What Exactly Does Suboxone Do? Is It Addicitive? (Page 2) (Top voted first)

i have a friend who desperately wants to get off of methadone and pain pills. will suboxone work? is it addicitive too? if someone can please help me that would be great! also is it very expensive, that's what i've heard.

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Doctors lately seem to have forgotten the Hippocratic oath they took and concern themself more with pharmaceutical "endorsement" then practicing REAL medicine. Going to pain management and when I go to my suboxone doctor feels the equivalent to ringing up my local pill dealer.... I can heal most infections and treat symptoms better with the herbs and food in my fridge then most prescription and OTC meds...

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I personally haven't but other side effects I have are; headaches, uhhh my bowel movements aren't as consistent as they were, thus I've put on weight because I'm always hungry and never 'doodoo', now I'm fat. And sometimes I almost get this weird stress feeling in my head, like a frustrated feeling, like when I used to feel high. No muscle aches though at least not for me.

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SAME HERE!!!!!! Went from 130 lbs size 4 and now I'm 155 size 8 feel gross!

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ME TOO!!!!!! Exact same thing- size 0 or 2 and now I'm an 8 I feel so FAT... I hate the suboxone but I need it or I crave so badly.....I miss so badly that feeling of euphoria and I'm actually depressed that I'll never feel it again :(

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I've been on suboxone since it was an orange pill that looked like a stop sign and took forever to dissolve on your tongue, lol. Then I went onto the strips that dissolved and now I'm on the generic (pills again lol but they're quicker to dissolve, don't taste horrible)... The difference between methadone and suboxone is that you can get a monthly script for suboxone (not many docs will give a monthly methadone script).....suboxone doesn't make you high the way methadone does and basically... YES it's addictive much less than methadone, however, and I've tapered from four a day (8/2) to one a day over the process of tx. I loved methadone but realized I was just still being a junkie (I was using it to feel high) ... the sub just takes away your cravings and keeps you from getting sick BUT gives no 'high' whatsoever! It has saved my life though I'd say.......as well as talk groups and even these online forums.. good luck

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I am a 21 yo female and I started useing illegal opiates when I was 19. For the first time in 2 n a half years I am getting clean. First of all you need to b ready to tell yourself no, if u try before that it is likely not to work. Addiction is mental and physical...so if possible change your environment. If u are truly ready to have your life bak, make it as easy as possible for yourself so not to get discouraged. If I did it u can too. I was a heavy Iv user and smoker...and all I did was leave town with 6 10mg methadone and 2 8 mg suboxone. I say cut bak as much as possible b4 leaving. Then take a methadone when it is unbearable. If u can find subutex use them when the methadone is gone because it won't give u precipitated withdrawls, if not u have to wait 12-20 hours before taking suboxone because of the naloxone...tex don't have that blocker so it makes the transition easier. Doable either way. You won't b able to eat well for about a week or 2. Stock up on chicken noodle soup and bananas because they r they r the easiest most nutritional foods to eat. Dope sickness includes many awefull symptoms, it won't b easy so u only want to go thru this once. Don't let yourself switch from one addiction to the next, methadone withdrawls r worse than H. And I'm sure subs aren't much better if u r taking a lot multiple times a day. Addicts should b helped not punished, humans make mistakes.... this one is just very hard to overcome. Don't feel bad about getting help, or how people will look at you. It is the only way to get thru it and feel good about yourself again. Good luck to everyone with a problem! and to those who don't, please stress to the young people in your life how seriously dangerous it is to try opiates even once. It is and never will b worth it to feel like u r going to die for a week or longer. Wikipedia has a good page if u want more in depth info. on the drug itself. A lot of role models/famous people use. All it takes is a friend saying " it's not that bad just try it once." Mexico is the second largest producer of black tar H. This is a serious epidemic in the USA, so please spread the word so nice people like me don't want to kill themselves because of a stupid drug. I used to b so happy, and I will b again now that I feel better and know how extremely seriously dangerous it is. Thanks for reading and good luck! B strong! It's the right thing to do for the people u love but most importantly for yourself. Life is hard, it's much harder with this problem. It is a very strong depressant.
Sincerely, Aurora

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My husban is planning to start today around midnight using suboxone. he is bad on H. do u think he's going to get up fine? how long does it takes to kick in?

