Suboxone to methadone ?

Question

i have been suffering from opiate addiction and have been on and off using oxycontin 80mg and heroin for the passed 2 years. yesterday i was placed on suboxone induction to help with withdrawals and it is working but only to a certain point. i feel like the relief im getting dosent last as long as it should and i dont really want to increase the dosage i am on 12 mgs total daily ( 8 mgs in the morning and 4mgs at night). even at this point i feel like the sub dosent work as well as it should because i still am experiencing moderate withdrawals and i would like to switch from suboxone to methadone. i was wondering how i would go about doing this ? i am not sure if the psychiatrist i went to yesterday can prescribe methadone or i would to go to a clinic who probably wont accept me because of my age. but i would be willing to give methadone a shot because i know people who it has worked wonderfully for. anyhelp would be greatly appreciated

Answer

all I can say my sister got addicted methadone and could not get off of it and when she finally detoxed she said it was worse then  heroin  detox

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screw methadone... screw suboxone... SUBUTEX is the way to go. subutex does not have the opiate blocker in them, & they work so much better than suboxone. subutex is for pregnant women getting off of opiates. they work wonders!

Answer

Hi Cris in my opinion switching to methadone would be a step backwards. Suboxone was the answer to my withdrawal success. If the dose you are currently prescribed isnot holding you maybe you might want to talk to your doc about increasing the dose until you are comfortable. Suboxone is meant to last at least 24 hours and can last up to 72 hours. Why you are taking it twice daily is a mystery to me. Methadone is a  synthetic opiate  so it basicly takes the place of heroin or oxy's.I found with methadone after your body gets used to the dose the tollerence to it gradually increases and works the same as heroin or oxy's and you will need more. suboxone is a half half drug that relieves the cravings but at the same time will block the receptors in your brain. therefore the tolerance levels don't increase. I found that tapering down off suboxone was so much easier to do than tapering off methadone. I guess everyone is different and what works for some may not work for others. I hope that my info has helped and that you do succeed whatever method you use. Feel free to email me if you would like any more info.

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I dont suggest methodone they are VERY addicting as well and the with drawls from them are really bad... I dought your Dr can perscribe them anyways..Altemiately it is your decision, I just dont agree with methodone... they can increase your dose up to 2 8mg 's a day... good luck to you and your recovery...

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I have been a heroine and methadone and nalbuphine junkie for 16 years, took over 200mg meth(300 mg for 3 year cause I was buting extra off streets to take at night). for last 9 of those years. It is awful worse than  heroin  to quit. When I quit cold turkey in the joint didnt sleep 28 days/nights. When I got back on after being locked up 2 months I tried quiting 8-9 years later. Went cold turkey 2 weeks to get meth out of my system then tried suboxone pill and threww me into horrible withdraw, waited another week then it worked great. Been off of meth for 2 months now using subutex, then suboxone, will run out of suboxone tomorrow. Stay away from opiates Im sure Ill get back on it destroys your way of thinking after so many years. They need to make it easier for people to get meth. who need it, driving to a clinic every day is awful , then in top of it I got a DUI & $7000 fine with it. Only reason I am writing this is so anyone on any opiate/opioid will slow down/quit before its unfixable.

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hey i'm stephanie and i've been dealing with the same problem for over 4 years, i'm only 23. But my advice will be good talk to your sub doc and see if he'll raise you dose to 8mg at night as well. I promise you'll begin to feel much better. I myself tried the methadone, it's worse than the oc's sweetie i promise you'll regret getting on it if you do. Please don't talk this lightly, I've been there done that. See if he'll raise your dose to 8mg's at night as well, try it for a week, and let me know how you feel. Methadone is NOT the way to go if your serious about getting help, it's just another screwed up ballgame.
stephie

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Hi, I read everyones post I am 21 and have been addicted to methadone since I was 16. It wasn't until I was facing 3 years in jail because I stole alot of money for my drug problem that I realized I had to stop and I also came to find out I was pregnant as well. I can tell you all the years I used methadone when I couldnt afford it or find it I would do a sub to help with my withdrawls and it helped so much. I quit cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant it was very hard to do. I have done cocaine, tried snorting heroin, oxys, perks, viks, but I had no problem stopping any of them well the withdrawls were nothing compared to methadone withdrawls. I have never experienced so much pain in my life I'd rather give birth to my son 100 times again naturally then go through withdrawls off dones again.

