[ComfortablyNumb5]

I've typed this post over and over. Deleted over and over. Took a nap, wrote again. Well here it goes. I'm addicted to suboxone. I know that suboxone is prescribed for opiate withdraw/addiction however this is not my case. My brother started self medicating on suboxone when he was addicted to pain killers. For the longest time I was against it. Just another prescription med causing trouble. Well I was dating an abusive asshole at this time and I was drinking every single day. I wanted to quit drinking but the physical withdraw was more than I could handle so my bf said "here, try this!" And handed me a little sliver of suboxone. At first I was scared because I was always against this med but once it kicked in, I was hooked. I felt incredible stable energy and was just flat out happy! So from time to time I would take a little piece of his sub for a little pick me up. Well it wasn't until I tried to stop taking it, did I find I was physically dependant on it. And to top it off, I was still drinking. Well that guy came and went in a messy breakup and I was left to find subs on my own. So there's my brother who is addicted too. At this point I'm no longer getting a buz, I was just taking it to be "straight". So my brother and I would often go hunt down subs together just to keep withdrawal at bay. Here I am years later typing this with yet a piece of sub under my tongue and tears in my eyes. Btw, I did quit drinking this past May. I had to detox in a hospital setting. My brother and I have managed to befriend people just because they had a prescription and wanted to make some cash. Now I know what everyone is thinking... Stay away from my brother. Easier said than done. He's my brother! I admit we have a sick relationship. We call each other about every morning to plan when and how we can score our next subs. I've tried to quit but the physical withdraw puts me in the ground. Cold sweats, insomnia, everything you would expect from an opiate withdraw. And to make it worst, the half life of suboxone is very long so the withdraw lasts even longer than other opiates. So I've tried to taper down without luck because I have such a lack of self control. It's like I NEED someone to take it from me and only give it to me when I'm so sick. This addiction is so pointless and wasteful. Like I said, I don't even get a buzz anymore. And bravo for those who successfully quit opiates with suboxone but In reality, it's a replacement and not a cure. I'm not sure what I'm looking for by writing this. I guess I just need to get it out there and start being honest with myself. I don't know what to do at this point. How do you treat withdrawal from a drug that is supposed to treat withdraw?! Not many options there. This really is a nasty drug and I think if someone is addicted to opiates then it's better to deal with the withdrawal rather than turn to suboxone. I wish I could go back to the very minute my ex handed it to me and just say no.

Dx: BP2, PTSD, bulimia/anorexia
Seroquel 300mgs
Trileptal 300mgs
Buspar 45mgs
Ativan 1mg PRN
Vyvance 70mgs PRN

Thank you for your bravery and honesty. This is a good step in the right direction. I'm pretty sure you're not going to like hearing this, but you're probably looking at hospitalization and residential rehab if you can't kick this monkey on your own.

I was just reading some about it and it's wicked stuff

Some talk about getting on heroin to get off suboxone.

Just leave it to big pharma to introduce a drug that's more addictive and stronger then the drug it's suppose to replace and relieve. That's a real ruthless drug dealer.

I wish you the best hon.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Thanx. It really is a horrible drug. You're better off going through the withdrawal of what you were on in the first place. Either way you're going to feel it. Suboxone just prolongs the symptoms but they are very real. I wish there was more knowledge about the dangers of subs. It's a waste of time and money and sanity.

Dx: BP2, PTSD, bulimia/anorexia
Seroquel 300mgs
Trileptal 300mgs
Buspar 45mgs
Ativan 1mg PRN
Vyvance 70mgs PRN

[ThingWithFeathers]

I agree with always changing, you're very brave in taking the first step in recognising you have a problem and that you want to do something about it. Do you have a GP, counsellor or other health professional you could talk to? That would be the next place to start looking for extra support. My GP, counsellor and psychologist were all helpful and non judgmental in response to my addiction.

Detox and rehab may very well be necessary, but access is different in different countries and states. A health professional should be able to figure out options with you.