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my doctor put me on suboxone treatment. to help me get off my opiates. i also have been taking clonazopane for years, but only take very small dosage. but after reading all the comments on here, its sounds like that could be deadly.... a bit confused

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Jeremy,

Where do you live? If you go to www.suboxone.com you will be able to find a Dr. in your area taht can prescribe Suboxone. I am on day 3 and I feel like a totally different person. I am very excited to see how the next few months turn out. Good luck to you!

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Dear Jeremy, If you have been in rehab for 2 months, you have already kicked the habbit. Why go on Soboxone. Soboxone is for those JUST coming off of meth or Vicoden. Not for those who are already sober and just need a boost of energy!!

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I just spent about fifteen minutes reading most of the posts regarding Suboxone and I am truly amazed at how much misinformation and very poor understanding of this medication is written here. If I am not mistaken, I have not seen anybody write the ACTIVE INGREDIENT in Suboxone. If you first understand what is in Suboxone, then most of your questions/answers will make much more sense.

In the United States of America, only Suboxone and Subutex were approved for Opiate-addiction therapy. The difference between Suboxone and Subutex is, Suboxone includes 2 MG of naloxone, whereas Subutex has no Naloxone. So, any logical person should focus on the ACTIVE ingredient, which is Buprenorphine.

Buprenorphine IS part of the Opiate family but it's chemical make-up is different, in that Buprenorphine has an extremely high binding affinity at the µ- and κ-opioid receptor. It has partial agonist activity. In other words, compared to other Opiates, Buprenorphine has a partial agonist effect, then adding the Naloxone increases this, blocking those receptors that people who want to use Opiates simultaneously, more difficult to work.

You have to look at Suboxone as two medications combined into a single tablet, or film (NEW), rather than one. I read one post on here, where somebody said that the only reason people need to increase their use of prescribed Opiates, like Oxycodone is, "they like the high". This could not be further from the truth. What really happens to your body is, you develop a tolerance of whatever amount you are taking. Eventually, that original medication will not be as effective, because your body naturally becomes more tolerant, which makes the medication less effective.

One thing that I think is extremely important to know is, Methadone and Buprenorphine are NOT exclusively used for Opiate addiction. Both medications are Opiate-Based "pain killers". In fact, Buprenorphine is prescribed alone, as a chronic pain relief medication. It has been used in Europe for several years and is the number one, prescribed pain medication there, versus Vicodin (Hydrocodone) in the USA.

Again, please remember that Suboxone has either 4, or 8 MG of Buprenorphine, which IS a legitimately used Pain medication. In fact, this medication has just been approved for the USA market, named Butrans®. Unlike Suboxone/Subutex, the physician needs no additional certification, or special training. It is marketed and supplied by the same company responsible for Oxycontin (Purdue). Butrans is pure Buprenorphine and is a skin-patch (like Fentanyl). It has been used successfully in Europe for many years now. The Butrans patch is made to look like your skin tone and is needed to be changed every four days.

Prior to Butrans being approved for the USA market, many American physicians used/use Suboxone as an off-label, chronic pain medication. Many people have found excellent relief using Buprenorphine (Suboxone), as they have with Oxycodone, or any other Opiates.

The same thing applies to Methadone®. Unfortunately, Methadone has become synonymous with drug-addicts, when it is widely prescribed for many, many chronic pain patients. In America, we use the description of the location which dispenses "The Methadone Clinic", which falsely stigmatizes this medication used exclusively for "Drug-Addicts". Again, another falsehood. Methadone is extremely effective for chronic pain relief for thousands of patients, when nothing else works. People who are prescribed Methadone DO NOT need to go to any clinics, or be on any kind of lists. They simply get their prescriptions filled at any local pharmacy. Physicians can prescribe Methadone from their offices, in a tablet form, not liquid, as they use in these substance abuse clinics.

I know this sounds complicated, but it really is not. Unfortunately, the FDA took a very long time to approve the use of Butrans in the USA, while Europe has been using it with great success for years. Why you might ask...... I would speculate the large pharmaceutical companies have been able to keep this very helpful medication out, while continuing to sell their very expensive Opiates. This is not a fact, just my own opinion.

