[worriedinDE]

Okay this may be a stupid question. Once you have WD'd and have no longer been using suboxone for some time can suboxone be used to help prevent a relapse?

[Robert_325]

How do you mean? Are you just wanting to start taking suboxone again for no other reason that to use it in lieu of taking a different opiate? Suboxone is an opiate the same as vics, percs or any other RX opiate. It just works differently on your receptors as a partial agonist so it helps with an opiate detox. But if you start taking it out of the blue you'll likely end up addicted to it and blow everything you've accomplished. There is NOT any reason to take it unless there is a specific reason for doing so. Suboxone is a very serious medication not to be taken lightly. I would rethink whatever is going through your mind. God bless.

[melinda7.5]

worried
There is a natural chemical that our brain produces that is called Dopamine. This chemical is what stimulates our pleasure center and also what lets our brain inturperate what measures it needs to take for survival. So, picture if you will, the following. On one side of your brain you have a "sac" that contains the Dopamine, on the other side of your brain you have a receptor.

Now, in a normal, non addicted brain, Dopamine is released naturally after say a good meal or sex. In the normal course of things for instance, if we eat a steak dinner, the sac will release the normal amount of Dopamine, let's say one squirt. The gate opens, receives the Dopamine, we feel good and everything is as it should be. Now, drugs also release Dopamine only at a much higher level, so while a candy bar might release one "squirt" of Dopamine, drugs release up to 100 times the normal amount of Dopamine.
Think of those gates for a minute, wouldn't it be nice if when we quit they disappeared and everything went back to normal? Unfortunately, that is not the case, the addicts brain is forever altered. Those gates NEVER go away, we will always have all those extras. Now, this is where it is so difficult in early recovery.
Now, while those gates never go away, the good news is that after we are clean for awhile, they do become less sensitive. Eventually even though they are still there, fewer will open and things return to as close to normal as we will ever be able to get to. So, basically we have them, they are laying dormant and if we get say a good 6 months to a year clean time, they pretty much leave us alone. BUT, how many times have you heard an addict say that they were clean for a while and thought they could just use recreationally now and control it? Of course we can't control it, once we take that first pill (or whatever) again, the HUGE amount of Doapmine is released and ALL of those dormant gates are wakened and our tolerance is just as high as it always was. We don't have to build it back up, we pick right back up at the amounts that we are accustomed to.

It take so long to feel normal again that most of us give up and return to the drug induced normality that they are used to. I mean, how long can you go through living everyday just not caring about anything? Most can't get through that. BUT, if you stay strong, have a support system and be patient, one day you discover that you can smile again.There is life after drugs....gotta give it some time tho!

Hang in there and dont give up...
Melinda

[worriedinDE]

The reason i am asking is because my boyfriend a relapsing oxy addict wants to start taking saboxone again (he has not used so much that he will be having withdrawls) His doctor told him it is fine to take suboxone when he feels the urge to do an oxy. I dont think i agree but i am not a doctor i am just the "paranoid" girlfriend.

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by worriedinDE

The reason i am asking is because my boyfriend a relapsing oxy addict wants to start taking saboxone again (he has not used so much that he will be having withdrawls) His doctor told him it is fine to take suboxone when he feels the urge to do an oxy. I dont think i agree but i am not a doctor i am just the "paranoid" girlfriend.

You don't sound paranoid to me you sound on top of things. Hell no he doesn't need to just pop a suboxone anytime he wants to take an oxy. What kind of freakin recovery is that??? Can't believe a dr would tell someone that. Sounds like a cop out and a dr planning on having a longterm profitable suboxone patient.

Suboxone is supposed to be for getting through opiate detox and then for use a very short time to allow the chemical brain functions a little time to self-repair .. as in a few weeks. But that is it! We recommend being on and off suboxone in 6-8 weeks, using a small dose, and getting some recovery. He has to want to be clean. Otherwise suboxone or no suboxone he's going to use again. So suboxone isn't a miracle cure for opiate addiction. It's an opiate itself, but with the way it works on the brain it helps with detox. That's all it should be used for. He needs to change his addictive behaviors entirely if he wants to get beyond this and maintain some clean time. God bless.

[sillygeel]

Hi everyone,
I have been on subs about 18 months and I have weaned downed to 2-mg for a month now. I am scared to stop totally. I am using ativan to sleep now I have another problem with the ativan. Geez, I feel like I am going in circles. Why would I be so afraid to stop the suboxone? I am probably going thru withdrawal every night but I wake up and put that little orange pill under my tongue and wait to start my day. Do I need rehab? Do I need to just suck it up or what? My frustration with all doctors just gets me into trouble........My sub Dr. says he is controlling my pain and after begging him to help me quit he adds on 7 more pills a month! That the !@_)#? Must get a kick back or something? Anyway, ANY suggestions would be kindly accepted. I have about 18 little pieces (approx.2 mg.) left and I do not want to see that doctors face for the rest of my life. He got enough money from me already and suggested the ativan for anxiety. Again, should I go to rehab?

