Buprenorphine Or Methadone (Top voted first)

WHICH IS BETTER? I have been on a dose of 150mg of Methadone for approx. 8 or so years. I just recently heard of this drug Buprenorphine which is taken instead of Methadone.

Does anyone know if this line of treatment is better or worse than Methadone treatment for Opiate Addicts such as myself?

Thank You Very Much

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Methadone Maintenance? Golly thats such a crazy concept. Detox is scary because you think its gonna hurt but a few baths and some wine will pass the time. Read the book Diary of A Legal Drug Dealer. It will help you to understand why its so important to get off the Methadone. Its really really bad and you dont need it anymore!

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I used to be addicted to oxycontins, I started taking methadone but figured it wasnt any better for me than the oxy's. The buprenorphine is probably a better way for you to go. I am now on suboxone. They started me off with a med called subutex and you take it for the first three days and then they switch you to suboxone they are two different meds. One blocks only one receptor and the other blocks both. To get high, you need these two receptors to be open to feel the drug. Once you start withdrawling, they start the subutex and after the third day it is safer to put you on the suboxone. I myself have a sensitivity to the other drug in suboxone so I cannot take it without withdraw effects. I take subutex, its expensive but not as expensive as other means of staying sober. If you need to find a doctor who prescribes subutex, look under buprenorphine doctors, I think it is under SMHSA, I found a great doctor who cares about people and each doctor can only have 30 patients on these meds at one time. The doctor should only be charging you for a regular doctor visit, but some doctors have tried to charge up to thousands of dollars for this med, prescription, do not go to one of those doctors. My doc, charges me only 80$ and I have found doctors in all fifty states who can prescribe it you just have to do a little research to find a good doc who is not ripping off your pockets. If you have any more questions, please respond, the site will let me know if I have had a response.

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I think the Subutex is the best way to go, you wont get high anymore but you will be able to live a normal life.

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I have never stated that methadone was a way to go. Really I am totally against it, it is harder to get off methadone than heroine. you do have to wait for 3 days b4 you can start the Buprenorphine meds. But, it is totally worth it, when you see that you can function with this new medication. I too have had many friends 'die' while taking methadone. The problem is that most of them took Xanax with it and that is a lethal combination. Take it form me, if not for the subutex and suboxone treatment, I would stil be taking Oxy's. The withdrawl is the worst. But thanks to wonderful doctor's, I have been sober now for a year. I never thought it was possible.

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I have been on methadone maintenance since Feb of 2001. I tried suboxone before I tried methadone, and it didn't work for me at all.The one thing I want to say is I am not a doctor so I can't tell you which is the best way for you to go. For me, it is always been methadone, It keeps me clean. I go in once a week, pick up my carries, talk to my counselor once a month, and it is working for me.If I go on vacation, all I do is let my counslor know a few days ahead of time,, and I can get as many take homes as I need, up to a 30 day supply, although I have never needed that many.I did read a few things that are troubling to me, and that is people giving opinions w/o facts.Rissa, those people at whatever clinic you went to with your friend had you going when they said they were going to get off methadone, go back to heroin and then get clean, and all of them DID get clean,Rissa, you aren;t an addict, so please don't give out opinons unless you know what you are talking about. I have been an addict too many years to even think that is true. In the first place, if you aren;t a patient at a clinic, how did you get in? Most clinics have a very strick rule that no visiters period..But you went everyday with your friend and heard all of these things that honestly no addict would talk about in front of a "straight lame" that is not an insult, it just means you don;t shoot dope. In the first place, if your friend was working her program, she would not had been going almost everyday. Clinics have take home rules and if your friend was clean. she would only have gone in once a week, and in some states, only twice a month.Please don't give advice about how clinics are, especially to an addict (the person who asked the ?) this person didn't ask about clinics and what goes on at them, he asked if sub was a better medication, PERIOD.He wasn's asking about getting "sober" See, we on methadone, as long as we are not using any other drugs unless they are prescribed to us are clean. That is an insult saying "You can do it". Alice, I didn't understand a lot of what you said, but I think you mentioned that suboxone is morphine, THAT IS NOT TRUE. Suboxone will work for some people, but for an addict who has pain issues also, suboxone is a terrible pain killer, and that is why it was virtually unknown in the US until the year 2000 when they started trials for opiate addicts.Bob, you made the most sense. I also wonder why a patient who is stable on a dose of methadone would want to switch over. I do know that some methadone patients are getting pressured into switching, but they can;t force anyone to change. So I will ask the same ? Bob did. Why do you want to switch, isn't the methadone working for you? If it isn't working, I too wish you luck if you want to change.Burt, you are right about suboxone being as bad to kick from, but what I don't understand is you say you believe in replacement therapy, but you say to not stay on it long, I don't understand why you say that. Wendall, the only thing I can tell you, is, if you are unhappy with your treatment, by all means, talk to your doctor about it, in fact a few methadone clinics are going to offer suboxone also. The one thing that I was told when I was in the drug study for suboxone in 2000 is, the long term use of methadone has proven to be safe, it doesn't harm the liver, it is safe to use by pregnant women, it has nothing in it to harm you other than the withdrawls, but those are overdone as well, I know pleanty of people who tapered off of methadone and although it was no cake walk, it wan't the horrible experience that some claim it is. You just don't jump off..I have been on methadone off and on for 20+ years, and I will tell you that it is the only thing that has ever kept me clean, I just look back and wish I hadnt been pressured to get off of methadone years ago, I would have not had lost everything to my addiction had I listened to my heart and stayed with it...Today I am employable, I am married, I have a home a car. and we have a good life.. Methadone saved my life, But that is me. Whatever you decide, please talk to your doctor first, you will be glad you did. Hope I helped