I'll be blunt: You need a detox clinic.

Please try to get yourself into one ASAP.

You can do this, but you can't do it without professional help.

[continuosly blue]

I'd like to share MY experience with Suboxone.

I'll just point out the main points for brevity but I will expound on any of them if asked.

1. Suboxone saved my life.
2. Because of a long term chronic pain problem I was on many different narcotic pain
relievers for many years.
3. My tolerance level got very high.
4. Wound up becoming a comatose vegetable basically.
5. Wound up losing a lot .
6. Prescribing Dr. one day disappeared.
7. Lost " connection ". Now I couldn't get anybody to resume my treatment and dosage for oxy that high or ANY amount. for that matter.
8. Now not only was I starting to detox , I also was in horrific pain. Both of which almost pushed me over the cliff.
9. Luckily found a pain doc who would said I had to get off the meds. I said ok but what are you going to give me for my pain ? (All conventional treatment did not help.)
10. He said I'm putting you on Suboxone. I never even heard of it before. So I Googled it and found out what it was.
11. Wanted to go in-patient to do this but wound up doing it alone at home.
It took about 8 weeks of hell. He started at 12 and titrated me down to 2mg/0.5
12. I did it ! ( Only God knows how) *I was now CLEARER than at almost any part of my life.
13. During this time I got the usual injections in my lower back which may have helped a little. ( Spinal fusion L4-L5 , L5-S1 back in 2000 ).
14. So now I was just on the lowest dose which basically just took some of the edge off some of the pain. We talked about different procedures down the line. Meanwhile he decided to keep me on the Suboxone as a " MAINTANENCE " pain med until ? Had no choice , what else could I do ? Now it's important to point out a couple of things here.
-----1. Not all Drs. agree on using Suboxone as a "maintanence" pain med. It does have a small amount of a narcotic drug in it but the other half will stop drugs like oxy from attaching to your brain cells. If you have legit pain chances of this stuff getting you " high " is very small if not nil. If you use it for recreation purposes the you probably will get some kind of high off it..
15.You can become addicted to it so they were going to lower me until I was off of it which scared the crap out of me because what were they then going to give me for my pain ? No answer.
16. I tried to get off it myself and believe me you don't want to try that. I have also been told that even detoxing off the 2mg one( @ 2-3x a day ) is HELL. Definitely would have had to go to a detox under medical supervision.

So there you have it.
The short version.
Hope this helps somebody.

[DeeAnnaD1913]

I just got off of Subs two months ago. I was on them for two years, after getting on them bc of my OxyContin addiction. I used suboxone as a crutch for two years. I am glad to finally be free from it. You can get off of it. It's not as hard as coming off oxy that's for sure. But it's not fun, I had no energy for like 6 weeks. I was so tired. I have heard that people have a much harder time than I had coming off of subs. It may be that I was taking around 10 or 12 30mg roxys a day when I got on suboxone...to me the OXY was HELL. I was taking 3 8mg subs a day for chronic pain in the years after my initial use for it, for detoxing. I think that suboxone can be very helpful in getting off of opiates, especially when your a hardcore user of heroin or oxy. However, it should not be used long term and the person should taper off as quickly as possible. It can be addictive in itself.

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[DeeAnnaD1913]

Oh and hope like hell you don't get hurt and need pains meds while on suboxone bc you won't feel anything.

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[ComfortablyNumb5]

Originally Posted by DeeAnnaD1913

Oh and hope like hell you don't get hurt and need pains meds while on suboxone bc you won't feel anything.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know. My brothers friend was taking them off the streets. He got into an accident and they couldn't do anything at first. It was pretty scary

Dx: BP2, PTSD, bulimia/anorexia
Seroquel 300mgs
Trileptal 300mgs
Buspar 45mgs
Ativan 1mg PRN
Vyvance 70mgs PRN

[Mygrandjourney]

Originally Posted by RxQueen875

I know. My brothers friend was taking them off the streets. He got into an accident and they couldn't do anything at first. It was pretty scary

