I am going to try and get off my pain meds of 5 yrs both norcos & perks due to my bad back, fibro and arthritis pain I have been taking 10 to 12 a day but i want to try and wean myself off i tryed cold turkey in the past and i fail everytime i just can't take the withdrawls and with my business i own, i deal with the public and repeat customers and when i am withdrawling i can't face anybody! I will be done with my season at the end of october and i am trying to get myself ready and it scears the hell out of me. will SUBS help with all the bad withdrawls? more then likely they will be the strips 8mg/2. Also i have no insurance anymore as of last month i am selfemployeed and my rate are sky high being single and in my condition its hard to pay allmost a $1000 a month with business being so bad. will i need to be on the SUBS long? I heard that they are very exspensive? Thank you and God Bless.. Mickey from chicago.
How do subs work?
Question posted by mik934 on 28 Sep 2011
Last updated on 28 September 2011
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3 Answers
Mickey,
Patti has been on this site a long time and can help you with any subs questions you may have. I, too, am on subs and was on about the same amount of pain meds you are on now. I was able to stabilize on 2 strips of 2mg/.05 subs a day. The wonderful thing about this drug is it has done SO much more for my fibro pain than the vics ever did. As you may know already, due to the fact that short acting pain meds were made for short term use, they can eventually create MORE pain. This is a sad fact. You think you are doing the right thing for your pain by taking these meds, and the little devils are actually creating more pain for you to have to deal with. Subs have helped me so much AND once you are stabilized you will never have to increase your amount. They don't lose their efficacy like vicodin or percs do.
They are very expensive, however I was just reading that a company (think it is called BEDA... something like that) will be introducing their own bupeprenorphine/nalaxone medicine that will allow a competitive price therefore helping the patients with choices and I am willing to bet..forcing suboxone to come down on their price.
Hope this helps, and good luck on your change! You are in a family of fantastic support here!
~Jillynnie
Yes yes Jillynnie!! OIH or Opiate Induced Hyperalgesia! Opiates can cause more pain once we've been on them long enough!
For that reason alone I may go on Subs for my fibro pain, especially if I never need to up the dosage of suboxone! Very exciting indeed!!
Lara
xoxo
Hi Mik from Chi town, I commend you for wanting to get off of pain pills, but after reading that you have RA, arthritis, a bad back that causes pain, & fibromyalgia, I wonder about your success in doing that. I am certainly not putting you or Patti my friend down as she is the expert, but am concerned about your conditions. There are other options for there types of pain than opiates. Neurontin (gabapentin), Lyrica, Cymbalta, Savella, are just a few to mention. It the expense of the subs & the sub doctor is a problem you could do a weaning. If you tried some of these other meds to help with your pain, you may find you don't need the opiates nearly as bad. I guess what I am trying to say is with your problems I am afraid you won't be successful using subs. I could be very wrong. Just a thought...
Patti, jump on in here anytime! Mary
Hi Mary, yes i have tryed some of the others and beleve me thats what worrys me with the pain i carry around everyday that i may be on the pain meds all my life. but i feel like i need to try. i totaly understand that i will be in pain without the meds but i'm just so sick of the way they have change me an my attitude. I used to be a blast to be aruond. thanks for your input mary.. God bless-mickey ..
You are welcome. I have chrontic pain is the reason I mentioned this to you. If I have things to do or something in that order I wait to take my pain pll afterwards. That way I am mentally alert. I know what you are talking about on the way they aeffect your attitude, but a lot of pain will too, Good luck my friend, & keep us posted.
Hi Mickey, pattishan and Mary,
I'm at a loss for words at the mo. That is odd for me indeed!!
Perhaps using Suboxone for pain might be the answer? I wonder too about the pain you are in Mickey. I have the same conundrum.
I am seriously thinking of trying Subs for chronic pain from RA and Fibromyalgia.
I may just post a Q about it!!
Mickey, I wish only the best for you and I'm so sorry if I've just confused you, I so didn't mean to do that.
Your friend,
Lara
Mickey, The fees associated with being induced on suboxone and the monthyl dr fees are what are the thing to me that run the price up. You can always go to suboxone.com and they have a dr locator service. You can open up the radius to within 100 miles of you house. I tell people to call and ask how much the induction fee is, if you have to pay extra for drug screening, and how much the future office visits will be.The pills themselves are 8 mgs and are around $8 a piece, but considering many people can start on 2 to 4 mgs and be fine, that is only 2 to 4 dollars a day, cheaper than what most people pay for opiates on the street. Basically, suboxone sits on the receptor sites in the brain that the opiates would sit on. It is a larger stronger molecule, if you want to look at it that way, and it then quells withdrawal and craving. It does provide some pain relief on its own,although it is not often written for pain, except in the patch form.
It also blocks the euphoria of opiates should someone take opiate after being on suboxone.Some drs only charge a small fee to go on suboxone, some charge a lot more, but you have time to make the calls earlier than some people. I know it will be a hassle to call and travel if you have to, but it might save some major money on the induction fee and the office visit. Most subs drs don't take insurance for suboxone patiens, not sure why, but they don't, you would have to ask that too. It is really hard to say how long you would have to be on it, it could be 3 months, it could be well over a year. I hope this helps. They also have a 2 mg pill and Thor said his dr said they were coming out with a 4 mg and a 12 mg pill, not sure when tho. It will allow you to work and feel fine, normal and possibly very good. I saw mention of some injuries you have had, and it does treat pain to some degree, some are not happy with the relief it affords, but many of us thought it did great. When people become opiate dependent, they hurt more anyway, to get you to take more opiate, suboxone will not be like that, it will relieve the pain and it is almost unheard of for someone to build a tolerance and have to go up on the dose. I hope this helps some. Patti
Hi Patti and as allways you gave me great info my friend thank you so much. the longest i have ever gone was 4 days without my meds and I thought i was going to die! really i did. I think i spoke to you about my pain and pain pill addiction but I want to try and get off the meds all together and see if i can find other ways to deal with my pain with out taking my pain pills but the withdrawls scear the hell out of me! You are right the pain i have is bad but o.m.g. the pain i had for the 4 days i did not have my meds, wow it was my everyday type of pain time 10, man it was bad not to mention the other withdrawls that came with it. So it sounds like when i do find a sub doctor and get on SUBS that it will make all my withsrawls much more easy to deal with? Thank you my dear friend and as allways greast help from ya,, God Bless and thank you patti! Mickey from chicago..
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norco, rheumatoid arthritis, pain, back pain
Further information
- Norco uses and safety info
- Norco prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Norco (detailed)
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