Advice On Switching From Suboxone To Methadone (Page 2)

I am switching from suboxone to methadone and i have chronic pain. Will this help me with the pain? I dont have any other options. What should i do for my pain? I have marfans syndrome and it makes u have chronic pain every day. This is my last resort. Will the methadone help? It's terrible to be uncomfortable and in pain trying to find a solution, so please i need feedback.

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I just went from 85 mgs of metadone to saboxine about 2 months ago and i still feel like i am jumping out of my skin almost all day long. I also suffer migraine headaches now. I now think i need to go back to methadone. I forgot to mention that i was also on methadone for the better part of 18 yrs. Has anyone had a similar experience? If so what did you do or what would you recommend?

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Actually its the other way around meth has way longer half life and withdrawal period

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thx so much much needed info given in ur reply thk u again!

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THATS WHAT IM TRYING TO FIND OUT! SOMEONE HELP[!!!!

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It was helpful to me. I've been on methadone for 6 years and I want to do the same thing.

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You must wate 24 to 48 hours after your last sub,and start with a low dose. I just asked my doc.

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Dont go to methadone, i am switching from methadone to sub now. Methadone is not for pain. I have spine issues and have been thru the whole gammit of pain killers and ended up a opiate addict. Went on methadone for 8 years. Dosent help the pain it just gets rid of the withdrawl. Its like your morning coffee you feel great till the afternoon then its time to sleep. Weight gain alergys to the sun and a thirst for sugar and sleeping all the time is what you have to look forward to. Its no way to live. If you havent been cut off from pain killers and cant live without them that is a better way to go. Methadone is a life of hell. I cant wait to get clean. I am at the point were im trying to get my back fixed to live in tolorable pain. No more drugs for me. Find some way to manage your pain besides drugs. Drugs are pain. i feel for you i know the path you are on..but please stay away from methadone. Again its no way to live..good luck friend

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I have the complete opposite problem! Im on 10mg of methadone 5x/total 50mg daily. I suffer from sever chronic back pain, and it works very well keeping the pain manageable. However, I with my COPD,effecting my heart an bp on top of a recent electrocardiogram ordered every 18 months, normal procedure, 4 patients on m-done for prolonged time, I have been on them for 8 years, this time I was flagged. Problem is I cant find any Dr. that will change my RX prescription to Suboxone! I had purchased some sample 15/ 8mg, film strips to try for 10.00 a piece, an could not believe how much they helped withdrawing off the methadone, But now I have no access to more and had no choice but to go back to the methadone, 2 films a day for 7/8 days was not enough time to get this long lasting drug detoxed from my body. I find it sad, people want to get clean cant get a Dr. and have to pray for the samples.. Does anyone know if their Dr has advice for this? I live in Fl an did a Dr. search for providers, but the only one I could see, didnt take my insurance an also wants 300.00 cash only payment, every 2 weeks! I cant afford 600 a month. This is crazy! Am I the only one going through something like this?

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I switched back and forth several times. It's no picnic either way.. I waited 12 hours between doses and did not feel better for 24 hours. I can state that I have taken methadone for 10 years and have been to a methadone clinic prior to entering pain management. It's really no big deal just discomfort for a few days. I will say I was happier when I was not physically addicted to anything. Just PROTECT YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS AND NOT FRIENDSHIPS AT ALL COST. Hope this post helps.Good luck.