[Robert_325]

sillygeel .... sounds like your dr is trying to keep you on as he needs to make car payments and house notes. Don't you feel sorry for him? Sounds like he's a bandit.

Check out the following link on sub therapy. This is how I recommend using it. You've been on it way too long now. I can help you with a taper and will get you off if you will follow my instructions to the letter. Read the link, check out some of the other suboxone threads too. I want you to be confident in what I'm telling you so you'll listen. Otherwise we are both wasting time. Here's the link ... God bless.

http://www.drugs.com/forum/featured-...apy-50887.html

[girl6]

Hi,
I have been on suboxone for over 4 long years and have many things to say about it. First off if you are not a "hard core" pill popper this may not be the med or answer for you. I was taking about 15-20 Vicodins a day and should have tried to wean myself down prior to commiting to suboxone.

I am on day 4 of suboxone cold turkey waiting for this awful feeling to end.
For people who are new to suboxone the main thing you should now is that
Yes it is a life saver if you are taking handfulls of pills and your life is going down the drain but...... if you are on suboxone and get into a car accident or need surgery there is nothing a "regular" Doctor can do for you. You must carry a card stating you are on suboxone. If something happens to you, you are unable to have sugery or any pain meds given even by the ER.

After all I have learned weaning off suboxone has proved just as painful if not more so then if I would have weaned off vicodin. Now that is saying that I could have at the time or u are able too, physically and mentally.

Its a life saver but it does come with some big things tied to it. Do your homework. Now I am off, I will never go back on.

Suboxone also have a ceiling effect for that person who said someone was gulping them down. 8mg 3times a day and you wont feel any more then that and your wasting your money.

I know all the ins and outs of this med if you have any questions please ask if I can help just one person this 4 plus years will have been worth what I am going through now............

[Robert_325]

girl6 .... this is very important. How much suboxone were you taking when you stopped cold turkey? After taking subs for four years it probably hasn't even had time yet for the half life to catch up with itself.

Sub detox after stopping abruptly at any significant dose can leave you feeling w/d symptoms for a month or longer. Please tell me how much was your final dose and how long were you at that dose prior to abruptly stopping? If you were taking any more than about .5mg at the most you're probably going to need to make some changes how you do this or else face a rough detox starting the next day or so.

If you start having problems I can walk you through the end stage of this process. If you have it down yourself that's fine, but if you start feeling badly I do this every day and can help you if you want it. We are all a little different how this affects us but no way I would expect this to be symptom free if you stopped abruptly. Of course I pray that I'm wrong and this is a piece of cake for you. Let me know. God bless.

[sam2009]

I have been on suboxone for almost 3 yrsa now. They don't work as well as they should so I have to take more. I've been without now for about 7 days. I think I'm going through withdrawl. My whole body is in tremmers and my arm and leds jump. Is this suboxone withdrawl?

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by sam2009

I have been on suboxone for almost 3 yrsa now. They don't work as well as they should so I have to take more. I've been without now for about 7 days. I think I'm going through withdrawl. My whole body is in tremmers and my arm and leds jump. Is this suboxone withdrawl?

Hi Sam ... so how much suboxone do you take each day in mg?

If you've "been without" for seven days your definitely having w/d symptoms.

[mgurlmgurl8]

Originally Posted by worriedinDE

The reason i am asking is because my boyfriend a relapsing oxy addict wants to start taking saboxone again (he has not used so much that he will be having withdrawls) His doctor told him it is fine to take suboxone when he feels the urge to do an oxy. I dont think i agree but i am not a doctor i am just the "paranoid" girlfriend.

ok u dont just take subs when u want too u have too be just comming off o.c's. then u wait till u have mild withdrawels if there are no withdrawels u cannot take it because u will send ur body into withdrawels. subs is an opiate blocker it is not an opiate it has sum opium in it but, not an opiate which means if u did subs and then u went to go do an oc u would get reli sick. i recommend that if ur bf isint havent w/d then hes not that bad into it and he can get over doing it on his own if he wants too.someone has to want too quit. relapsing is for weak minded people you have to be strong minded and say the drug doesent control u.

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by mgurlmgurl8

ok u dont just take subs when u want too u have too be just comming off o.c's. then u wait till u have mild withdrawels if there are no withdrawels u cannot take it because u will send ur body into withdrawels. subs is an opiate blocker it is not an opiate it has sum opium in it but, not an opiate which means if u did subs and then u went to go do an oc u would get reli sick. i recommend that if ur bf isint havent w/d then hes not that bad into it and he can get over doing it on his own if he wants too.someone has to want too quit. relapsing is for weak minded people you have to be strong minded and say the drug doesent control u.

Please don't be telling people subs aren't an opiate. They definitely are an opiate, they don't have opium in them. You need to learn about suboxone before you post to others criticizing what they are doing. Do some research before giving out information. God bless.