What should I expect at a Suboxone clinic?
- Posted:
- 3+ months ago by leopard_p...
- Topics:
- suboxone
Details:
Hello,
I have an appt for a reasonably priced & caring-sounding Sub clinic tomorrow. It seems like from this forum that a lot of people have had negative experiences their first dose/induction. I have been on methadone before (for mostly heroin) and liked it because it gave you that little "high" but allowed you to live a normal life too.
I'm doing the Sub this time (for mixed heroin & pharms) so I don't have to be chained to a clinic w/a bunch of druggies and criminals (sorry but it's true). Once you get established on your dose, can anyone explain what the "feeling" is like? Do you get that opiate calm? There are so many horror stories on this forum I feel like I should just go back on methadone becasue it's more predictable.
The clinic I'm going to is a mixed meth/Sub clinic. My appt is tomorrow AM & am in beginning w/drawal.
Thanks for any advice, this is my 1st post.
--Elise
That sounds like a good plan. Hang in there.:D
I just wanted to add my experience about sleep.
I was put on 40mg of suboxone and For the first 10 days I did as the docot told me too. I was unable to close my eyes for the hole ten days. In fact it was not untill I droped to 16mg (a bit too quickly) before I got my first 4 hours of real sleep)
It was a good healthy sleep, no dreaming though. I did not even feel like I went without sleep untill I drop to 16mg... now I am almost normal with my sleep. I sleep very lightly but feel rested when I awaken. I still only sleep maybe 4 to 5 hours but I feel fine. I also went thru 5-7 teeshirts per night and several during the day due to sweating so much. Now on 16 (and small sliver) I still break out in sweats but infreqent and less intense... maybe last 3-5 min as apposed to 30 min. of dripping sweat. I think the high dose is what cause the severe sweating.
Hope this helped. and yes... I just now am beginng to be able to enjoy food. I was forcing food down do to the severe weight loss from actively useing and lost another 9 lbs during the first ten days of 40mg sub per day.
good luck... listen too Rob... he knows what he is talking about.
Ok, now this is confusing and a good example of even healthcare staff having the wrong info. I was told by several of the staff at the clinic that the naloxone would also put a person into precipitated w/d's if any other narcs were used during the Suboxone period. So it's there solely to prevent ppl from abusing the Sub itself?:confused: Uh-huh...
But the super-high affinity the Bup has for the Mu receptors will effectively prevent a person from getting "high" off other narcs unless massive doses are taken, is that right? Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning anything, I just like knowing what is going on with my body!
Again...Robert, thank you, you are really a gem of this community.
--Elise
I shouldn't have said naloxone only works if we inject suboxone. It will put us into precipitated withdrawl if we inject any opiates. But that is all it does. It's only for those who inject opiates ... which is mainly buprenorphine (subutex or suboxone) while one is on this therapy. That is why I said what I did. That is why they came up with suboxone in addition to subutex. Otherwise they would only need one medication for everyone. We won't go into w/d from eating a vicodin. Naloxone starts working only when we inject.
You are exactly correct about how the buprenorphine works. Being a partial agonist it will basically block the receptors so the opiates will not get us high. We have to be off the medication for 3-4 days anyway to feel the effects of RX opiates. I don't know if it would be sooner from a huge opiate dose. I would be leary of over-dose knowing me before I got high.
Rob, thank you for your advice on no taking the sub at bedtime. I took my last dose yesterday at 5 p.m. rather than at bedtime and I slept like a baby. Just make sure you stay on these threads. We need you :)
I got my take-home dose of Sub today (Sunday) and tried 12mg instead of 16mg...it's really strange what a difference a LOWER dose made in terms of irritability, aches, etc. Strange stuff.
I am still thinking of switching to methadone since I'm starting to realize I may need (of course "need" being relative) maintenance tx instead of just detox. I've detoxed so many times, with and without pharmaceutical help - why would this be different? I guess I just put too much stock in the new "miracle drug" to save me. ;)
Anyway, I have an appt w/the clinic therapist tomorrow so will discuss it with her. I really hope everyone else's journeys are going okay (one day at a time, of course)!! Best of luck, Elise
Elise ... I would suggest slowing it down trying to lower the dose to 12mg if it is causing problems. Don't reduce today if it is bothering you to the degree of having symptoms. All we have to do is take a little more if we start having w/d symptoms from suboxone. Even if you have to take it longer than what has been suggested it's okay. We are just describing best case scenarios.
