I am in a program called drug court, and after 22 months I am close to graduation. Drug court is a program for people who commit crimes because of an addiction. People who aren't necessarily bad but break the law to support a habit. Anyway I've been on suboxone illegally for 18 months now. About 6 months ago drug court found out and decided to look the other way. I haven't had a positive urine since I started the suboxone and it is just plain amazing. No desire to use whatsoever. What started out as a few being allowed to dose illegally, turned into every opiate addict coming into the program doing it as well. Now drug court decided to not allow sub use and is giving people 1 week to drop it or rehab. The other option is to get on methadone or the sub program. Meth is not for me and I have no health insurance and can't afford to see a doctor for the subs. Not to mention the shortage of sub prescribing doctors in the area. I want to be dependence free and I've been dosing down for a few months now. I'm at 3-4 mgs daily and I'm afraid a week just isn't enough time to successfully quit without high probability of relapse. It isn't fair that they allowed me to do it for this long, and decided to just up and stop it without any consideration for my ability and need to function. I've read a lot of the forums on here and I found them helpful. Can anyone help me figure out a plan to execute this as cleanly as possible? I'm open to any ideas. Thanks everyone!
Being forced off suboxone. Help!?
- Posted:
- 8 Feb 2012 by TattooJimmy
- Topics:
- commit, suboxone, addiction
Added 14 Feb 2012:
Thank you to everyone that was thoughtful enough to give advice and support. I found a doctor nearby that only charges $50 per visit. I saw her today and got a script for 8 mg tablets 2x daily. I finally got my birth certificate from my home state and filled out the state insurance papers.. I faxed them over today as well. Suboxone is so expensive here I was a little disheartened at first.. $570 for 60. My insurance will hopefully go through by my next visit but for now I'm thankful that the stress of finding them illegally is over. My friend has the state insurance and only paid $7 for his script. I was kinda jealous. Not really fair. Anyway. Thank you everyone!
Answers (5)
LaurieShay8 Feb 2012
I agree, trying to stop from taking 3 to 4 mgs a day in one week is just not going to be possible without some serious discomfort. Generally, it is best to reduce you dosage by half every couple of weeks at the fastest. Unless the drug court specifically tested for the buprenorphine in the Suboxone, you won't show positive for opiates. This is the way the Subs doctors can tell if a patient is abusing opiates while taking Subs. The Suboxone does not show positive for opiates. If you have to stop the Subs in one week, I recommend you taper as much as possible then prepare for the withdrawals. The Thomas recipe for opiate withdrawal maybe of some help. You can google it. It does recommend the use of a benzodiazepine, but under the circumstances I wouldn't do that or you'll show positive for them. Goona have to be tough and determined, don't let them dictate what happens to you by relapsing. You are in control.
9 Feb 2012
Dear TatooJimmy... Wow... that is really a backwards system but this is our government??? Is there no one to whom u can speak to allow you to stay on suboxone until you have tapered properly?? I mean there must be a physician there who has to understand the long half life of buprenorphine, the high affinity for the opiod receptor site, and the fat solubility of buprenorphine. Is it that they just want to switch you and everyone to Methadone??? Ridiculous. Pattishan61 and Robert_325 are the experts on suboxone here on this site. Patti stays here on this side and Robert usually can be found on the forum. I highly suggest trying to get in touch with one of them. You have to friend someone here to be able to send a private question so it might be better, considering your time constraints, to search for Robert on the forum side.
pattishan619 Feb 2012
Dear TJ, listen, i knoe you said you can't afford a suboxone dr, but truly, it would be best to hustle up to do whatever you can to find one you can afford. If i read this correctly, you have that as a choice, it just seems expensive. Go to the suboxone.com webpage, look for the here to help page, find the dr locator, increase the search parameters to 100 miles of your home and start calling drs. The fees associated with suboxone vary from dr to dr and often in outllying areas, the fees a less. Ask what the fees are and if the dr writes for subutex as well, as subutex has a generic, same med, but no naloxone like subs, will stop craving and withdrawal the same. There is not enough time for you to taper and in fact, you still are going to likely test positive for it for a few weeks after the last dose, so, it is critical that you find an affordable subs dr very quickly and it can be done.
pup6767
9 Feb 2012
Thanks so much patticakes for coming here to respond to this question... I was so hoping you would!!! I knew that he did not have enough... I just did not know what else to say...
Tatoo... please listen to patti... where there is a will there is a way.
And please do not think I am being judgmental but I am sure the illegal suboxone were expensive also... so please use that money for this. Do whatever you can... follow patti's suggestions and try try try... make those calls that she has suggested... good luck... pup
pattishan61
9 Feb 2012
There a dr here, who charge as little as $150 for induction and rx, he is more in the country, most drs charge at least $250 to induct, but even with that, if he can get generic subutex for a few bucks a pill and Tattoo Jimmy, get the 2 mg generic subutex if you can, the tablets, not the films. The 2 mgs are easier to break into small increments when it is really time for you to taper. You have seen what suboxone can do to help you save your future, invest in yourself, it is the best choice. You have options here, jump off now, and have withdrawal and risk relapse, get on methadone, that will get costly and inconvenient, finding a subs sr and doing this right is the choice you should make. We will be there for you. Patti
rvnew9 Feb 2012
the only thing i can say is as soon as u stop taking everything ,if u can, move away from where u live .if u distance yourself from all of your contacts ,i think u would have a better chance. good luck and ,remember ,theyre only pills .they cant talk and tell u what to do .i know its hard .ive re-lapsed about three times, but now ive been on subs 4 9 months and if i had to stop , iwould hope that theyre going to ween you off of them,otherwise , thats just straight cruel.
23 Feb 2012
Do what you have to do but please don't choose methadone. I would go do my time first. Prison was the best rehab I've ever been to. I was on methadone 20 yrs straight. I was out of society 40 months and never felt right in the head or body, especially physically the whole time. Only thing that made me feel any better was exercise but after so many years of abuse. I stayed off opiates about 5 years and never felt good physically and had-have some depression and anxiety problems. Anyway I tried suboxone one day for some reason I have no excuse for but felt better then I had in years. That started me to self medicate again and now to sub Dr's. My fault. It all sucks but suboxone is the lesser of the evils and actually costs about the same or close to methadone which is I think $280 per month or 70 a week. You don't want to go to jail on that crap. Ask anyone who's ever been on it for awhile and come off it.
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Suboxone IS buprenorphine with naloxone in it. If the court is no longer allowing subs then they WILL be testing for buprenorphine as well as the other drugs they test for.
Yea they test for bupenorphine