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Idk who or why your were prescribed suboxone for chronic pain in the first place. I can understand the methadone, because the methadone can be used and often is used for severe pain management (although not for breakthrough pain, more for long term management) and suboxone is not even a pain medication. It was designed specifically to help people who are physically dependent on opiates/opioids manage their withdrawal symptoms without feeling high and resorting to abusing pain meds. If someone prescribed you suboxone, it was to help you manage your withdrawals with the goal of getting off opioids indefinitely, either that or they have no idea what suboxone is. If you truly do have marfan syndrome and chronic pain then I think it is best to manage your pain and your withdrawal symptoms so yet, methadone combined with some kind of breakthrough pain medications and physical therapy is probably what a doctor would go for. Talk to your doctor. Yes it is absolutely possible to switch from suboxone to methadone and vice versa but it is not as simple as changing prescriptions. For example you have to taper off the suboxone and then stop taking the medicine for a few days and then start on the methadone after you go into withdrawal otherwise your body will go into precipitated withdrawal and maybe even shock. I know this thread is old so my advice is for anyone attempting to google this question. Working with a doctor and a therapist is essential and if you go to a clinic then I suggest working with a dr and therapist outside of the clinic as well and allow them to communicate so you get the right treatment. If this is not possible then make sure you research everything as much as you can and dont be dishonest about things. If you have an addiction or dependency be honest, we are not here to judge you we are here to help and anyone who does judge you on a site like this is a loser for wasting their time looking for addicts to poke fun of. Honestly to me it sounds like the OP isnt giving us all the information which is obviously not a good idea. i think he or she knows what suboxone is and why they were given it and even if they are being honest about their marfan syndrome i think they are using it to make excuses for themselves. as addicts we can never get clean until we start being honest. I hope you succeeded in your treatment and ended up living a sober and drug free life or at the very least a sober and clean one. I am currently on methadone myself and thinking about switching to suboxone earlier than i had initially planned. I have chronic back pain as well as having a serious physical dependence and addiction to opiates. I am scared to death of relapsing but have stayed clean for the last 17 months. I think the most important thing for staying clean aside from being honest to yourself and others especially the people helping you is to plan ahead of time and account for possible mistakes and make back up plans., currently ive actually exceeded my expectations which is why i want to switch to suboxone a few months early. initially i planned on switching after two years on methadone but now i've been thinking about switching at 18 or 19 months and taking it from there. another important thing is to take things slow and to not be afraid to go back if you feel uncomfortable, just don't allow yourself to quit and relapse or put you into a position where that becomes easy to do. recovery does not ever happen over night people and we all have slip ups and relapses its part of the process but never give up.

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Yes methadone would help with ur pain way more thats what its for is cronic pain i qas on the clinic for 3 years n now atarted taken suboxine to not have withdraws cause i atopped cold turkey n took the suboxo e n sent me i to severe wd's so been on suboxone n i hate it still in horrible pain in my back no energy cant sleep but methadone is very hard to get off of ull never be the same but if ur doin it for pain then moat likely ull do it forever but it is awesome for pain n gives u ur energy back n i slept like a baby lol ive really thought aboit goin back to it ive been miserable ever since i quit!!!

