I started Suboxone yesterday,and i have been having really bad vision problems{trouble focusing} . I read on one of the papers they gave me that it is one of the side effects that you are supposed to call the Dr. about. It is to late to call now and i am scared... wondering if i should go to ER or something. Has anyone else had this problem? Or have any advice?
Vision problems on Suboxone?
Question posted by zoey72 on 11 Dec 2009
Last updated on 15 August 2022
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
26 Answers Page 2
coach8311
27 Feb 2010
Hey I know you have got alot of responses since you started this question but I read alot of responses and I couldn't wait to write and let you know that when I first started with suboxone my eyes kept doing this weird thing like it felt like I was looking at everyone with the widest most opened eyes like I was on meth or coke or something and it felt crazy but it did go away within like 4 days and it was worth it to me because suboxone does work!!! So good luck and just listen to your body because it will definitely let you know ok.
Inactive
12 Feb 2010
I have been taking Suboxone for 13 months, I wore glasses before I started on Suboxone. After about 7 months I went to my yearly eye exam, and they could not get my eyesite corrected, he then confirmed that I have cataracts. I have done research and found that cataracts is a side affect of Suboxone. After just one day cataracts is not the answer. When I first started Suboxone I did not have vision trouble, but I had the crazyest muscle tics, my wife came to the hospital to visit and she freaked out because she thought it was permanent, call your Doctor! N.I.B.
Inactive
17 Dec 2009
Wow, I thought I knew all that stuff about the brain and the neurotransmitters, but, Family explained it even better than my counselor does. I have had the good fortune of getting to drop my dose to 2 milligrams finally. My counselor told me that since I was able to do that easily with no withdrawal symptoms, that I was ready and my brain neurotrnasmitters are healing. I am pretty happy right now. Zoey, you will get there, you weren't massively overloading with the lortabs and you weren't on them forever like a lot of people. I hope the vision and hearing are improving. I was the only one in our group who complained about the sensory illusions and the tactile sensations and it scared me. I also notice that I had been taking the least amout of lortabs and for the shortest period of time. There were 3 doctors who took patients from that clinic and they all 3 started all patients on minimum of 12 milligrams but usually 24 and occasionally 32 milligrams per day.
One of the doctors put everyone on 2 milligram tabs at first and all his patients got clonidine. One doctor started everyone out on 24 milligrams and he gave his patients carbazine or something and my doctor just gave 8 to 16 milligrams and no other medicines. So everyone had questions and the counselor answered alot of them. That told me the doctors didn't really treat the patient individually, they did what the heard at the training class for suboxone, what made sense to them. I am so glad I went for the counseling but I am glad for this site too. To me every bit of info helps. Thanks and Zoey, I hope you feel better.
zoey72
17 Dec 2009
Hi Patti, thanks for writing back. I felt the same way about the dr. treating everyone the same. I was just wondering how long you have been on the suboxone... i thought i seen some where that you had said a year. Why so long , when you weren't even doing that much. It blew me away when he told me it would probably be 6 months, i guess i thought a month maybe 2. But if thats what it takes,it's fine. Have you ever had trouble sleeping ? Or have they ever made you sleepy? I can't sleep at night and then all day i can't hold my eyes open. Today was awful, i wondered if you could die from not sleeping ... because today i sure felt like i could. My kids were gone tonight to their dads for a while and i got to lay down and take a nap. I feel so much better. Plus today i have only taken 1 and a half.
As tired as i was i don't thinkl i could have done anything had i taken all 3. Well i hope all is going well for you , and thanks again.
Inactive
17 Dec 2009
I have been on suboxone since April 29, 08. I went to an outpatient recovery center and it folded shortly after I completed my crisis counseling but was still in maintenance. The counselor opened her own center and I still go. I went last night and that is when she gave me that good news. I have been so depressed trying to worry about coming off of it. They never indicated it was addictive, they said it was some kind of magic miracle pill and no one has ever really told me to come down off of it, I did it on my own and never had any problems. That is when she told me my brain neurotransmitters were healing appropriately and said that I had unconciously figured out the right thing to do. I am so greatful for a great group experience although I am the only one in group who made it on suboxone until now. That is my group, not on here, I joined here for support.There was a lull of about 3 or 4 months that there was no group and I had to go to AA.
