Buprenorphine Or Methadone (Page 2) (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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I am a poster child for H addicts and a former RN with a 30 year using history. I have done all the treatments and have been on suboxone for 10 years-max dose at 3 8m/strips a day. Anything higher and you hot the "ceiling." I switched jobs and insurance plans and the health plan wanted me to jump thru hoops for the subs and the first time getting my subs filled thru them they denied me and I was cut off cold turkey after 10 years of H abstinence on subs with a few relapses. I was soo sick, I went out and bought and shot dope so I did not have to call off work at my new job to risk getting fired. What would you do, right?? With this job market and I am a paralegal making well over 50k in Pgh after 9 grueling months of job searching and an MS degree and tons of experience!! ! Anyway, I cannot seem to get back to the subs steadily and worse yet my addiction progressed as if I never stopped and worse. I take an 8mg sub and am still sick!! I am ready for methadone but frightened that I cannot get off of it. Advice on methadone taper? Keep in mind, I can't stand the least bit of sick symptoms whatsoever! Also, why cant I get subutex without that damned naloxone that is in those suboxone unless I am pregnant??

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I've been an opiate addict for years,methadone is horrible,horrible to come off of,and it made me gain 70 lbs,subutex is a miracle,but it doesn't give you the high your use to.It makes you feel totally brand new,like when your brain had never tried drugs.it takes away the craving the obsession that H and pills gives you,subutex takes it away.it is amazing and I think every addict from drunk to tweeker to H slave should give it a try.it is a miracle.

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All of what you're saying is correct. You know what they say, "Loose lips sink ships." Enough of the admonishment, "Dudley Do Right! While the question is somewhat naïve and idealistic. Could you get down off your high horse and answer the question? We're sharing answers to questions here so that others may learn from such an unorthodox approach. Just a thought, "that dealer you were previously dealing with could have gone to prison had you died from an overdose."

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I was on methadone for four and a half years, went to jail and it was the WORST withdrawal I've ever experienced and lasted for a month. I've came off pain pills, oxycontin, and so much more even subutex and subs were the second hardest because you feel like s*** for two weeks and I was on the subs for ten years, but the symptoms aren't as bad and I would recommend it over methadone. You might be in a position to where you are forced to withdrawal and you'll wish you were on subs.

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Re: Rissa (# 2)

Methadone is a pharmaceutical grade/made med and you know EXACTLY what is in this drug. It is measured and distributed by RNs under the order of a physician who has taken a thorough assessment and based on your illicit drug of choice, health HX, other meds and current physical wellbeing, prescribes a dose to stabilize you then wean you off the opiate. You didn't get addicted in just a few days and you won't come off methadone quickly.

Heroin is produced by God only knows in dirty environments under less than stellar conditions. It passes through many hands who "cut" the drug at each exchange to get more money as it's sold based on grams. Products used to cut heroin have been cornstarch, powdered infant formula, rat poison and benzodiazepines just to name a few. Some heroin is cut with substances we'll never know about making it impossible to really know what you're putting in your body. Since it has been cut so many times, you never have any idea of how much drug you're getting...what barely worked yesterday could kill you tomorrow. How well do you trust your drug dealer? How about HIS drug dealer or the guy he got it from?

To recommend/advocate heroin over methadone is the most ignorant, irresponsible, dangerous...and perhaps deadly thing I've ever heard. It actually borders on pure stupidity and you should be prosecuted for even recommending that. Don't give advice on something you only "know" about by listening to strangers (drug addicts to boot who love to be loud and be heard...it makes you cool don't you know) while loitering in a parking lot. Good grief, I'm just flabbergasted by your response!

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Buprenorphine is much better. It is generic for subutex. one thing I hated about methadone is the nodding off. Weather it was when your reading, drawing, finding info on the internet, while listening to someone or watching TV. You don't do those things on subutex.

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Re: Pat (# 8)

Methadone works for addicts who still want to feel euphoria and look "high". Suboxone is for people who want to feel normal and lively. That is my opinion having been on both. I can sit in a treatment center and tell you what someone is taking as soon as they walk in. Methadone patients look tired, aging, nod and sway while standing. Sub patients look awake and lively and can hold conversations without slurring. You can get defensive until you are blue in the face but methadone was harder to get off of than any other drug ive ever taken and you get a disgusting looking high off it. Methadone patients look sicker than dope heads and it rots your body from the inside out. I like my teeth so no methadone for me anymore. It's synthetic heroin.

You can switch to suboxone easily. They'll start you with straight buprenorphine for 2-3 days and then suboxone after all the methadone or opiates are out of your system. If you can, please say no to methadone. It's worse than opiates!! Note: withdrawal from sub is no where near as bad as opiate withdrawal but lasts longer. It took me 2-3 wks to feel good again after 7 yrs taking 24 mgs a day. I was weak and nauseated and couldnt sleep but that's it. No other symptoms. The worst day was day 3. Legs hurt and shoulders were restless. Anyway. Hate on me for downing methadone but truth hurts everyone.