Dx: BP2, PTSD, bulimia/anorexia
Seroquel 300mgs
Trileptal 300mgs
Buspar 45mgs
Ativan 1mg PRN
Vyvance 70mgs PRN

However, not getting off of opiates because you might get in an accident and need pain meds is not necessarily a valid rationale for continuing to use or delaying some sort of treatment. Going cold turkey from opiates can make you vulnerable to relapse and a relapse can easily lead to overdose. Suboxone and methadone are harm reduction medications and like all meds, have good and bad things about them. The important thing is to stay in communication with your prescriber, therapist, sponsor (if you have one) and not think of the Suboxone as a "silver bullet" treatment for the addiction.

[vonmoxie]

I was prescribed buprenorphine back when it was only available as a muscle injection. Had previously developed an oxycodone addiction after complications of major spinal surgery, and that was impossible to quit on my own. I tried and tried but it felt like I had sabre-toothed tigers inside my stomach. My then fiance had a friend who'd gone to a clinic for oxycodone addiction and got me the information, and that was a godsend. Used the buprenorphine to wean myself off the oxy, and then used xanax to wean myself off the bupe, and then slowed down the xanax little by little. These days I only take xanax really here or there. Couple of pills a month. I think the whole original process for me took somewhere around one year, give or take. Doctor was actually pretty surprised at how quickly I was able to get through it all, but I think I'd realized quickly when I became dependent on the oxy and it frightened the bejeezus out of me to get help, so I likely caught it much earlier than most. Still, it was bad enough I was willing to learn how to jam a needle into my own muscle. I was still on the injections when I got married. I remember having to lift up my wedding dress to jam one in my thigh right before I went to walk down the aisle. Memories.

Maybe because I went from doing oxy to the buprenorphine, it never did that much for me comparatively, to get very involved with the bupe. And because I wasn't getting it in pill form, there was more visceral incentive to get myself off it in that it would mean I didn't have to commit violence against my muscles anymore.

Anyway, a specialist or clinic like the one I went to might be the best place to get help getting off the suboxone. I had to pay, but not much as it was partially subsidized. Buprenorphine Treatment Physician Locator | SAMHSA

[DeeAnnaD1913]

Originally Posted by Mygrandjourney

However, not getting off of opiates because you might get in an accident and need pain meds is not necessarily a valid rationale for continuing to use or delaying some sort of treatment. Going cold turkey from opiates can make you vulnerable to relapse and a relapse can easily lead to overdose. Suboxone and methadone are harm reduction medications and like all meds, have good and bad things about them. The important thing is to stay in communication with your prescriber, therapist, sponsor (if you have one) and not think of the Suboxone as a "silver bullet" treatment for the addiction.

I do not think that I would've been able to stop the oxy without subs. I think they are great for that, just not for two years like myself.

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[continuosly blue]

After reading all the posts I learned a lot and agree with a lot that was said.
I just want to clarify something and get some suggestions if possible.

The only reason I'm still on suboxone is because I need something for my pain. This is pain that you can't control with over the counter stuff. And it's chronic.
I'm getting the lowest dose possible and it's just barely taking the edge off.
I wasn't on narcotics for recreational use. It was prescribed for my pain.
I never got "high " off the meds they just did what they were supposed to do and that was control the pain.

Of course I could not escape the side effects which zombied me out.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ADDICTION.
Many people don't understand that.
I don't crave oxys or any other narc , and I don't ever want to take them again.
Now as far as the sub I know I can't stay on it forever.

The question is this. What and how am I going to control the pain after detoxing off of the sub?
Without some kind of medication the pain will be so much that I will go off the cliff !
I'm scared because I tried to go without the sub for a couple of days and was in such pain and the detox that I had to stop what I was doing or it would have ended badly.