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It is so bad to base decisions on what people read on the internet without knowing what everybody's true problems are. This can cause people to maybe make poor decisions about what might be best for them. Somebody has a bad experience and they make a post about it, leaving out the true details of their particular situation, and then that post spreads like wildfire. Not all medications or symptoms affect everyone the same way. This is a fact. I have severe health issues, some of which cause me a lot of pain. I have been diagnosed with chronic pain and also can not have any type of surgeries or blockers due to blood thinners that I am currently taking. I started out on hydrocodone, then got put on oxycodone, then oxycodone ir, then was put on the oxy's together. When these got to the point that they were not working, I was put on methadone. I got up to 90mg and felt the best I had felt in several years. I talked with my doctor after a year on methadone and we made the decision to try suboxone. I went from 90mg methadone, to 80mg, to 70mg, and then I stopped everything for two full days. In hindsight, I should have gotten down to between thirty and forty milligrams of methadone before I switched but, because I was in such a hurry, I made the change. The first day off of methadone was really good and the second day was very rough. When I woke up, I could tell that I was starting to go into w/d's. everyone knows what w/d symptoms are so I will not go into that. I took my first dose of suboxone - 4mgs - on the third morning. I knew in about thirty minutes that I had made a mistake by not going down farther on the methadone. The suboxone sent me into precipitated w/d's. Later on I took another 4mg suboxone film and I did not get any better. It took me about two days to get where I felt better. I got up to 28mg of suboxone and was still having chronic pain. The suboxone did not work for me, as far as MY pain, but it did work for suppressing w/d's. I do know some people that are on suboxone for pain and it works great for THEM. I have gone back to methadone 90mg and I am happy with my decision. This is what is working for me. I also have friends that are addicted to pain pills and both methadone and suboxone works for them to stop the cravings and w/d's. Why did I stop the methadone in the first place? Simply put, I wanted to try something else. Do I regret switching? Absolutely not!! You have to remember, I did this with my doctor helping me. He also wanted me to go farther down on the methadone than I did, but I was in a hurry. That was nobody's fault but mine. I can honestly say that I would NOT do that again (unless it was an emergency). As far as the w/d's being worse on methadone than any other opiate, that is so far from the truth. I can't say how long the w/d's last because I haven't stopped long enough to say if they last months or years. I can only state what has happened to me and what I have "personally" seen from other people. I did and still do so much research on various medications because I want to know about them. I say all this simply because when I first started all this, I was constantly on the internet and I can honestly say that much of what I have read is either straight false or simply misunderstandings from people that have had bad experiences and what I have said applies to what I have been through or "personally" seen. You have got to be very, very cautious when you read postings in these types of formats. If you let some of these get to you, some will mislead you and you might pass up something that will help you. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of truths out there about this stuff. You just have to read them for what they are and not the gospel according to John so to speak. I am not a doctor but, I do like to see people have the right advice or opinions, if you will, before they make decisions like these. I can honestly say, some medications that work for you, won't work for me. That's life. You don't know unless you do it. Under the care of a doctor of course. I've even gone as far as contacting manufacturers of some medications to get answers that my doctors couldn't answer. I want to know. In my opinion, I think everyone should know all they can about what they take. You'd be surprised at how much gets by a doctor or pharmacist. Especially when they are in a hurry or medicinal reviews aren't done. For instance, methadone doesn't mix well or at all with certain antibiotics. That's one I learned myself and when I brought it to one of my doctor's attention, the medicine was changed. I have severe allergies and it was cipro that doesn't mix with methadone. It sends you into w/d's. I know that some of the methadone clinics give you a list of medications to give to your doctor stating that you can't take medicines on that list. I apologize for this post being so long but, if you don't have all the facts, you can't make an honest opinion. Out of all this, addiction or chemical dependency, you may be in a situation, like myself, where you have no choice but to take this medication and if so, do your best to do what is right for you. I hope, with all my heart, that this might help someone reading and it does give comfort to you. I really wish I could have known more about all this before because I did fall into the internet "trap" and really was freaking out about some things I read. I did learn though, the hard way unfortunately, how to separate fact from fiction. Even still it's sometimes hard to tell. Regardless of what you've heard, everything on the internet is not true lol. It's a hard thing to deal with things like this. When you know that you will be on these types of medications the rest of your life, you have to do the best that YOU can do. Whether it's addiction or chemical dependency either way your body has to have the medication and it is very hard and it takes a lot of self control and support to deal with it. I don't care what people say about it. If you don't have people that know what you are dealing with as far as medications, you will not make it without support. You have to be smart about it because it is so easy to become dependent on these medications. I really wish that there was more understanding about methadone, suboxone, and others like these because they are absolutely great medications for what they are intended for and I know that methadone has saved at least one of my good friends who was addicted to pain pills. He goes to a methadone clinic which is how I know about the medication list. Ok now for my advice. Talk to your doctor, get some good honest support, and learn about your medications. If you have to go to a clinic, go. I truly believe they are a good thing if you can't go to a doctor for what ever reason. This clinic that I know of does both buprenorphine (suboxone) and methadone. The doctor decides which is best for you. It is not a trap per say. They do help with people that need them. Of course, they also do contribute to addiction as well but, for someone that has no other alternative, they are great. I am not gonna say that they are any better than your doctor but, at least they are another alternative to help. Please be safe and I wish all of you the best with your particular situation.