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Its the worst personally I could sleep at all for 2 weeks the first week I had muscle spasms in the curve of my foot and knots that wouldnt go away so I couldn't keep my feet still I would kick and kick the wall or whatever I could tell my feet hurt so bad i couldnt cus it made me not feel the knots and spasms while I was doing it. I was very weak every time I got up I'd get very light headed everything would go blurry and sometimes I'd fall if I didnt have anything to grab. I got the hot and cold sweats constantly they never went away until I was done with the withdrawls. I had bad headaches my body just hurt all over like my bones ached is how it felt I couldn't eat and a few time threw up cus my body was so sick. And the worst is you cant sleep when you are going through methadone withdrawls and thats all you wanna do cus you feel so sick and are in so much pain. The only thing that helped for a minute was a very very hot bath but thats just a comfort thing for me. It was deff, a miserable experience. Well I got through it and 9 months later had my son well 3 months after I had him I started usuing again and just recently quit again but this time I couldnt do it cold turkey because I was even more addicted then last time doin way more and my withdrawls were unbearable I had the knots and spasms in my hands and feet and back and legs I had bad bad headaches where nothing I did would take them away and closing my eyes hurt and the tiniest noise killed me. I could barely pick my son up I was so weak. I ended up buying some subs and they helped me so much I wouldnt have gotten clean if I didnt get them and I had no problem getting off the subs I didnt withdrawal at all I used them to help me through my withdrawls off methadone and as soon as they were over I didnt need the subs. I will tell you methadone is the worst drug I have ever done and ruins your life. The clinic is a joke all they want is ur money they arent there to help you they want to keep you there as long as they can becus its all money to them and doctors and councilors well tell you that I think it was 90 % of people that go there will be lifers and will never get done. I know 7 people that go that were already addicted to methadone which I dotn think should be allowed if ur addicted to methadone you shouldnt be able to go there cus your getting ur high for free instead of paying for it and its legal that way and thats why the ppl I know go is for the free high and its legal. Which the clinic should screen people better but they dont care cus its money to them and the ppl that I know use other stuff to perks, weed, and others but still can go they just dont get take homes I think if you use any other drug other then what they give you they should kick you out. And ppl I know that go that get take homes sell their take home and buy the methadone pills cus they'd rather snort them then drink the liquid cus the highs are a little different but you still get high. I know cus I have used liquid methadone and got high as a kite so for ppl to say they dont get high thats crazy. The people I see that go but the middle of the day are nodding out becus the clinic ups you and ups you and if you wanna be up'd they do it no problem. I think its a joke and it is basically a legal drug dealer becus those clincs bring in a lot of money and even if your pregnant and try to leave they will threaten to call the state to scare you into staying which if you left and the state came to you I highly doubt they would take your child away for getting clean thats just ridiculous. You cant replace one drug with another yea subs are a drug to but as long as u take them right and only as long as it takes to get through ur withdrawls you wont have a problem getting off them. My husband was prescribed subs and he used them for 5 or 6 months and stopped using them with no problems at all.Methadone ruins peoples life you should consult your doctor just explain ur issue and they will do whats best for you cus doctors want to help you and dont want to keep u dependent on a drug were the clinc the ppl I know going there all have been there for atleast 5 yrs thats crazy it shouldnt take you five years to wean off of the drug ur addicted to its becus its money to them so they keep you there as long as they can and get you so u are dependent on the liquid and cant go a day without it now tell me how that sounds like helping with addictions I see how it has just made ppl worse I watched someone freak out on her kids becus she didnt make it to the clinic in time for her dose and she blamed them when it was her own fault cus she was too high the night before and slept until 10-11am and had to get them ready and the clinic was a half hour away and closed at 12 and she still had to drop them off at a babysitter while see went and she yelled and screamed at them threw her phone started crying and talk her kids they couldnt do anything that day becus it was their fault she didnt get her dose so she was punishing them. Methadone isnt only very addicting it also changes ppl I was a very good person then all of a sudden I was stealing all the time to get high and fighting with my boyfriend everyday just becus it made me snap at the littlest things it alters ur personality. I just really hope you stick with the subs give them sometime to help and they will but you gotta want them to help cus if you dont want it it wont work u gotta want to be clean if you dont you will just end up at square one over and over. Good luck with everything and I hope you get the help you need cus if your young ut be best to stop now cus u will never have anything with a drug habit it ruins ur life and pushes the ppl who really care away and the only ppl around are the ones using you for ur drugs or money to get drugs cus when you dont have either most of them are no where around besides the ppl who truely love you unless you push them too far away. Good luck

Votes: +2

Answer

If you do that you might as well sign your death certifiate, i was on methodone for years and you build up a tolerane and need more and more of it so many have overdosed on methodone but none on sub if you an deal youll thank yourself and so will your family methodone is definately a 1000 pound gorrilla on your back good luck

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Hi friend, I'm glad your cleaning your self up.
I would think that your going to suffer some from withdrawals.
That your going to have to bear the uncomfortable feelings. This is something you have done to yourself.
Hang tough friend, the end will come and you will be free and clean, as long as you leave the drugs alone.
Bucky 1

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It appears you've had a ton of answers Chris, but all in all, my simple response would have been that you still have opiates in your system and did not (not your fault, the Dr.'s fault) wait long enough to start the Suboxone, unless you fibbed about the last time you used and the Dr. thought you would be okay to begin the sub. BUT, do not increase your dose, 12 mg. of Suboxone is plenty for 2 yrs. of using, i think you will find that if you lower it to 8 for a day or two until all the other drugs are out of your system you may find that the 8 mg. will work just fine. If a psychiatrist prescribed Suboxone for you, they can also prescribe methadone, but are probably hesitant to do so, or if you end up at a methadone clinic, you have to be there every day to dose and it will interfere with your life at one time or another.

