Suboxone And Fentanyl Patches
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I took a 12mg suboxone yesterday early am. When can I take my 25mg fentanyl patches??
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I've taken fentanyl for 6+ years and in 3 years I've tapered down to 50mcg fentanyl with 70% relief from my chronic lower back pain. I'm surely in pain w/o it. What are my future options now that Dr's do not like to prescribe anymore in Ca.? Would suboxone help?
Thanks
Usersbeware....most people who end up taking illicit drugs are people who were/are prescribed pain medication, were then cut off for one reason or another, they take more of their meds than they are prescribed to take and run out, and they then turn to that for pain relief and/or to feel high. Yes, I agree with you that I don't understand kids today taking pills out of their parent's medicine cabinets for recreational use...but it seems to be popular. Many take them to parties, pour a conglomerate of pills in a bowl, and kids just take out whatever combination they want!! Crazy!!! They think the pills are safe because they come from a pharmacy, and generally because they are teenagers whose brains haven't developed enough to process the possible consequences that could occur as a result of their decision. It is truly sad how many parents have buried kids who either took too much of something or mixed meds that aren't meant to be mixed with another type of medication or alcohol. But you would be amazed how many people are in their 40's, 50's, and even 60's taking illicit drugs!! I can tell you that once your body is accustomed to having opiates in your system it will either take help (99.9% of the time) or a very strong willpower to kick it!!! Your body will scream at you in ways you can't even begin to imagine if you've never felt it!! Just imagine having the flu X 100!!! I didn't want to take the medicine anymore...but my body simply couldn't take the withdrawal! I am glad to see more people, including news organizations, talking about the opioid epidemic in our country...but I wish the stigma of reaching for help would go away.
So many people don't come forward because they don't want their names attached to opiate addiction in their medical records...even though it needs to be. (I have put in my own chart that Once that is in your record you will be treated differently should you go for emergency medical assistance because the doctors will often see you as "seeking drugs" instead of actually needing real medical help. More doctors need to be informed about opiates and how people become hooked on them too!!! I had doctors keep me on them for years as a result of my ACL being torn and needing surgery, but it needed to heal some before they could operate. By the time they operated on it I was already physically and mentally dependent on it!! I have seen things posted in doctor's offices telling you there is a difference between addiction and dependence, but it's hard to know how a doctor will treat you if you bring up that you feel you may be addicted. The first thing they want to do if you tell them it's not working as well is to take you off of it for 2 weeks to help your body "reset"....this is total BS!!!! You are in pain and telling your doctor it's not helping and they want to take it away from you?!! That's why more people don't say anything. And not everyone will get relief from buprenorphine like I have as it is nowhere near as strong as say Fentanyl or Oxycodone...people are afraid to ask to try to find out if it will help because if it doesn't they are worried about being "labeled" and not given back the pain meds that worked better.
As for the doctors, I feel sorry for them too because it's hard to know who may be abusing their meds and who may genuinely need them. I told some interns who worked at the facility I went to so I could get off of Oxycodone how they could catch those who are abusing it....they were astonished!! I told them they could give someone a 2-day notice before a pill count and still catch those who are abusing it!! I told them that those who abuse it know others who sell theirs or know where to get it, and they need to look at the imprint that the bottle says should be on the pill and what is actually there. I told them that people who abuse Fentanyl patches will use a fine razor to cut into the package, use the patch, and then put the contents back in so the package feels like it has the meds in them...lol!! I also told them the best way to know what someone is doing between appointments is to do drug panels by hair. You can't manipulate your hair! It will tell what your levels have been, whether or not they are consistent throughout the month, and whether or not the person has been taking other recreational drugs!! U/A's can be fooled....people can take in someone else's urine!! Some people may even be able to force themselves to take their meds like they are supposed to for a few days so their blood work looks right....but they can't manipulate their hair!!
I totally understand everything you've been through. I've been on 8mg SL buprenorphine tablets for 2 years now and they saved my life!
Hi there,
I saw your response. I was looking for some information. I take 2 - 8mg of Subtex daily. Last night I was in the ER for stomach pains. It's been going on for a month now. They were aware of my Subtex script. Anyway, the doctor told me he found a medication I could take, and gave me 50mcg of Fentanyl. I am not familiar with it. Anyway, no one ever told me if I could continue my dose today, and from what I hear and read, I am afraid of going into precipitated withdrawals. Will this happen if I take my dose? It's been 12 hours since they gave me the IV 50mcg of Fentanyl.