It sounds like you are adjusting to the reduced dose and are feeling better. It does make me nod now on anything more than 2 milligrams. I always could sleep on it, but, I never took more than 16 milligrams in one day. You'll probably find that it does mimic some symptoms of lortab abuse, like nodding and energy at some point. You are still in that first 2 week induction. At 2 weeks, I remember having one of the best days I have ever had, I felt wonderful for the first time in years. Try to stay on the lower dose and split it, 6 milligrams in morning and 6 in afternoon and see if you don't feel a whole lot better in a couple of days. I am praying for you and hope you feel better soon.Patti
familyman23
15 Dec 2009
zoey
sorry I didn't get right back to you, I left a message on your other question about this before reading this one. All of the things you are going through are normal especially the addictive part about taking to much sub, I did the same thing when I started. you are only delaying the process though, be rigid with yourself and cut the amount you are taking down. Breaking the pills allows you to take them more often which feeds into your addictive lifestyle but thats ok for right now. Once you get on your feet and level your dose you will not crave the opiate because it will not get you high. From there start to make life changes, but don't rush it. You have said you are addicted and have switched to suboxone, those are two huge steps in the right direction. Keep it up.
familyman23
15 Dec 2009
Hey zoey
I see your still taking the subs and didn't give up thats good, I think patti has some very valuable advice with the journal. Furtermore, always take the least amount of the medicine that is effective for you, this is an opiate dependant drug to help you get off opiates, with opiates. However, on subs it is a more clear, than on full opiates. While you are detoxing from a full opiate to suboxone (Which is a partial opiate, but has an increased affinity to the MU-receptors) the Suboxone will knock the opiate off the receptor bind with it and not release until the other opiate is gone, secondary, to the increased half life of the subs. This can cause many of the symptoms you are complaining of including the hypersensitivity to touch, hearing, and vision.
Furthermore, if your dose of sub is to high then this leaves alot of the medication in the synaptic cleft and unable to bind to a receptor because, the receptors are already full or in contact with the med. One of the mian reasons we become addicted to opiates is that the post synaptic nerve will actually grow extra opiate receptors because of having an overload of opiates inside the cleft cotinuing to touch the receptors that are there. In a sense they become over worked and grow more. Once this happens the 1-2 pills you take no longer work because there are enough receptors to accommodate the extra opiates and you do not get the same effect you did so you take more. This step happens again and again until you are taking 10, 20, 30 pills a day, just to get the same effect. This process takes time, more for some meds than others. Also, different people grow them at different rates ( i.e. people with addictive personalities) some more quickly than others. The other process is the long term user who after an indeterminant time of lets say a year, takes a certain opiate, your brain stops producing as much of the endorphines and you are in need of that outside source to stay even normal. There are physiological reasons we become addicted to these drugs, and it can happen to anyone. Addiction doesn't care about race, social status, monatary status, or educational background. I hope some of this info helps, knowledge is power. This is a very shorten version of just a few reasons for addiction and the pattern it takes.
There are alot of people on these sites that are very smart, keep asking your questions you will get atleast some good answers that you can present to your doctor. Good luck!!!
There are alot of people on these sites that are very smart, keep asking your questions you will get atleast some good answers that you can present to your doctor. Good luck!!!
zoey72
15 Dec 2009
Hey familyman 23 , Thanks for the info. I'm still confused on what to do. I Guess i should try to lower my dose and see how i do... but i guess the addict in me keeps me taking the 3 pills a day , even though they are making me feel like shit. I started taking loriatbs about 8 years ago , when me and my husband split. We have 3 boys together and i had been with him since i was 14. I was a mess ! Up until that point i had always been very responsible, always home with him and my kids, never drank or went out. Had a good job. Just a rather boring , good mom and wife. Then when we divorced , i had a friend that took loritabs and she started giving a couple here and there... and i really liked them... they made me forget all the bullshit and made me happy.So over the years i would get a few here and there ... not many because i just couldn't see spending all that money on them. Then a years or so ago my dr. found bulging disc in my back and starting giving them to me.