[vonmoxie]

hi cb whatever the cause, I think a pain management specialist would likely be best suited to helping you find a different pain management solution involving non-narcotic medication. Or depending on what the condition is that gives you pain, your physician for that issue might be just as helpful, but in my experience many of them these days prefer their patients see a pain management specialist so that they can focus their time on conditions themselves. In the case of switching to an alternate pain medication I would imagine that withdrawal symptoms would be at least partially minimized, but a pain management specialist would know much better about possible side effects involved for whatever type of switch you might end up making.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Originally Posted by continuosly blue

After reading all the posts I learned a lot and agree with a lot that was said.

I just want to clarify something and get some suggestions if possible.


The only reason I'm still on suboxone is because I need something for my pain. This is pain that you can't control with over the counter stuff. And it's chronic.

I'm getting the lowest dose possible and it's just barely taking the edge off.

I wasn't on narcotics for recreational use. It was prescribed for my pain.

I never got "high " off the meds they just did what they were supposed to do and that was control the pain.


Of course I could not escape the side effects which zombied me out.

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ADDICTION.

Many people don't understand that.

I don't crave oxys or any other narc , and I don't ever want to take them again.

Now as far as the sub I know I can't stay on it forever.


The question is this. What and how am I going to control the pain after detoxing off of the sub?

Without some kind of medication the pain will be so much that I will go off the cliff !

I'm scared because I tried to go without the sub for a couple of days and was in such pain and the detox that I had to stop what I was doing or it would have ended badly.

There are different ways to detox. Tappering, detox, rapid detox ect. If I had the money I would do rapid detox where they put you to sleep and pump you full of vitamins for about 12 hrs. My friend worked at one and they charged $10,000.

Dx: BP2, PTSD, bulimia/anorexia
Seroquel 300mgs
Trileptal 300mgs
Buspar 45mgs
Ativan 1mg PRN
Vyvance 70mgs PRN

[waggiedog]

Hi there. I just thought I'd drop a line about Suboxone (Subutex in England). I've taken this med on and off for about three years, always because I've fallen of the waggon and gone back to my drug of choice Codeine/ibpouphine. No matter what the dose of Suboxone, I've not had bad side effects, at most I had muscle cramps at night and they lasted a week. I agree with the person who says it would be better to be on a programme which doesn't use these substitutes, and cut down little by little on whatever the drug was/is you were addicted to in the first place.

i was on suboxone to get off heroin. cant remember how long, maybe 2 years. have been on methadone before...

the system forced me to get off suboxone cold turkey. i mean, it was kind of my fault since i moved and missed my appointment at the new clinic... by the time they answered their phone it had been a week without so they told me to just keep going without. so, i had to get through withdrawal on my own....

it was hard partly just because of the feeling of abandonment. it was no where near as bad as getting off heroin or methadone.

here, you cant go to detox for meds with withdrawals that last over a week. and they wouldnt offer any support whatsoever for the suboxone... they wouldnt even help me taper. and i was on prescribed sub.

so, dont count on the system. the physical effects are never the hard part. they are the most uncomfortable, but not the hard part... often i found feeling sick a distraction from the mental problems that caused me to use to begin with. withdrawal was brutal, but getting my body and mind back were the hardest.

everyone is different, of course.... try an na meeting or something. someone will always be willing to help there. i have philosophical differences often, but they have good things, especially with those new to recovery....

[continuosly blue]

Originally Posted by vonmoxie

hi cb whatever the cause, I think a pain management specialist would likely be best suited to helping you find a different pain management solution involving non-narcotic medication. Or depending on what the condition is that gives you pain, your physician for that issue might be just as helpful, but in my experience many of them these days prefer their patients see a pain management specialist so that they can focus their time on conditions themselves. In the case of switching to an alternate pain medication I would imagine that withdrawal symptoms would be at least partially minimized, but a pain management specialist would know much better about possible side effects involved for whatever type of switch you might end up making.