As far as should, or shouldn't you use Suboxone to help you with your Opiate addiction, it has the support of succesful studies and has been praised much more than criticized. This does NOT mean it works the same on every person who ingests it, as each human body metabolizes these chemicals differently. It may be a godsend for one and not useful for another. More often than not, Suboxone has proved to be a very safe, successful part of recovering from your addiction to Opiates.

I have noticed a common theme throughout every post on here, with regards to how helpful Suboxone is for them. For instance, I read about a person who was only taking a small amount of Hydrocodone and was able to "get off" Suboxone quickly. Again, logic will tell you that Suboxone will be much more helpful (at least, in the beginning) for a person who is only taking Hydrocodone, versus another person who has been taking 160 MG of Oxycontin a day. You cannot put these individuals in the same category. The same applies to a person who has been using a very large amount of Heroin, for a very long time. You could analogize it like a wound; some people have a scratch on their body and others have severe, deep lacerations. The person who has just a simple scratch will need less "care" (Opioid replacement), than a person who is bleeding excessively, for a very long time.

It is good that this forum exists, but please be sure to check your facts, prior to posting information, as it may misguide an individual seeking help, or discourage a person, that Suboxone would be a life-saver. The same applies to Methadone. Yes, it is "commonly" thought of as a medication used exclusively for heroin-addicts, or other opiates, but it also has a very beneficial use for those who suffer with a chronic pain disease, after they have tried most other prescribed Opiate medications.

Your body is unique and may react completely differently than the person sitting next to you. My advise to anybody seeking help is, do what works for you, to make you productive and happy. Every Opiate medication IS "addictive", which is simply a natural course of anybody using pain medications. Simply because your physician may change your daily dosage of Oxycontin from 30 MG twice a day to 40 MG is a perfectly, normal expectation from anybody needing these medications to increase the quality of their life.

There has been too much bad, or negative link to Opiates within the past few years, but always know that a mediation was developed and meant to be used to make a person's life better. Simply because a small population of people choose to abuse these medications does not make them bad, or need a stigma attached.

My conclusion is that it is extremely dangerous when the Federal Government, Physicians, Health Care Providers and others responsible for the availability of these medicines make it more and more difficult to access when needed. Some people will ALWAYS abuse medication, but we cannot allow the minority to rule the majority.

STOP SCARING THE HELL OUT OF EVERY LICENSED PRESCRIBER, AS THEY MUST MAKE A CHOICE TO PROVIDE SUCCESSFUL CARE, OR LOOSE THEIR LICENSE BY BEING ON SUCH A TIGHT LEASH. We send our caregivers to many, many years of school to make appropriate decisions based on health care AND all medicines are created for a legitimate reason. Bravo for those brave providers, who do the right thing, rather than depriving their patients, based on fear! It is ridiculous that a small group of people are influencing those who are able to make these sweeping changes, making access to health services more difficult and a lower quality of life.

Educate yourself and don't simply believe everything you read. Check all of the facts yourself before you make any major decisions. The ONLY person responsible for YOUR health is YOU! We don't live in a "Gray's Anatomy" world (similar to Disneyland)!

Be well.

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Has anyone here "TOTALLY" gotten off of Subox in 6 months or less after a longer term opiod addiction?

To me it sounds like the lesser of about 30 different evils. After a serious accident 3 years ago I lost a leg and destroyed my back and shoulder.

I was given every and as much medication as I needed for pain control. This went on and on as the pain went on and on....However, after a year the body had gotten probably 50% better overall but the pain medication usage had gone up over 100% of where it started.

I had never used meds before but after the accident the hospital was trying to get my pain under control and they threw everything at it they could...They did not want to put me under right away because of head trauma but I swear the ER doctor came in and said I have to apologize....for what I said? Unknown to Paramedics immediately drew blood to have ready to test for type and because of the kind of accident they had to screen my blood for alcohol or drugs.

Evidently the ER doc thought I was the biggest addict he had ever seen when they were shooting me up with everything they had in the ER (I think at one point he sent one of the new nurses down to corner to buy some heroin to get my pain under control so they could touch me...

Really, the doc said the doses they had given to me were the kinds that he had seen accidentally given to a few patients years ago and it nearly put a few of near death! He said I was not phased and he said he just knew I was a heavy narcotic user. But he also said he had the blood used for checking my blood type tested for drugs etc...and it was 100% clean. He said it was very, very, very uncommon for someone to have that kind of tolerance and be an addict, but he had seen a few times in 30 years.