Usersbeware...I am a recovering pain pill addict. That's why I know so much about all of the different opiates out there. I do understand why people take opiates recreationally, but I don't believe they realized the "can of worms" they were opening when they first tried them. I ended up being hooked as a result of surgeries and chronic pain but then found myself taking more than prescribed to feel high. At first I felt like they gave me energy...like I could clean the whole house-and did!! After years of abusing them, though, that didn't happen anymore. I did, however, feel like I couldn't move or get out of the bed if I was dope sick!! That's the most miserable thing I've EVER felt!!! I would rather have a day full of root canals than to feel like that again!! After 7 years of abusing opiates I put myself into outpatient treatment for both opiate and alcohol addiction!! I was sober for 9 months but started having sciatica in my left buttock that ran down to the bottom of my foot!! I couldn't stand straight up without feeling like I had a branding iron in my back and buttock!! Let me tell you a little about my medical situation first...I've had 2 ACL replacement surgeries and 1 knee operation between those to remove a screw and do a bone graft. I also have arthritis and bone spurs in it now. I have spondylolisthesis (grade 2) at L5-S1 that has caused narrowing of the root canals that run along my spine. Anyway, my old pain doctor tried transforaminal inj's. to stop the burning, but it did nothing except make it worse and it hurt like hell having them done!! That's when I was put on the Fentanyl patch, and the first night I wore it I was high for 4 hours!! Looking back I know that kick-started my opiate addiction back into high gear!! I ended up going to a different clinic because even that didn't touch my pain! Made me high at first but only that first day...but it made me very sleepy and gave me bad migraines!! The new clinic I went to put me back on oxycodone and scheduled me for a caudal epidural. That actually stopped the burning, and I didn't really need the oxycodone anymore...i.e. Going back on buprenorphine would have been just fine. Of course I didn't say that though because I was already back on "that train" and didn't want off!! It took 11 months (my husband begging me the whole time to get off the oxycodone because he could see it was sucking the life out of me and draining any extra money we had) for me to get to the point where I WANTED HELP!! You can talk to someone until you are blue in the face, but until they are ready to stop you're wasting your breath and time!! I put myself back into outpatient treatment (yes, I have insurance) November 12, 2016 and have been sober since then. I don't like the word "clean" as that refers to having just bathed. Being sober means you are if sound mind. Come this April 16th (my birthday) it will be 2 years since my last drink, and by April 12th I will be 5 months sober from opiates. I currently take three 8mg sublingual tablets of buprenorphine (generic Subutex) daily to manage chronic pain, and believe it or not I get more relief from that than I ever did from oxycodone!!! To those who are thinking it won't help your pain, please be willing to give it a try!! I have my life back! I work full time! I feel like getting up every day and putting on makeup!! It's a miracle drug for me!! In fact, my insurance won't cover the medication, and I spend almost $73/week to take it!! I tried Belbuca, but that stuff is a JOKE!! The stickers won't stay stuck to your cheek, and the doses they come in aren't nearly strong enough for me!! It kills me that my insurance won't cover generic subutex because it doesn't have naloxone in it, and they only cover that for someone who's pregnant. However, Belbuca doesn't have naloxone in it either!! I guess I have some stupid government beurocracy (the FDA or DEA) to thank for labeling Subutex as only being used to treat addiction...not for pain which is what I take it for. But if you are hooked on them and want to get your life back and actually enjoy it...buprenorphine IS the way to go!! Best wishes for anyone who's reading this and may get some encouragement from it!! I don't judge anyone who is hooked on anything!! I've been there and will have to fight for the rest of my life to stay sober!! It's a fight I'm more than willing to take on though because I'm worth it...and so are you!!!
Tucker'smom17,
Good advice indeed. I'll never understand with all that is known today about the possible lethal effects of these potent opiates, opioids or ORT drugs some would actually choose to use them for recreational purposes. What ever happened to messing with beer and marijuana for haha's. It just boggles my mind how risky some continue to be with these chemicals...
Suboxone, subutex, nor any form of buprenorphine will block Fentanyl. Fentanyl has a higher affinity for opiate receptors. I know this because I am on Belbuca (was on subutex) for chronic pain. I've taken all forms of opiates that exist! I don't want to be on oxycodone or any other typical opiate to manage my pain because I want to have a life. That being said, I had to have injections done on my lower back today for chronic back problems and was given versaid (sp) and Fentanyl and then went on to take my regular dose of Belbuca this afternoon. It is only when you take any form of buprenorphine recreationally (or to dry out) that you need to wait until you are in withdrawal to take it again. Doing so can likely cause precipitated withdrawal. My doctor prescribes mine to me and only used the Fentanyl for breakthrough pain during my procedure. If you are taking Fentanyl recreationally or in larger quantities than you are prescribed you are PLAYING WITH FIRE!!! It WILL burn you...it's not a matter of if but when. Not to mention flipping back and forth with these potent chemicals is only asking for trouble (chemically) with your brain!! Please, think about what you're doing to yourself!
Hello, Jennifer! How are you?
Usually, you need to wait about 3 days, due to the Suboxone blocking the action of other opiates, unless your doctor has instructed you otherwise.
The FDA classifies this medication as a narcotic analgesic, so it has the potential to be habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth and constipation.
Is there anything else I can help with?
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