Hi Von , and thank you for your input. I should have stated a few more facts but I didn't want to make the post too long. I AM seeing a pain management Dr. and my condition is chronic back pain that initially started in 2000 when I underwent a spinal fusion. He's the one giving me the suboxone because I was already on it when I first saw him. He continued it while I've been undergoing different injections etc...
He didn't offer anything else. He didn't say I had to come off it so I just kept my mouth shut because this was a Godsend. Now the day will come when I'm going to have to get off the suboxone and that's what I need to talk to the Dr. about. Hopefully there will be something for me to take , if I still have such bad pain , that is not a narcotic in any way.

[continuosly blue]

[QUOTE=RxQueen875;4771955]There are different ways to detox. Tappering, detox, rapid detox ect. If I had the money I would do rapid detox where they put you to sleep and pump you full of vitamins for about 12 hrs. My friend worked at one and they charged $10,000.

Hi RxQueen : I would love a rapid detox but if the insurance doesn't cover it then forget it. I have heard that a lot of people are saying the detox off the 2mg/0.5 ( I take it 3 x a day ) is pretty nasty. To titrate down I would have to first take 2 a day ,then 1 a day ,then cut it in half to 1 mg then cut it again to 0.5 mg . I don't think you can reduce it any more than that. So now when I'm off the suboxone then I have to pray that Motrin or something will kill most of the pain which I know I will have. My last MRI showed just a deteriorating condition.

Thanks for your input.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Ok I got about 3 subs from a friend. My plan is to take a quarter (2mg) and then take another in about 4 days when I feel withdrawal. Then I'll take about 1.5mgs every 4-5 days per symptom. If the withdrawal is still there after that then I guess I'm s*it out of luck. Only problem is weather or not I can control myself around the subs I have on me. Im thinking maybe having my bf hide them from me until I'm sick. It's like when I was a alcoholic, if there's a beer in the fridge, it's not going to be there long! So good luck to me.

And thank you all for your input. Wish you luck on those who are tapering down now or in the future.

Dx: BP2, PTSD, bulimia/anorexia
Seroquel 300mgs
Trileptal 300mgs
Buspar 45mgs
Ativan 1mg PRN
Vyvance 70mgs PRN

[Mygrandjourney]

Originally Posted by waggiedog

Hi there. I just thought I'd drop a line about Suboxone (Subutex in England). ....... I agree with the person who says it would be better to be on a programme which doesn't use these substitutes, and cut down little by little on whatever the drug was/is you were addicted to in the first place.

Subutex is buprenorphine without naloxone. It is available here (in the U.S.) and only used for specific cases where a relapse or abuse of Suboxone would cause more harm than good (such as with pregnant women). Research shows that with heroin and other opiates, relapse is over 80% likely when not taking a replacement medication. Addicts lose their tolerance while off the drugs, cold turkey, which is why many of them OD when relapsing. They try to start back on the dose they last used. There may be individual cases of "cold turkey" and rapid detoxes, etc that were successful, but they aren't supported by science, which is what the medical community relies on.

[continuosly blue]

Originally Posted by Mygrandjourney

Subutex is buprenorphine without naloxone. It is available here (in the U.S.) and only used for specific cases where a relapse or abuse of Suboxone would cause more harm than good (such as with pregnant women). Research shows that with heroin and other opiates, relapse is over 80% likely when not taking a replacement medication. Addicts lose their tolerance while off the drugs, cold turkey, which is why many of them OD when relapsing. They try to start back on the dose they last used. There may be individual cases of "cold turkey" and rapid detoxes, etc that were successful, but they aren't supported by science, which is what the medical community relies on.

Thanks for your input. Boy , buprenorphine without the naloxone must be nice. Seriously. I probably said this somewhere else but my main point is I'm physically addicted to it , not mentally. I was on about 300mg. of oxy for pain when my Dr. suddenly disappeared after the DEA crackdown. I was out in the cold. I couldn't find ANYONE to give me even a 20mg. oxycodone.
Forced to detox using suboxone was a Godsend.
When I was at the lowest dose the PM Dr. decided to keep me on the suboxone ( 2.0/0.5 ) 3x a day for MAINTAINANCE control of my pain which was nothing ,but better than nothing ,( a lot of Drs. will just tell you to take some advil or something ). Since this is an addiction thread I want to concentrate on the fact that there is a difference between physical and psychological addiction.