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Ruggy...What you have been doing is against the law, and it is morally wrong, I don't know about anyone else here, but I have no advice for a person who sells their methadone to other people who can die of an OD. Well I do have one bit of advice, don't say too much because you are incriminating yourself. I am a dope fiend in recovery with methadone maintenance, and it is patients like you that make things so hard for us patients who want a new life. I feel sorry for your son. What kind of an example have you set for him?.Do yourself a favor and be very careful what you say because if someone dies from your methadone, you will go to prison. I don't think any addict should be in prison, but you are dealing drugs and I know too many people who have died from OD's. I am glad I don't know you

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All in all methadone is jyst legal heroin. If u want to substitute one for the other go ahead.for some people who are not strong enough to be sober,either because of deprssion(like me), or actual pain(also me),it is the o.ly way.by the way ive ben addicted to heroin for 8 yrs.the difference between meth.andbup is one gets u high and the other doesn't.honestly if u want to be sober,and have a strong will. u can wait a day and a half, until your just about to be in full withdrawl. take a full dose of suboxone or the bup aday for three or four days,until withdrawls subside. And if ur strong enough that IS ALL u will need. I dont care what any one else says. This is from.real actuall expeirience. Thesuboxoneor bup will not only make withdrawls bearable but like one of the other commenters said it makes it so u are not consumed with the thought of getting high. If u are serious about taking your life back and being the master of your own destiny than just get a handful of what I call miracle pills(suboxone). And take one a day let it dissolve under your tongue. Your welcome.

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Actually I used methadone only for detoxing me and it helped. In my opinion its the best method of detoxing somebody from heroine. I met people who said that methadone was their savior, but its not true. This DRUG destroys your LIVER completely - just like heroine does. The only plus for it is that it can keep u out of heroine and from breaking the law everyday. Subutex or subuxone they can help, but not 4 evryone. some of us say it works, some of us say it does not. So people who do methadone think it over 1 again. Meth therapy is for to help u go out of heroine consumption, but it should not be a life sentence. Its for helping us - the addicts to get out of this s**t, but if we will exaggerate we will live in this PRISON WITHOUT WALLS to our very end. Which I do not want 4 anybody. people, please - think!

greetings from Warsaw, Poland.

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First if u are suppossed to be taking these drugs why stockpile them .it seems like u dontneed them. Also u should nevet self medicate why would u take it upon urself when u have a doctor. And u shouldnt keep ur doctor and the clinic in tje dark about each other. It seems like u are just a junky doing everything u can to get super high at a later time. U dont seem qualified to be giving anyone let alone other ju.kies advise.

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Sorry this comment was just in response to the comment ruggy or ruggby wrote. I tried my best to understand what this guy was saying but the more I read it the more he seemef like every single thing he was doing was compltely wrong.