So, that was starting point 6'4 265 pounds of broken steel with a clean body who was suddenly inundated with every "D" named drug they made and woke up a week later at home with a nightstand that looked like a drug store! After trying the prescribed dosage and when that did not touch the pain I called the new treating doc's and I guess they had viewed the ER notes and in no time I called back and told to double any doses except for the extended release pills like the 80 mg oxy.

So, of course, to keep the pain at bay, the double dose lasted about a month and the more I tried to get up and do PT the more the double dose was turning to a triple dose and when I called the doc he called me back and said it was ok for now but to make an appt and he wanted to switch me to non-tylenol mixed narcotics as it would wind up messing my liver up if I over did it.

I left there with 100 mcg/hr Duragesic patches, twice as many oxy 80's as before and 30, 4 mg dilaudids if the 1st oxy did not phase the pain on PT days.

From there it snowballed and he sent me to a trusty pain clinic "pain clinic" one year later....They cut out everything but the patch and took me down to 30mg oxy's. I felt like hell and could not tell how much of the pain was from the accident or from the cutoff of all of the meds.

I complied but I had to have dental recon surgery and two implants and the trusty dentist said continue your normal pain meds and he also wrote an RX for 30 vicoprofens....Two months later a kidney stone and a midnight tip to an ER and I left there with 10 perc's....Now, was I dr. shopping...I mean really...my primary who referred me to the pain clinic said give them a month or two and if you do not like the treatment protocol to call him and resume treatment as before. Well, I had to because the pain clinic said "sorry" you are no longer welcome...I was appalled.

So, I called the primary back and this was about a year and 3 or 4 months post accident and 2 months post surgery and actually my body was feeling better and I was able to move around somewhat and I asked the doc to lets cut down the meds some....EASIER SAID THAN DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a while I weened off the patch and now am taking 5 vicoprofens a day and I want to live without these meds anymore as I think my body may be a lot better.

The problem now is I have to take that BS to keep from getting sick....So, I studied every webpage, the Suboxone site, talked to my neighbor, at length, who is an MD and he swears by SUBOXONE...He does say be careful though as the key (for getting off of the lower dose meds, like me now) is take the least SUBOXONE possible for the shortest term possible and he almost guarantees I can walk off the sub's with just a few days discomfort at the most the w/d pain can be dealt with pretty well with clonidine, clonopin and even a stronger benzo if needed or if I just wanted to sleep through it.

That sounds like a winner to me. I am tired of feeling like I am whoring up to the pharmacy counter with an RX and having them looking like I am Jerry Garcia standing there (God Love Him) out to scam them out of more of the literal thousands of pills I have taken in the past few years....I actually had two different pharmacist call give me print outs of the meds I had taken over the time period since my accident. They were implying the doctor was over supplying or it looked like a person who may be "subverting"....But they said they knew of my accident and evident loss case and one knew me personally and said she was just concerned.

So, for that as well as mainly just not wanting to HAVE TO TAKE SOMETHING SOME I AM NOT CRAWLING OUT OF MY OWN SKIN, IN SWEATS WITH THE RUNS EVERYDAY I AM NOW GOING TO TAKE THIS NEW DRUG.

By the way....I felt no EUPHORIA anywhere at all close to the time after I had the accident, no matter what I took...hell I have live nerves exposed! However, after about 5 months I did go to a NFL Monday Night Game took my regular meds and did something I rarely did...I HAD A FEW BEERS AND WHAM...the first time since the accident I felt damned good....like super good and I guess that is the high everyone chases....however, for me, when I hurt badly I tried to take more or drink some and it no longer work (Mr High Tolerance was back)....So, I am DONE....DONE....DONE....The damn pills now rule and making sure I always have plenty is a b**** and I am sick and tired of it...

So, if the Suboxone will give me a break for even a little while I cannot wait to try..............