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Re: isabel (# 16)

Exactly! Keep your teeth. Methadone is worse than ron in my opinion. And the fact that its legal makes it worse. Just another way the government controls us.

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Re: burt (# 7)

I agree to an extent. I was on 24 mgs a day. I had to quit with no taper and it was bad for 2-3 weeks but i didn't get the flu like symptoms. The only withdrawals i had were nausea, weakness and no sleep after having only one day of my legs hurting and shoulders restless. Id take that over any other withdrawal any day. A lot of it is in our heads. Mind you ive been an addict 20+yrs. Been through all withdrawals. Id choose sub over others if i had to choose. Id rather be 100% clean over anything though.

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Re: wes (# 15)

Find a treatment center or private doctor specializes in addiction and make an appointment. Some centers are free or take insurance. Search google.

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Re: Charlene (# 32)

Yes bup is very strong. I take 4 8mg tablets a day for pain and it is 40 times stronger than morphine. All other opioids are full atognist where buprenorphine is only half of agonist. But still very strong. I take it for chronic debilitating pain for life and have seen many friends back in the day get too sick or they would get sick and puke. I could get pain medicine and strong pain medicine but I don't trust the government at this time with the crisis going on to be consistent nor do I want to go to the doctor every week for a prescription. So I will stick to my rhodes buprenorphine from this point on for my pain and it is made by purdue, a quality company, and to a pharmacist and his pharmacy rhodes is at least triple the price of mylan generic buprenorphine so I always say follow the money but that's just me and everyone is different. But yes see many people get sick off 1 8mg because their pain intolerance is too low. Get very ill or too buzzed off one tablet of the old suboxone orange brand name tablets before they were discontinued here in the states. Stick to rhodes bup only. Very costly at a wholesaler price. So follow the money. Not always but most times if a generic of a drug has many generics and one is more expensive you can get it is just going to be better quality, more effective and have more of the consistency and quality in that pricey generic that the pharmacist is going to order for you. I'm curious about the brand new first very ever made generic 2mg xanax alprazolam bar just released by breckenridge pharma made and manufactured by centaur, just like purdue does for rhodes as it's subsidiary company but I need to do more research on the first ever new blue xanax bar that is legit pharma. It is possibly made in china but looks very similar to brand name phizer and greenstone 2mg bars, just is blue and very speckly, which usually means more active ingredient and that inactive ingredients are very similar to the brand name and greenstone generic except for one ingredient and imprinted 'b 7 0 7' on front and blank curve on back.

I would love some feedback on this generic if anyone has tried it or taking it before it should be hitting all the big chain pharmacies very soon as it is flooding the wholesaler companies as a new generic again. New blue xanax bar 2mg, exciting. Hope to get some feedback from someone who has tried this generic and can compare it to others. Thank you again. It is the first ever fda approved blue 2mg xanax bar or by breckenridge pharma made by centaur pharma private limited. Stay healthy and pain free. Maybe one day I will go back to full antagonist but as of now I'm happy with the pain relief I get from my rhodes buprenorphine and again any feedback on the very first approved fda blue generic xanax 2 milligram bar would be great by breckenridge pharma made by centaur private limited pharma. They may be made in india or china. I need to do more research on them but again there are imprints on the pill and it's a rectangular bar shape very similar to brand name xanax shape and on the front it's b707 and on the back it is blank with a curve like the brand name xanax and light green stone and it is blue and speckled and the front of it with the numbers and letters pops out very nicely. Any feedback would be so appreciated. I can ask my pharmacist to order in but I need to ask the price first to see if it's more expensive than green stone and even then I would hate to get stuck with a generic for a month that doesn't work for me so any feedback would be great. Love you guys. Stay healthy.

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I had been on bupe (Sub) for 7 years it is a very bad drug also. I will agree that it is better than any other opioid and I do believe in substitution otherwise our personality will fight back. I would like to warn all though that bupe (sub) too will rob one of the great life they could have. please dont stay on it long. use it as a quick bridge to get clean. Getting off bupe is hard as it can take months to feel normal where as other things the death is quick 3 to 6 days and your free.

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I have also been taking 150mg methadone a day for over 6 years. I have never taken buprenorphine myself though I once had a doctor who wanted me to switch and even tried to bribe me w/ 400 mgs of OxyContin daily to do so. You have to go 3 days w/out methadone before taking bup. so you won't go into immediate withdrawal. I've had friends who've taken both meth. and bup. Only 1 of those friends prefers bup. However there are pros & cons to both drugs. It is a personal decision as to which one is better for YOU. Only you will know that. Is the meth. not working well for u? Since you've been on it 8 yrs, I would assume so... which makes me curious as to why you'd even want to change meds in the 1st place. Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

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