I would NOT go on methadone unless it's because I am going to have to be on pain meds forever. Then I would choose methadone. It's a "forever" program. Not meant for the short term. Even if you have to stay on suboxone for a year or more that is better than trying to stop methadone after a year. Think seriously about this before making a commitment to methadone under your situation. I truly think that would be a mistake for you. Have faith and just keep doing the next right thing. Hang in there. Don't react too quickly. :)
* Methadone, it's worse than Heroin for you, my cosin was on it for a long time and he looked like *. Just another detox scam IMO.
I'am glad i found Suboxone, 8/10 days i'am done. Sorry for my actions towards Meth. because i don't even know your history, maybe it's in one of your post? i will check.
Sorry Robert, I meant IMPROVEMENT in those side effects on 12mg vs 16mg!! That's the strange thing.
I guess I am just having a challenging time with Sub - it's great of course not to have the w/drawal symptoms...but the cravings are very very bad, especially since you get just a "hint" of the opiate effect with Sub. That is why I am even considering going (back) to methadone.
I'll have to sleep on it & discuss w/therapist tomorrow.
Man, if I ever needed some "retail therapy" it is now - but since I quit my job, no shopping for me. :rolleyes:
--Elise
Before you decide to go on methadone, please think long and hard. I got on methadone for an addiction to heroin, am just getting off with the suboxone now, but I was on tge program for over 30 years. I tried to get off one time at around the 10 year mark, and it was horrible. Worse than heroin, worse the benzos. I was back on opiates almost immediately and had to get back on the program. They will never encourage you to get off. And if you do get off, be aware that the relapse rate is high. IF you do decide to go the methadone route, my advice to anyone is don't stay on it more than a year or even less, no matter what the counselor tells you. If you stay on longer, you will be on for years. I am not the only one at my clinic on as long as me. There were many of us near senior citizen meth addicts. It sucked. Hard to hold a job because you have to be at the clinic every day and the hours are usually not amenable to working. Methadone should be the absolute last choice. My advise is try to work with the suboxone some more. You don't wanna be a 59 year old methadone addict like I was, believe me.
Great post Bev 49, I never did Methodone but just knowing what my cosin went thru was bad enough for me. It's like going to cop dope but legal.IMO
Don't misundertand my suggestion. I am not saying methadone is bad. If I had to be on any opiate for 30 years methadone would be my choice. No doubt. It works great for lots of people. But for shorter term problems requiring opiates I would choose something else. Methadone has a definite place in pain management as well as for treating opiate addiction. It's only for very long term or for lifelong situations that I would recommend it though. Sadly most all serious medications have horror stories.
Thanks jimmi. Been following your posting and you seem to be doing everything right. Keep it up. Methadone is a great thing for some people who are hard core addicts. If you are not a hard core addict, meth will make you one, I promise. And no matter how good you are doing or how clean you are, there is a stigma attached to being on methadone. Alot of meth people buy and sell it, take extra to get high and buy pills to get higher still. I live in NYC where there are alot of programs but wherever there's a program, there are neighbors complaining. Lots of loitering. So you get a label even if you are doing well. I happen to have been one of the "good" patients. Haven't gotten high on anything in alot of years. What made me stop getting high, in my opinion, was simiply age. You just get to a point where you are too old, too tired to do it anymore. Getting high is a young person's game, I think. Anyway, I firmly believe methadone maintenance should be the last choice of anyone who wants to quit. I do not mean to be preachy. I just know from experience. I have gotten high on every drug known to man probably in my time and been on meth 3 decades. It can be a lifesaver, but you have to go into it with eyes wide open.
Wow, you guys have really given me a lot to think about. I did have an eye opening moment a few years ago when a b/f (not my current husb.) screamed at me, "do you want to be on drugs for the rest of your life?"...and I had to take a few minutes before I said, "yes...yes, I do."
I just want to be on them legally, not buying off the street, not doctor shopping, just so I can have my little "security blanket" and go on with my life, professional job, member of the community, etc.
I am truly sorry if this offends or angers anyone here. I am just trying to find the right kind of opiate maintenance therapy for myself. I had hopes of Suboxone, and will certainly give it a longer chance than six days (so far). I'm glad that others have found their security in relationships, religion, etc. I just haven't found that yet & don't expect to.
Please, if this is too much personal stuff let me know - I value this board & don't want to overstep my bounds here. Also pls feel free to email me if you want to talk about anything more (india_claire AT msn.com)
Thanks, Elise
Glad to hear your clean, many yrs ago i had a Coke problem and being from
Miami it was wide open, i caught a charge and i was looking at 15/30 yrs in Prison, that finally woke me up and got clean. My car acident left me paralized
for a couple of months and had back surgery and that's what started me on pain meds. Now i'am just tierd of going to docs. then would get scared of running ou of meds and going thru W/D. Glad to have found Suboxone.
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