Suboxone Film vs. Tablet: What Is the Difference?
Last updated: October 6, 2026
Many people who take Suboxone were switched from a tablet to a film, or from the brand to a generic, with little explanation. The medicine inside stayed the same. What changed was the form it comes in, how it is packaged, and how long it sits against your teeth. That last difference is at the center of thousands of lawsuits over tooth decay.
This page explains how the film and the tablet compare, why most patients were moved to the film, and why the lawsuits focus on it. For the lawsuits themselves, see Suboxone Lawsuit: Tooth Decay Claims.
This page provides general educational information. It is not medical or legal advice. Which form of buprenorphine suits you is a decision for you and your prescriber. Please do not stop or switch your medicine because of this page.
Took Suboxone film and later lost teeth or needed major dental work? You can ask for a free case review. Whether your history supports a claim depends on your own facts. Pick the situation that fits:
Free and no obligation. Filing deadlines are set by your state. Submitting a review request does not create an attorney-client relationship.
The Same Medicine in Two Forms
Suboxone film and buprenorphine and naloxone tablets hold the same two drugs. Buprenorphine eases withdrawal and cravings. Naloxone is added to discourage misuse. Both forms dissolve in the mouth, and neither should be chewed or swallowed.
The tablet came first. The FDA approved Suboxone tablets in 2002. It approved the film in 2010, after the company showed the film delivers the medicine the same way the tablet does.
How the Film and Tablet Differ
- Where it goes. The film can go under the tongue or inside the cheek. The tablet goes under the tongue.
- Packaging. Each film comes sealed in its own child-resistant pouch. Tablets usually come in a bottle.
- Brand name. The company stopped selling Suboxone tablets in the United States in 2013, so the brand is now sold there as a film. Tablets sold today are generics or other brands, such as Zubsolv.
- Generics. Generic film has been sold since the FDA approved the first versions in June 2018. Generic tablets were on the market before that.
Your prescriber can explain which form fits your treatment, your insurance, and your daily routine.
Why Most Patients Were Moved to the Film
In September 2012, the company then known as Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals said it would stop selling Suboxone tablets in the United States. It said the film's sealed pouches made accidental exposure in children less likely. By 2013 most patients on the brand had been moved to the film.
Critics said the real goal was to keep patients away from cheaper generic tablets, which were about to arrive. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia made that accusation in an antitrust lawsuit filed in 2016.
The federal government also stepped in. In 2019, Reckitt Benckiser Group agreed to pay $1.4 billion over the marketing of Suboxone. In July 2020, Indivior Solutions pleaded guilty to a felony charge of making false statements about the film's safety for children to Massachusetts Medicaid. The Indivior companies agreed to pay $600 million.
Do Both Forms Affect Teeth?
In January 2022, the FDA warned about dental problems with buprenorphine medicines that dissolve in the mouth. The warning covers both tablets and films. The FDA said it had not found the same concern with buprenorphine given by injection or skin patch.
For what the FDA found, the signs of damage, and how to protect your teeth, see Does Suboxone Rot Your Teeth?
Why the Lawsuits Focus on the Film
The lawsuits say the film was made acidic so it would absorb like the tablet. They say the strip sits against the teeth for several minutes every day, often for years, and wears the enamel away. They also say the company knew about dental problems and did not warn patients until 2022. Indivior and Aquestive Therapeutics, which makes the film, dispute the claims.
Because the cases are about the film, the product a person actually used is one of the first questions a lawyer asks. Many people took a tablet at one point and the film at another. Some took a generic film, which raises separate questions. Your pharmacy records answer all of these.
Took the film for months or years, then needed extractions, crowns, or dentures? A case review starts with which product you took and when. Rough dates are enough.
Start a Free Case ReviewEducational purposes only. Submitting the form on Lawsuit Center does not create an attorney-client relationship.
How to Find Out Which One You Took
You do not have to remember. These records show it:
- A printout from your pharmacy listing every fill, with the product name and dates
- The label on an old box or pouch, which says film or tablet
- Your insurance company's record of the claims it paid
- Records from the doctor or clinic that prescribed it
On a pharmacy record, the brand appears as Suboxone. A generic usually appears as buprenorphine and naloxone, followed by the word film or tablet. Most pharmacies can print your history at the counter or send it on request.
Have your pharmacy history in hand? A free, no-obligation case review can look at which product you took, when, and what happened to your teeth.
Request a Free Case ReviewEducational purposes only. Submitting the form on Lawsuit Center does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Common Questions About Suboxone Film and Tablets
Is Suboxone film stronger than the tablet?
No. The film was approved because it delivers the medicine the same way the tablet does. Your dose is what your prescriber sets, whichever form you take.
Are Suboxone tablets still sold?
The Suboxone brand is sold in the United States only as a film. Generic buprenorphine and naloxone tablets are still sold, along with other brands such as Zubsolv.
What is Subutex?
Subutex was the original buprenorphine tablet, approved with Suboxone in 2002. It contains buprenorphine without naloxone. Generic buprenorphine tablets are still sold.
Is Sublocade a film or a tablet?
Neither. Sublocade is a monthly injection of buprenorphine, so it never dissolves in the mouth. The FDA's 2022 dental warning did not cover injections.
Can I file a lawsuit if I only took the tablets?
The lawsuits filed so far are about the film. Whether a person who took only tablets has a claim would depend on the facts, and a lawyer would need to review them.
Should I switch from the film to a tablet?
That is a decision for you and your prescriber. The FDA's dental warning covers both forms that dissolve in the mouth, so a switch alone may not protect your teeth.
Ask for a Free Case Review
Lawsuit Informer provides general educational information. When you are ready for a review of your own history, continue to Lawsuit Center for a free case review.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, dental warning for buprenorphine medicines dissolved in the mouth (January 12, 2022) — the forms the warning covers and the forms it leaves out.
- U.S. Department of Justice, “Indivior Solutions Pleads Guilty to Felony Charge and Indivior Entities Agree to Pay $600 Million” (July 24, 2020) — the guilty plea, the false statements about the film, and the earlier $1.4 billion Reckitt Benckiser resolution.
- The Fix, “Reckitt Pulls Its Suboxone Tablets From the US Market” (September 2012) — the announcement and the reason the company gave.
- Healio, “FDA approves first generic versions of Suboxone for opioid dependence” (June 15, 2018) — the first generic film approvals.
- Court record, In re Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) Film Products Liability Litigation, No. 1:24-md-03092-JPC (N.D. Ohio) — the complaints’ account of the move from tablet to film and the 2016 state antitrust lawsuit.
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