read more
Can a Regular Doctor Prescribe Suboxone? Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 Yes — since the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MATE) Act of 2023, any DEA-licensed prescriber can prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. The X-waiver that previously restricted prescribing to specially trained providers is gone. … Read more
How Long After Suboxone Can I Take Opiates? Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 Do not change your Suboxone dosing or time opioid use around it without speaking to your prescriber first. This is a safety-critical question — and the answer depends on your dose, … Read more
Is Suboxone Addicting? Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 The honest answer requires separating two concepts that most people — including many outside the medical field — conflate: physical dependence and addiction. Taking Suboxone daily will produce physical dependence, meaning stopping abruptly causes withdrawal. That … Read more
How Long Does Suboxone Stay in Your System? Reviewed by Josie Desmarais, PMHNP-BC · Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner · Last updated August 2026 Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) stays in your system for 5–8 days on average after your last dose. Urine tests detect it for 3–7 days — up to 14 days at high doses. Hair … Read more