PRIVATE • DISCREET • OFFICE-BASED CARE
Sublocade With Dr. Watson
Monthly buprenorphine treatment — without the daily routine.
Treatment personally guided by Dr. Watson.
Treatment personally guided by Dr. Watson.
Sublocade provides long-acting buprenorphine treatment without a medication you have to take every day. No daily dosing, no pharmacy pickups, and nothing to carry or pack when you travel. Treatment is private, individualized, and personally guided by Dr. Watson.
Sublocade is a monthly, long-acting form of buprenorphine used to treat opioid use disorder. Instead of taking medication every day, one monthly injection provides continuous treatment in the background—leaving you more time to focus on work, family, travel, and getting on with your life.
After the injection, Sublocade forms a small medication depot under the skin that gradually releases buprenorphine. Buprenorphine acts on the same opioid receptors involved in opioid use disorder, helping reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings while providing long-acting medication coverage between injections.
Patients often wonder whether their Sublocade dose is strong enough, whether it wears off, or why they don’t feel it working.
Dr. Watson separates the medicine from the myths.
For many patients, long-acting treatment is about more than convenience. Dr. Watson explains how moving from daily medication to monthly treatment can create more freedom—and give some of that mental real estate back.
Based on Dr. Watson’s experience with more than 10,000 long-acting buprenorphine injections, these are some of the practical differences patients tell us matter most.
When Dr. Watson asks patients what they love most about long-acting treatment, the answer is often surprisingly simple: “I don’t have to think about my addiction anymore.”
The daily routine ends. No waking up thinking about a dose. No planning the day around medication. No worrying about whether you remembered it, packed it, or have enough with you.
The medication is already on board. Treatment moves into the background, freeing you to wake up, start your day, and get on with life like everyone else.
Sublocade is given privately in our office, with no daily medication to carry or take around other people and no routine pharmacy pickup for the injection. For many patients, treatment becomes a smaller, more discreet part of everyday life.
Once administered, Sublocade releases buprenorphine over time without requiring a dose every day. For many patients, that means less time thinking about medication and more mental real estate for everyday life.
Treatment is provided in a private office setting that doesn’t advertise why you’re there. No daily medication to carry, store, or take around other people, and no prescription package sitting at home as a reminder of your treatment. Sublocade can make treatment a much more private and discreet part of your life.
The freedom to travel with peace of mind is here. No worrying about forgetting your medication, packing enough, carrying it with you, or changing your routine. Once your Sublocade injection is given, your medication is already on board.
Your days of worrying about safeguarding your daily medication are over. No bottles, films, or tablets to hide, lock up, carry, lose, or have stolen. Once Sublocade is given, the medication stays with you.
Sublocade is administered by a healthcare professional, reducing the recurring pharmacy logistics that can come with filling and picking up daily buprenorphine prescriptions.
Sublocade gradually releases buprenorphine between injections. Instead of treatment demanding attention every day, medication can increasingly become something working in the background while you get on with life.
There is no daily supply of Sublocade for a child or family member to accidentally find or take. Once the injection is given in the office, the medication stays with you—not in a bottle, package, drawer, or medicine cabinet at home.
Dr. Watson has transitioned thousands of patients to Sublocade since it became available in 2018. The process generally begins with oral buprenorphine. Once you’re ready, Sublocade is ordered and the transition to the injection is relatively straightforward.
There is no expected transitional lag where you are left waiting for the medication to start working, and supplemental oral dosing is not routinely needed. Sublocade begins releasing buprenorphine after it is administered and reaches its maximum plasma concentration at about 24 hours, providing a smooth transition from oral buprenorphine to long-acting treatment.
With Dr. Watson’s one-on-one guidance, you can make the transition without weeks or months of adjustment and get on with your life.
Dr. Watson has helped thousands of patients transition to Sublocade since it became available in 2018. Long-acting treatment is a routine part of our practice.
Dr. Watson explains why transitioning from oral buprenorphine to Sublocade is easier than many patients expect.
From getting started on oral buprenorphine through your first Sublocade injection and ongoing treatment, your care is personally guided by Dr. Watson.
Sublocade can provide more than medication coverage. For the right patient, monthly treatment can simplify everyday life and make treatment less visible, less intrusive, and easier to manage.
Steady Medication Coverage
Sublocade slowly releases buprenorphine throughout the month, helping control cravings and withdrawal symptoms without having to remember a dose every day.
No Daily Oral Medication
Once your injection is given, there are no tablets or films to take every day—an option that may also appeal to patients concerned about continued oral exposure.
More Freedom in Everyday Life
No prescriptions to carry, doses to remember, or medication to pack when you travel. Your treatment is already on board, allowing you to get on with your life.
Less Medication to Store or Protect
There is no monthly supply of medication at home to lose, have stolen, or accidentally expose to children or other family members.
Dr. Watson’s Direct Physician Care model offers a more personalized approach to addiction treatment. Your care is guided directly by Dr. Watson, with one-on-one physician access, flexible scheduling, and treatment designed around your individual needs and your life.
Personal care. Direct physician access. Treatment that fits your life.
Sublocade is given once monthly and continuously releases buprenorphine between injections. The medication remains in the body long after the monthly dosing interval, providing extended medication coverage and offering additional freedom and convenience.
For most patients, the transition is straightforward. Once you are established on oral buprenorphine, Dr. Watson can guide the transition to Sublocade. The injection reaches its initial peak concentration within about 24 hours, allowing medication coverage to continue without an expected transitional gap.
Supplemental Suboxone is not routinely needed after a properly planned transition to Sublocade. Buprenorphine is already on board before the injection, and Sublocade begins releasing additional buprenorphine after it is administered. Dr. Watson will individualize your treatment if symptoms or concerns arise.
The 300 mg dose is generally used as the loading dose when starting Sublocade, while 100 mg is the standard maintenance dose. Dr. Watson individualizes treatment when needed based on each patient’s response and clinical needs.
Common side effects can include injection-site pain, itching or redness, constipation, headache, nausea, tiredness, and changes in liver enzymes. A small lump may also be felt under the skin where the medication depot was placed and usually becomes smaller over time.
Many commercial insurance plans, Medicare, and Medicaid plans may provide coverage for Sublocade, but benefits and out-of-pocket costs vary. Our office can help determine your coverage and what may be required before treatment begins.
Sublocade and Brixadi are both long-acting buprenorphine injections used to treat opioid use disorder. Both provide sustained buprenorphine coverage and can effectively maintain stability throughout the month. For many patients, the choice comes down to individual preference and practical differences such as injection location and the size of the medication depot.
You can learn more about Brixadi on our website or discuss which option may be right for you directly with Dr. Watson.
Sublocade is sometimes called the “Suboxone shot,” but they are not exactly the same medication. Both contain buprenorphine, but Suboxone also contains naloxone. Sublocade is a long-acting buprenorphine injection given once a month.
Disclaimer: Suboxone® and Sublocade® are registered trademarks of Indivior UK Limited. PASD is not affiliated with Indivior UK Limited or its affiliates (“Indivior”), and any reference to it or its intellectual property is for informational purposes only and is not endorsed or sponsored by Indivior.