Am I On Too Much?

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I have been on Suboxone maitainence for about 7 months now. It is doing a really good job at keeping me off of other opiates and any other kind of mood altering substance including alcohol. My question is this...I have been reading the threads and looking at how much people are being prescribed and they seem to be on much lower doses. I am taking two 8mg tabs BID (twice daily), which totals 36mg of Suboxone per day. Is this considered too much? Will I have a harder time coming off when I decide to give it a try? I was sober off of everything for 18 years and lived a 12step program to the best of my ability. My husband of 20 years (and also my heroin buddy) died of cancer with 18 years of sobriety last year and I absolutely lost it! I went back to the opiates harder and heavier than ever and wound up having to kick again and that's when they put me on Suboxone but I don't want to make it harder for myself in the end. Any thoughts about how much I am taking? Thanks!

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1

I am 50 years ola and have bee n abusing hydrocodone for over36 years i did no realize it was not the hydro-oxy codone that was killing me but acetaphenipine.for to last 10 years i am on 160 mill. oo methadone and it has saved my life methadone is not hepatoxic acetiminiphen is i would of been done.i was taken 25-30 a day thank you GOD for findind me methadone.there are some hydro products with 750 mg. og acetiminiphine or tylenol per pill you will die very soon remember methadone is not hepatoxic means will mot damage the liver just prat you might ;iv a few more years after 10 years my liver enzymes have fimally eceded thank you GOD for findind me methadone it saved my life john.GOD BLESS YOU ALL

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2

that is alot to take my last dr had me on 4 as well for almost 2 years the more deffintly the harder to come off of my last dr told me when u take more than 2 its not gonna do anymore for ya than 2 would drs do that b/c the higher the dose the longer you are on it an thats more money in their pocket try decreasing it to 2 a day an see what happens im no doctor but have been on it for almost 5 yrs b/c of drs like that best of luck

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3

I am about to start this drug tomorrow. I read and understood everything about it. Here's the scoop: You are on 32mg. That is the highest dose that one can be on. Reason being; this drug has a ceiling of 32mg which means if you take a higher dose, you will actually start to experience W/Ds. Something like Methadone doesn't have a ceiling so you build up a tolerance to it and your maintenance dose needs to be adjusted higher each time. No, you are not taking too much. Given your situational crisis in combination with your drug history, you ended up slipping as you returned to illicit drugs. It seems to me that you have a very intelligent doctor and, if I were you, I would take their advise rather than gambling with the credibility of some of these comments (even mine)! I am an RN, but I am NOT a Doctor! Please do not try to ween yourself off of this drug yourself. My advise is you listen to your doctor. Like I said, you are on the max. dose of 32mg and you must have needed it. If you are entertaining the idea of getting off of this medication, please tell your doctor your concerns and your desire to cease taking the medication. Just food for thought: if you are even thinking of taking any other type of drug, such as street drugs, specifically an opiate, please do not talk yourself into it. This drug you are on will send you into withdrawals if you take another opiate with it since it contains an opiate antagonist. It is hard to understand this drug since it is used to treat withdrawal symptoms and, on the other hand (depending on what you take with it) it can produce withdrawals. Also, it's important you don't take any drug with this one without consulting your doctor first. You can actually die if you drink while on this drug or if you take benzodiazepines (Valium, etc.) with it. Hey, sorry for your loss. Hang in there. And please, listen to your doctor's advice about this drug; it's a good drug for what's it's intended for, but it can also be a dangerous drug if one tries to play doctor! Good luck to you and God Bless.

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4

I am currently on suboxone and I take 1 tablet daily. I was on 1 and 1/2 when I started about 6 months ago. My Dr. asks me every time I go to his office (which is every 2 weeks) to decrease to 3/4 of a pill, and I am just not ready. I am good with one a day, and seem to panic if I have any less. All I can think about is where I can get some pills if they cut me down. Some days I can take 1/2 of a pill and be good, but then others I have to have a whole. I don't think that my Dr. understands what addiction REALLY is and that it is different for every person. I haven't slipped since I have been on this med, but I fear that if he cuts me down I will. I have voiced this to my physician, but I don't think he really gets it. I know others that go to my clinic that have been receiving suboxone for a year or more, and they don't give them a hard time at all. I am wondering if there are new studies that show they should take people off this med sooner or if he is just trying to work me down...either way, he is just stressing me out! Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!!

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5

The whole point of using Suboxone to treat addiction is to eventually become drug free, unlike Methadone, which usually causes an addiction of its own and requires a lifetime maintenance dosage.

It is normal for the doctor to want you to start tapering your Suboxone usage after certain periods of time, your doctor will adjust this schedule/dosage according to how severely you were addicted to other medications and how high of a dosage you were taking.

They will simply not let you remain on the same dose and continue to use Suboxone indefinitely. If there are others that have been using it for over a year, it is highly likely that they their addictions were much more severe than yours.

You can learn more about Suboxone therapy here:

Suboxone Click Here

Did you have any other questions?

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6

in a word: YES. 32 mg is a waste, and overkill. i was going through 90 10/325 hydro's in a 3 days ! I was only prescribed 16mgs for a few days, and then immediately to 8mg. any more than 8 mg (been taking for a few years now) I get grumpy, heavy legged, and zero sex drive. i feel better the less i take. i'm starting to take 1-2mg ONLY when I feel I need it, trying to taper off. but yes, 32mg is TOO MUCH !

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7

I think i was on the 2 8mg tabs for maybe a year? Which wasn't necessary... 2mg (1/4 tab) has been my daily dose for over the past year and its been more than enough. I think that time was a huge factor in my sucess in staying clean from other opiates and no doubt suboxne helped me thru. I would have been fine taking the 2mg the end of the first year looking back now. detox is rough. coming off subxne is hard. Thats y taking a smaller dosage and talking about it with your doc might help u more in the end.

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8

A higher dose is not insurance a person won't use again. A person should be on the lowest effective dose. This is found by beginning at 4 to 8 mg. and increasing the dose as necessary. As long as you don't crave, you're on the right dose. A doctor who begins a person on a high dose is really ignorant. The only reason some people need more is because they are poor metabolizers of the drug. Those who think higher is better lack understanding about the drug. If your doctor didn't begin you on a lower dose and adjust upward because you needed it, I'd ask him to slowly begin lowering the dose. It seems to me that if your doc started you low, you wouldn't be asking why you're on such a high dose. You'd know why.

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9

I my-self used suboxoen after battle of addiction for 3 yrs my doctor made me waite 2 wks the before starting suboxone and once i did start sing it i two was sarted at 32 mg and became addicting s the opiots themselves it was very hard for me to get off suboxone again it fill's the nuroens in your head to think your on opiots so if at all possible try lower your dose and not become dependant i wish you the best of luck ......

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10

hello my husband is taking 4- 8mg suboxone @ a time, he has been on it for 5 months now. his prescription says 1 twice a day. he has abused opiates for 5 years now. can he overdose on this amount?

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11

What do you do when your tolerance builds up to the dose your on? I am on 16mg a day. They are not keeping me from wanting to use anymore. Do i ask my Dr to raise the dose or do i ask about another med?

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12

i have been getting my suboxone off the street for some time, whenever my pills where off so the detox isnt so bad...i actually feel better on the suboxone than the percs...i live in mass and really want to get on suboxone,but i want to stay on it, not be on it for 6 months then get detoxed..do doctors leave you on it indefinitely?

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