Sorry for the long windedness but i know i am a drug dependent man with 5 children and wife and a mortgage and i live in a state of in and out of withdrawals and am sick and tired of tired of being sick and tired....Feel Me--Pray for me---

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I first started with Vicodin, then started buying Percocet and Dilauded or any other kind of pill I could buy by the hundreds on the street. I snorted at least 20 pain pills a day and then started shooting Heroin for a little over a year and was up to about 5 bags a day and I'm only about 110lbs. It took over my entire life and became more important to me than anything or anyone else. I was selfish and was confident that there was no way to kick the addiction and had reached a point where I just figured I'd either get killed or kill myself in the world of Heroin addiction. Once I was forced in to detox and from the er ended up in a behavioral health detox ward, I was started on Suboxone. I was released 4 days later and never knew of a life that didn't revolve around wanting, craving and doing everything I could to get my drug. I do think about it, of course, but I don't crave it and couldn't even use it if I tried, considering Subs blocks the receptors from allowing you to get high off of narcotics. Suboxone saved my life and many of the lives of those in similar circumstances around me. I haven't touched a narcotic since my release. I've even been in bathrooms of others and seen full bottles of high powered pain killers and passed them right by. There is no need on suboxone. Please, give it a chance. It can safe your life and also provide you with a life. I've been living ever since, without the burden of being an active user.

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@Stephen. I used to post every day for almost 2 years at Drugs.com after my accident. I was top rated poster in 10 categories and helped lots of people. More importantly, they all helped me. By sharing experiences and the horror stories, it may help you feel like you really aren't alone, battling this demon you think no one else could possibly know how strong of a pull it really has on you. You don't necessarily need to know all the facts or have medical training to help someone just as much as some of the best counselors out there. Besides, even the best doctor's have differences of opinions. Just words of encouragement and knowing you aren't alone is therapeutic in itself. Connecting with people who know what it feels like to be trapped in an additive vicious circle, the panic and desperation, fear and anxiety, admitting your addictions and talking about them are the first (and best) steps to a successful recovery. People do eventually move on like I did. But as long as giving and getting the support and help so many of us need, I say post away until your hearts content. It's a lifeline for many people. Without it, where would they go? I think people are more likely to relapse if they don't talk about it rather than when they (we) do. Addicts will turn inward. And when they don't like what they see, they use to feel good again. Of course these are just my opinions and I meant no offense towards you. I may have it all wrong, but we all have our own demons to battle and if posting here keeps the demons away for a while, that's a good thing.

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Stephen, I'm sure you are trying to give us what may have been good advice for maybe your own experience or someone else's but everyone has different ways of coping. For some people (apparently for Frank, CMJ and I) it looks like being able to talk about something that is usually too EMBARRASSING to talk about is doing us some good. We lead productive lives (at least I know I do) but talking and having someone to relate to can help a lot to heal :). And everyone is different. What may make us feel better may be counter productive for the next Guy. They say when you can discuss something without feelings of embarrassment it means you're on your way to healing! So guys if it makes you feel good about yourself and helps us realize we're not alone and there's others out there going through the same thing.....more power to everyone :) Hope y'all had a great Christmas!

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Trust me if you have a problem you need to tell the people who are around you get it out in the open and get help you will be glad you did. I have just recently started suboxone after being on methadone for pain management and feel a lot better now than I did on the methadone the methadone grabs you and won't let you go

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Hey nat. I have been on subs for about a yr. Now. But I had withdraws when not having it for a few days. I don't know what med is truly going to help us hun with this disease. Know what I mean. I understand as well about keeping it from the family. Maybe if they see u are trying they will be more app to understand that u might need to be on some med to help u get better. I was scared to death but when my mom knew I was trying to change I think it was easier for her to swallow. Good luck!

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NAT, get off Death a dones now! Subs are perfect for methadone treatment. Any addiction doctor with any sense will put you on sub in a heart beat. My doctor explained to me that most methadone treatment is lifelong. You will probably be on subs for at most two years. Call an addiction clinic that prescribe suboxone and explain the situation. The only downfall is the cost. Most insurance or Medicaid cover methadone but some do not cover suboxone therapy. And some clinics are not accepting insurance and it is strictly cash. My doctor has been practicing psychiatry and treating addiction for over 20 years and has said verbatim that he has never seen anything with a higher success rate as suboxone. It is addictive and that's why your doctor will wean you off after a cpl months. Good luck :)

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Good advice ash! Thanks. And good luck to you nat! You know the way to kick addiction is to change people places and things. And boy is that true. It feels so good to have people like you guys to vent too so thank you!

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#? Please..

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