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My experience of Buprenorphine was very positive, I was addicted to herion, took methadone when i went away to clean up,several times. I was in france and had run out of methadone and was very unwell. a local sympathetic doctor told me in france methadone is not prescribed (in his region) so gave me temgesic(bupre.)I so would like to get hold of sssssome again but no doctor i can find is willing to presribe this in england for me. If anyone knows where I can get this please tell me, it is the best way to get of heroin and has none of the withdrawel symtoms methadone does, which I think is worse than H, if you take it for too long. my attitude to metha. is gradually decrease the dose every two days. it took me 6weeks to get off it,starting from 40ml then after a week 30ml, etc.. but really I say that buprenorphine is far better but unavaliable. doctors dont like to deal with addicts, they refer you the drug addicts clinic where you get treated like s*** and try to wreck your life... that is my experience anyway.

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Re: Opinomore (# 28)

Cheers my friend, you stated this perfectly about methadone patients. I take subutex since 2005 and my sister now is on methadone treatment for a year now, I wish she was able to read your statement because of the conflict we both have with our treatments. Constantly telling me oh thank god for my methadone treatment over yours. And much more..but she has been getting take homes for a year now because she refuses to accept her dose and wants more so finally the dr upped her dose one more time and said take it or leave it. She is on 115 x2 split dose. My other sister out of state only takes 75mg daily. So see that's a huge difference. I'm sure she is still chasing her opioids high she used to take fentanyl, oxy, and a lot others so I can argue with her tillnim blue in the face, I get no were with her other than her comparing methadone to my subutex thx

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Dory:

This is only what I heard from others but I still trust these others as they were very reliable sources. Take it as you will, I'm just trying to help. Things could have changed but I highly doubt if methadone itself has/could change.

Someone very dear to me was on the methadone program. Since we were very close, this meant we had to stop there to get their dose nearly every single day so I saw and heard things I didn't want to know about. Now I'm glad I did since I may be able to help someone else!

I heard far too many people say they were going off the methadone program and back on heroin because it's easier to kick heroin than it is methadone -- and they did just what they said and were successful!!! As far as I know, none of them went back to either! So, from what I saw and heard all those years ago, I'd have to say that you'd be better off with the bupe. They've also had great successes with the bupe, less long term recoveries as long as you want to take control of your life again!!! No one wants to be a 'slave' to any drug, right?

Best of luck to you!!! You can do it!!!!!

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I am very happy with Buprenorfine in the Netherlands Transtec, it's a old morphine, it;s from 66-'77 on the market, only now it is in The Netherlands in a pathc I use one from 35 and another from 75, it are bigger patches and use aceton relaeve the glue from my arms.

I use each 4 days new one's.
I was on oxcycontin, my anesthetic found this bath for my stomach than fentanyl= durogesic, but it can not higher than 80, he was worried because of the apneu by fentanyl and that is that youre not breathing anymore for minutes,it is a breeth depression on the longs and hart, so noooow in Leiden in LUMC The Nehtehrlands they mad patches from the buprenorfine= transtec,zo no injections from the ampul, but also patches, I got difficulties by stopping the fentanyl, pfffffffffffffffffff ,transpiration pain in bones and muscle, just off the kick of fentanyl, the step over is safety and can use it for years !!!

I have no view, i have CRPS= complex regional pain syndrom
RSD reflex sympatic dystrophia

its very painful and it;s every where in my whole body spread out, i feel my very bad knee, but it is a pain signal, that is just fine, because when you are feeling nothing , I go to my painlevel and walk trough it and big over it, that is not the implication of painrelief.

I am so glad with my neurological docter and pain anesthetic docter
in Utrecht and Leiden

many regards succes els vos

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hai, I forgot something very important for painpatients like me, but also bij depressions etc

I meditate since 2002 and wirh the books from Jon Kabatt Zin

a american boedist, the boedistic way is the zen methode and it's works very good by painrelief !!!!!!!

I advise everyone, i am 47 years old and my whole life stands in illness and operations, from child as 7 with my open hart operation etc etc, yes i have terrible traumatic
experiences from hospitals and docters and operations. Yes i have CRPS you can read about it it is the international name for RSD in Netherlands PD.

But mindfullness thinking is the only way, i meditate 30 minutes a day, bodyscan, through youre body concentrate and learn NO THINKING, I do not trow my feelings away, no it is the way it is.