I tried to detox myself off the Suboxone just to see what happened .Well I lasted 2 days . I locked myself in my apartment and began to go insane. Now I know everybody is different but I was going insane . Was just about to commit myself when I decided to stop my experiment.

You have to understand that I was now in my physical pain was in full force because I was not taking anything for it. While I was doing my experiment. I was told by my T that she heard a lot about people thinking it would be easy to get off such a low dose but were surprised when they found out it wasn't as easy as they thought. I think age also can have something to do with it. The older you get the harder all this s*** seems to be.

I just need something to control my physical pain, I don't care what it is , as long as it is not a narcotic. Narcotic medication cost me everything.
I've been on morphine , methadone (for pain ), oxy , and God knows what else for about 15 yrs. Had multiple injections in my back tec.... PAIN SUCKS !
All I know is that if I ever wind up off this stuff, ( and the day will come ), I'm going inpatient.

Whoever thought that one day I would need drugs for a reason other than just " getting high ". Life has a way of breaking even and then some.

[Saltine American]

I started taking My brother in laws suboxone, at first. It was 250 dollars a visit, and I didn't have the insurance to cover the 9 dollar subs. That was back in 05 I think. So He started giving me a couple of his every month and I would quarter them. A few years of him being on it an old friend of his came to town and talked about how heroin is cheaper and yadda yadda. I snorted a few times, but when I saw my Brother in law getting deeper in it, I left. I continued with the Vicodin or whatever. Then saw another, cheaper Sub doc that gave me 3 a day. I was NOT that much of an addict. but hey, It got me high. I stopped seeing him. back to Vicodin because there's no oxys that I know of around here, well, I wasn't going to risk driving downtown. I already wrote this but it has been about a month since taking suboxone. While I was away from him and my sister and niece He was shooting up within 2 months of trying it. He was put in prison for 8 months and then straight to rehab for 3 months. when he finally could leave for the day, he went back home and had they had a nice little party for him. He went back to rehab. He was found dead the next morning. Feb 10, 2015. I'm sorry I wrote all that, His birthday was yesterday. Sorry. I got distracted

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Originally Posted by Saltine American

I started taking My brother in laws suboxone, at first. It was 250 dollars a visit, and I didn't have the insurance to cover the 9 dollar subs. That was back in 05 I think. So He started giving me a couple of his every month and I would quarter them. A few years of him being on it an old friend of his came to town and talked about how heroin is cheaper and yadda yadda. I snorted a few times, but when I saw my Brother in law getting deeper in it, I left. I continued with the Vicodin or whatever. Then saw another, cheaper Sub doc that gave me 3 a day. I was NOT that much of an addict. but hey, It got me high. I stopped seeing him. back to Vicodin because there's no oxys that I know of around here, well, I wasn't going to risk driving downtown. I already wrote this but it has been about a month since taking suboxone. While I was away from him and my sister and niece He was shooting up within 2 months of trying it. He was put in prison for 8 months and then straight to rehab for 3 months. when he finally could leave for the day, he went back home and had they had a nice little party for him. He went back to rehab. He was found dead the next morning. Feb 10, 2015. I'm sorry I wrote all that, His birthday was yesterday. Sorry. I got distracted

I'm so sorry. ((Hugs)) since writing this post I'm still hooked on the subs. Too scared for withdrawal. Now I got a new job and I can't afford to be sick. I want to taper down but end up sneaking more pieces here and there. It's a horrible drug.

Dx: BP2, PTSD, bulimia/anorexia
Seroquel 150mgs
Risperdal 4mg
Trileptal 600mgs
Buspar 45mgs
Ativan 1mg PRN
Vyvance 70mgs PRN