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Do you have to come off the sub before you can switch. On 24 mg sub a day. Going to methadone clinic tm. Dk what to expect thanks

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i have a severe legg trama? Methadone is the best pain med by far? i wwnt from methadone to suboxne? Methadone is the best? i dont drink ? or use any other with mdone??? Found out real quick how much it was really helping me? It does its job so i can get out of bed and do mine? But try to stay at your sweet spot? Going over it, will start to cause u problems

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Woah, sorry but, this seems like it's posted by a methodone clinic nurse or doctor. I have been through the withdrawals from Methadone and they are worse than anything I've experienced w/d from (oxycodone or morphine) even at 30mg I we end myself down with my doctor. I've heard from other people who got off methadone that the severe w/ds lasted 30 days and even after that of course there's effects. When they put you up to over 100 - 140 it makes you HIGH AF not just controls w/d and cravings. People who have been through this and research know a lot more than the doctors and nurses giving this out. I was told when I first started at a clinic that methadone wasn't addicting. That was a flat out lie. But most of them are misinformed and need to do their DUTY and research for themselves before selling these drugs. Thats their civil and moral duty. These drugs need to be tested more before they release them to the public. But there's so much greed and ignorance to what the drugs actually do that they get millions of people hooked for life with horrible side effects like horrible migraines and severe sweating and large amounts of weight gain on and on. Methadone is very addicting and if I could go back I'd never get on it. I took morphine and oxycodone for a degenerative spine disease and I am also trying to recover from being an addict and get off these meds for good. God bless you if you are fighting the same fight. It is a battle. Inform yourself, research.

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Wtf is your problem? This person asked a legitimate question and instead of replying in kind like you had some sense, you start trying to deter them from using methadone. You ignorant people are the reason addicts are labeled the way they are. Lmao, anyway yes if you have chronic pain of any kind and you are already on a maintenance medication like suboxone, you should switch to methadone. Especially if the sub isn't working for you. I had this same problem and feel much better then when i took the suboxone. If you are going to be on a med like suboxone or methadone you might as well pick the one that helps your other pain issues as well. Some people just don't benefit from suboxone the same way others do. I'm one that doesn't benefit along with a growing number of people that cant as well. So good luck on the methadone and you will be very sick no matter which of these you cold turkey.

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I have been on subs for 4 years. I went to treatment to get off of them because I didn't like the idea of having to take something everyday any more. I had started out on 16 mg. After 8 months i was down to 4mg. I could not go down past 4mg without having cravings. After 3 more years of trying to get off of them myself I had no luck and was still at 4 mg. This is when I entered treatment. The doctors at Hazleton Betty Ford wanted two wean me down and get me completely off of the Suboxone in 7 days I said f*** them and had them do it over a 30-day period. I got myself down to .25 milligrams before I finally took nothing at all. Still felt like s*** for 7 days but not too bad. Needless to say once I got out of treatment I relapsed within 14 days even though I was on the Vivitrol shot. I went back to treatment and got on Suboxone again. Currently I am still on Suboxone and going to switch to methadone.

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I took 8mgs of suboxone at 1pm. How long do i have to wait to take 70mgs of methadone? I want to try methadone because I've heard it was better.

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I took 4mg of suboxone over 48 hours ago. Can I take 20mg of methadone now and be ok?

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Contrary to what most people say, I am a 40 year addict. I was on methadone for 20 years. I switched to suboxone a few years ago. I do not feel sick on suboxone but I cannot sleep, I have extreme anxiety and I wish I was back on methadone. I raised 6 children on MMT and held a job and paid my bills and felt tremendous until I switched to suboxone for no other reason than I wanted to attend the Doctor less often. I havent felt right since quitting methadone and I wish I never switched.

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In 21 days I went down from 165 to 30 mg a day. This past Wednesday I took my last 30 mg. I'm waiting for insurance ...

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