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Subutex/Suboxone

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Chronic Pain
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Posted 8/13/2008 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
Has anyone tried these for helping get off the opiates? Does it help, and work? Is it safe? Or is it just replacing one problem with another?
Thanks

I am going to dr this morning to discuss my withdrawals with her.
God Bless
Posted 8/14/2008 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
I am sorry that you are going through the withdraws as this is a drawback from treating chronic pain. I was on opiates for 14 years of which the last 10 years oxycontin. I was up to 160mgs a day and somtimes more on bad days. Recently, (3weeks ago) I weaned myself down to 80 mgs a day over the course of 5 days and had moderate withdraw symptoms. I finally caved in and made an appointment with a suboxone doctor. I think that experiencing withdraw symptoms was the best for me b/c I knew how bad I could feel. After seeing the doctor she kept me in her office for 4 hours b/c my blood pressure was off the chart and she kept administering more suboxone until it reached normal.

 

 

The good news and bad news. The good is that all the weakness, abdominal cramping and leg kicking stopped after 3 pills or 24 mgs. I am now doing fairly well. Just have some hand shaking now and again. The bad news..... I am in more pain from the chronic pain I was in. Studies have shown that the body reacts this way b/c the opiate receptors have been suppressed for so long. I am not going to take the ultram prescribed until I know my "true" level of pain. I will wait at least another week or two as I am currently out of work on disability. Depression is very common during this period of transition and I am victim to this right now. I am taking 20mgs of Lexapro and my anxiety level is pretty bad now too. I am taking a low dose of Xanax for this month. I had to go off all meds b/c I was diagnosed with MS and I do not want my body to have any opiates in it. Do I miss the pills.... kinda but only on a psychological level to rid the pain. Suboxone will take care of any physical cravings. I seriously think that if a pill of OC was in front of me right now, I could be strong enough not to want to take it. Besides.. it wouldn't do anything for me as it has an opiate blocker"Naltroxone".

 

The only thing that worries me about taking sub is I ever have a procedure/surgery and need pain meds again. I never abused my pills, just made a conscious decison that my health comes first. Will I be labeled as a former "drug addict" or "drug seeker" if I need them again in the future? As of the date of this response I have had 10 surgeries and numerous procedures over the last 14 years and am quite sure I will need more in the future. Best of luck to you and I hope this response helped you.

 

 

Heather

Posted 8/15/2008 12:16 AM (GMT 0)

Hello. I just started suboxone 2 weeks ago, and I think it has been great. I too still have chronic pain but the funny thing is, is since I started suboxone and stopped the other pain meds (methadone) my pain has gone down ALOT. I was so scared that I was gonna be in worse pain, but I actually have the opposite reaction yeah   So I now believe that narcotics somehow trick the body into thinking your in worse pain than you really are so you will take more. I've barely had any side effects from this, and I love the fact that Im not drowsy anymore, or feel yucky anymore from the other narcotics I took, I was not pleasant to be around and have discovered being around other people on narcotics hasnt been very fun either, they're always moaning about junk and too tierd to anything (especially my aunt who refused to go to her own daughter/granddaughter's babyshower eyes . I know suboxone is still a narctic but it's diffently diffrent from the others, and I heard the withdrawals from it is nothing like the other narcotics. well thats my input....

-hellokitty smurf

Posted 8/15/2008 2:08 PM (GMT 0)
Bless you Heather. I have nothing to whine about at all. I was just wondering if it would be an option, I should look into. I don't think it is something I need. I am so sorry for what you are going through. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate, but you are determined to find another way. It is horrible to have to rely on narcs to have a life. I wish you all the possible good days ahead. I feel, now, that I do not need to go the Suboxone route. My tapering down is working. (knocking on wood)
Thanks for the post.

--> -->Sending Good Wishes your way--> -->
God Bless
Posted 8/15/2008 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hello~Kitty. I am so happy for you. It sounds like the perfect fit. Wonderful. I also believe my Percocets caused me more pain than my original problem. The longer I took them, I had pain in other places. I was on Oxycontin (up the usual ladder from V, Perc) for a few months, about 3 years ago. It caused me so many other problems. I started losing the use of my legs, and had severe Carpal Tunnel like symptoms. As soon as I went off them...poof...all of the leg and arm problems completely gone. I know it is weird, but dr and I believe it was a side effect. I was tested for Carpal Tunnel, and nope. I am having the same problems now, (not the legs this time) and as I am tapering off, they are subsiding. So I believe, for some of us, the meds can cause other issues. I hope you have continued good results with the Suboxone. It is nice to hear that your pain is lessened, and I bet it will only get better, cause you seem to be so positive about it. Keep up the good work. Stay strong, and smile as often as you can. :>
Thanks for the post.
God Bless
Posted 6/6/2011 9:20 AM (GMT 0)
From what I've understood, provided you are using a theraputic dose of Opiods, Subutex can be used to help with withdraws for a short period of time of roughly 1 week in which it wards of the withdraw symptoms but in using Subutex for only 1 week, it prevents getting dependent on that medication.

It is true that Subutex has less severe withdraws than some opioid medications as it is a partial agonist whereas most opioid medications are full agonists.
Posted 6/7/2011 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
it is a miracle drug.
Posted 6/8/2011 2:05 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know if you all know you are responding on a thread that is almost three years old???? The last time this thread was active was in 2008.
Posted 6/8/2011 4:16 PM (GMT 0)
i thought this looked familiar. why can't you use opiates if you have MS?
Posted 6/8/2011 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
Spinal Soldier I have no idea who you are directing your question to, this is an old thread and no one is talking about MS that I can see.
Posted 6/8/2011 6:28 PM (GMT 0)
SS...I think you are mistaking this thread for NikiS's thread on Multiple Sclerosis...where there was talk about certain meds for MS specifically and opiates are not used to 'treat' the disease...but the pain along with it..
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