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Suboxone is not that much different from methadone, unless you are feeling that the methadone might give you a bit of euphoria, believe me, they wouldn't start you out on enough to do so and that is not your ultimate goal anyway, is it? Stick w/the sub and when the other drugs are completely out of your system, IF that is the problem, you will find the relief you are looking for. Good luck to you, so glad you stopped after 2 yrs. instead of 20, consider yourself lucky in many respects. Dede

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methadone is another opiate and you will have to withdraw off of these as well, eventually. Suboxone is a opiate blocker and the withdrawls are not as serve, if you run out or land up running short, etc.. I personally would not suggest the methadone, suboxone is your best bet, and it may be your not feeling the "GOOD" feeling you got from the oxy's and  heroin ?! I , too am an addict, I was taking up to 2 OxyContin 80's a day, and did try to with drawl off of these once, VERY BAD, I wasn't able to get out of bed to even eat... I currently am on suboxone's but down to 2mg's started at just 8... I wish u luck in whatever u decide but i do suggest to keep on the sub's...

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I really feel your pain! I was on heroin for over a decade and I'm 26 years old now so I got started early. Anyway- about methadone v/s suboxone I can tell you my experience. Throughout my years of addiction I have been on 2 different methadone clinics and one suboxone program. My experience with methadone was never positive. I always said it was trading a monkey for a grollia (sp?) because methadone IS much harder to get off of than heroin. The WDs last quite a bit longer. I also have always had the experience that methadone was just prolonging a relapse. Honestly I have never been clean when I was on methadone though. I still used heroin and other things. So my experience with methadone has not been good at all, but I was still living the life of an active addict while I was on it the first time. The seccond time not as much but I was still getting high (I kept the dose low so I could still get high- very stupid!).

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Now, about my experiece with suboxone. I was on it for a little over a year. I started taking 3 eight mg pills a day. Then down to 2 eights a day. Then one. I was stuck on one for the longest time it seems! But throughout this whole time I was going to NA and changing my life wich is the key thing! So, from one pill I went to a half then to a quarter and then nothing. Mind you this was over a years time. But I haven't gotten high in almost 18 months, so I'd say go with suboxone for sure. I didn't have to go to a clinic everyday. Just once a month. with methone is was every morning which I hated. Suboxone is much more expensive, however, and most of us don't have insurance. The WDs are so mild IF you dotox very slowly. I'm deff a believer in suboxone. Good luck to you!
Christina

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I read every single response on here with fascination. I am an addict. I also have chronic pain. REAL pain. Im stuck. Im currently on the Fentanyl 25mcg patch, but I cant even make that work, because I still am having mental and physical withdrawals. I take them off and eat them. Gross huh. And then im short and run out of my months supply too soon, and suffer mentallly and physically, while every waking moment is spent trying to obtain Vics, Percs, or anything I can get. My life has become hell. Im so unhappy. Im tired of the whole cycle. I was on Suboxone for about six months, and it worked FANTASTIC for physical withdrawals, but my knee pain was soooo bad, ( they obviously make a poor painkiller, even tho they contain opiates) that I relapsed several times, until I THOUGHT that going on the patch was the answer, since unlike pills I couldnt take as much as I wanted. Well now my knees dont hurt as much, but im still using them too quickly.

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I feel there IS no answer for me. To be an addict AND have terrible knee pain at 30 yrs old, there just IS NO ANSWER FOR ME. Im doing better on the patch because my pain is MOSTLY (not completely) controlled, but the dosage isnt enough. I dont know what to do. I went to a methadone clinic before I found out bout the suboxone, and they treated me like crap. I made my appt over the phone, went during my lunch hour from work, withdrawing HORRIBLY and felt like I was dying, and when I got there they calmly sat there and told me I need $250 to see the dr!! Well, I didnt have the money, so had to go back to work depressed and miserable. I cant go to a place like that because I cant afford it and my insurance doesnt cover it (it DID cover my suboxone). The suboxone is GREAT for addicts who dont have real (or at least terrible) physical pain, but what does someone like me do? I've never done heroin, but whats the difference when im eating my patches, running out early, and buying pills off the street? (if im LUCKY I can find some to buy when I run out!) I dont know what to do, I need strong meds for my pain, and I dont have the willpower to stop taking more than my alotted dose. Its all a very hopeless and terrible situation. Im screwed. Best of luck to everyone on here though, I hope you can find that silver lining that I cant see from here...

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I am not sure about subs. I wish my boyfriend would have tried that. He was on Methadone for 5yrs The withdraw from that lasted weeks and now he is back to  heroin . Be honest with your Dr. They are there to help you. Methadone is run by clinics. I know I sound bitter I guess I am. But if you WANT the help and need it my suggestion is to stick to Suboxone. From what I have read it has less side affects than methadone.

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I really strongly suggest that you do not go on methadone. I am currently going on suboxone to get off of methadone. the withdrawal from methadone last longer than that of  heroin  or oxys and is just as bad.

Suboxone to methadone ?

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