Pretty old thread so bumping it is something I do hesitantly. I only do so on the chance that someone googles suboxonne and Crohns as I did and comes across this post and because there seems to be some misinformation in the repliy(es).
Suboxonne is not an opiate like oxy's, vicodin's, morphine, etc...In fact it will not even show up on the standard drug tests of today. For a great number of years suboxonne's only use was for the treatment of opiate addiction. I think more and more today it can and is being prescribed and used for pain management.
I have the unfortunate double edged sword of being both an addict (heroin) and someone recently diagnosed with Crohns. I would like to think that the years of abuse were caused by self medicating for the then undetected Crohns but I simply cannot honestly say that I think that is completely accurate.
Anyway, back on point. Due to having both diseases (and yes I do believe addiction to be a disease and not a moral deficiency.) I have been on Suboxonne before (for the addiction aspect) and was somewhat surprised that Suboxonne is what the Dr. has prescribed me for pain management. He told me that even without the addiction aspect, he often suggests Suboxonne to Crohn's patients because of the way it is taken into the system. That is, it is either a piece of film, or a pill, that is put under the tongue and melts. The person keeps it there for about
10 minutes (after which it can be swallowed or spit out but becomes neutral anywhere other than the mouth) so that it can be absorbed into the system through the walls of ones mouth. He said this was good because it is one less thing that can irritate my stomach and possibly cause inflammations like pills can easily do.
Basically, from what I understand, is that suboxonne 'tricks' the brain receptors that are use to having opiates, the same ones that go crazy when the opiate use stops and causes the withdrawal. These are the same receptors that deal with pain, so the suboxonne too, works to manage pain. I have heard and read that quitting suboxonne can cause withdrawal symptoms but it has never happened to me when I have stopped using it and I have felt completely 'normal' (whatever that is). Don't take what I wrote about
how it works as gospel though, I'm sure that there are better and more technical explanations that can be found so please research them.
The one negative aspect, I believe, is that people assume that anyone on suboxonne is an addict. For example, my ex with whom I do not get along with well at all and constantly have custody issues with over our children assumed that I had relapsed when she found out I was on suboxonne again and no amount of showing her diagnosis or other documentation seems to have changed her mind. It is also very often compared to or confused as a type of Methadone, which is completely inaccurate in my view as methadone is nothing more than liquid heroin and works the same way as any other opiate, which Suboxonne does not.
In closing, for anyone in desperate need of pain management of Crohns who might want to avoid heavy narcotics, and what they might do to ones stomach, I highly suggest looking into suboxonne as an option. One does not get "high" from it or really even feel it. Although someone who has never taken any type of pain meds probably would for a couple days while their body adjusts, it simply lets me live as normal of a life as possible without having to get "high" or continuously take pills that tear my stomach apart.
Post Edited (Moriarity) : 11/12/2011 9:38:00 AM (GMT-7)