I really can much with my mind and
the book from Jon Kabatt Zin

mediation by Pain and stress reduction!!

really believe me it is the only way
but, you have to learn and have dicipline, DO IT !!

It learm to breeth low in my body, very low lower, also when i am typing now, just for 3 minutes
one moment breeth in and slow out, very low, breeth in and out slow and low, down down down,....... you think not about youre breething, let it go, do not think, let it go.
I open my eyes because I sleep in hahaha, so i breeth in and out fro 2 3 times and my thoughts are coming on, let it come , and do not aware of it, let it come, it goes there own way, really it is stress -reduction and you feel you more energetic and more relaxed and warm.! in the beginning you gor a lot of thoughts and cold and warm and hot feelings, but when you daily excercise, it goes better and better,I do sit meditation on a chair, because i can not sit in a lotus on the floor, i have found a little group now in my neighbourhood since 2002 so 7 years waiting and looking for it, i am so happy and i live better than ever with my CRPS in my whole body!! I am rich, no mony at all and live from social serves, but i am very rich at my thoughts and accept my illness and all what there is, this is a very usefull way to mak you happy!! I am not a spiritual angel wick hhahaha, No i am very normal and not exceptional spiritual, it is for everyone, Believe me, you got better from it !! Buy tapes and read about it ! mindfullness thinking!!

Google Jon Kabtt Zin

http:/­/­www.mindfulnesstapes.com/­author.html

my best regards els vos

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Buprenorphine - has anyone who has been on this medication weaned themself off, with their doctor's supervision? Was is difficult? How long did it take?

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I have been on Methadone for 2yrs. and I was only using lortab & 20mg oxys. My son is on the clinic and sugessed it to me. I went, like a fool . I kept going up and now I feel so stuck with it. LIQUID HANDCUFFS- you bet it is.Now I have my own dr. take me off percocets & put me on 10mg. METHADONE!!!! So, I have like 50 of them saved(I was selling them) and my next appt. I'll have another 60 10 mgs. I plan to save these and detox myself. I was at 112 mg. at my clinic in the past 2 wks. I requested 10 mgs.to be taken off 2 times, which brings me to 92 Im on now. I also have spit out my dose and have 3 bottles of 100mgs. saved too. I plan to keep doing this till I have an ample supply. All doses are kept in separate bottles, so I know about what's in there. Will doing this get me off and can I detox off like this. My dr. allows me 2 10mgs a day. Should I wait till I have like 3 or 4 bottles of my 10mg pills saved before I attempt dtoxing myself. The dr. does not know about the cl;inic and the cl;inic doesn't know about my dr. giving me this. SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER Im so sick of going there every day. I was NEVER on Herion, I jumped from the frying pan into the fire, by JUST doing that amout of pills and lied to them and said I was doing 6 bags a day. I thought you HAD to have herion in your system or I couldn't get on the clinic, so I got some , did it, and got on that way. I wish I had known what I know now, I would NEVER have gotten myself into this mess. Please Someone tell me if Id be safe dropping another 10mg at the clinic, and detoxing myself off. I would be at 80mgs. at the clinic then. Will I be able to not get sick using my own pills and just quit, and do it this way

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im addicted to codien,i take up to 20 60mg a day and i want to stop,wats the best way for me to go? i have tried to stop before but alwasy go back,i do have chronic pain but the addiction is much worse because when u run out of your perscription u withdraw and the pain is worse,it just sucks....can anyone help me? i have been looking on the internet for help...

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i was addicted to heroin forapprox 3 years i was into smoking the drug not injecting i went on a subutex programme in uk (buprenorphine) and felt better almost immediately it worked like magic i started on 10mg daily and kept away from the temptation of heroin ok i still thought about it but didnt have any bad physical withdrawals at all! it took a few years of reducing to 0mgper day but the point im making is its ten thousand times better than methadone and doesnt rot ones teeth

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Does anyone know what the maximum daily dose of Subutex/Buprenorphine is? I just started taking it for a chronic pain condition. I take one 8mg. tablet twice a day. I have been taking it for three weeks now and I'm still at a pain rating of seven. I don't want to go back on OxyContin but if I can't get better pain control with the Buprenorphine,I feel like I don't have any other options. HELP PLEASE!!

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