Well then it starting getting out of hand. Even from the beginning i never had enough to make it untill my next script. So the reason i told you all of this is so you would understand my situation a little better. I was taking 9 or 10 loritabs a day. And i do still have the back pain to deal with, so i'm not feeling as great as they said i would. I wonder if some of the problem is that i still have some loritab in my system. I don't know i just want to feel better. I either feel really high {not in good way}, or really sleepy, because i'm not sleeping much. Sorry if none of this makes any sense , i'm going on very little sleep right now. Anyway thanks for your help and concern and sorry my reply is so long.
Inactive
13 Dec 2009
Hey Zoey, I saw that you got alot of responses to your post and wanted to add something as well. I didn't realize how much info I got from my doc and counseling group compared to other people. It is possible to have (as my doctor put it) tactical or sensory illusions. That might be what is going on with your vision. I too felt high when they first put me on it and it should disipate soon, within 2 weeks. I skimmed over what was written and wanted to let you know how much lortab I was on and for how long and how much suboxone I was put on, just for comparison to your case. I was taking six lortab 10 per day and had just gone to that right before I made the decision to go to an outpatient clinic. I was put on one 8 milligram tablet with instructions to simply note the time if I took the second one. I never had to take the second one during that first 24 hour period.
I did eventually go up to 12 milligrams taking 6 milligrams in the morning and 6 in the afternoon, but, got it down to 4 milligrams, 2 mg in morning, 2 in afternoon daily. Suboxone has a really long half life and you will probably stablilize pretty quickly. Keep a note book on any symptoms of withdrawal and also how the suboxone is making you feel so you can let the doctor know and make sure that you are taking the correct amount and not too much suboxone. Instead of the vision problems, my sense of touch was tuned way up and I couldn't eat food that was too hot or cold for a couple of weeks. The shower felt like rocks were hitting me. That is what they mean by sensory illusions.Just this week I have started to go down on the dose to 2 mg total in the morning and every 3rd day an extra 2 milligrams. Keep us posted on how you feel.Patti
zoey72
13 Dec 2009
Hi Patti , Thank you for your imput . I'm glad you told me this , because another thing that has been bothering me is my hearing... it seems like everyone is talking way to loud. And your post really makes me think they put me on to high of a dose. How long have you been on them ? I'm so glad for you that you have starting cutting your dose back... thats great ! They told me i would probalby have to be on this for 6 months, i was really hoping to be done with it long before that. Anyway thanks so much for your help !
Inactive
13 Dec 2009
Dear Zoey, I suspect as well that the dose may be too high but, I am not a doctor or a nurse. I have been on suboxone since April 29, 2008. I found this site while looking to find out how to get off of it and what was to be expected when I got off. I was assured by the doctor and my counselor that it wasn't addictive, IT IS. Don't despair though, you have been on it for such a short time that you will easily be able to come down on the dose WITHOUT consequence. I had a panic attack the second day I took the suboxone and was so scared because of all the sensory illusions and went to my group counseling session and one of the other group members took one look at me and could tell I was completely freaked out. He told me to hang in there, that I would stabilize soon and that suboxone was a miracle drug. He was right. He told me to break the pill in half and take the next dose as half a pill instead of a whole.
I was so scared that I asked my boyfriend to spend the night with me and I took the half a pill before he went to work that morning. NO PANIC ATTACK. It will take a few days, possible 5 for the level of suboxone to come down enough that all the symptoms will go away, but, they will. I hate for you to only take my advice, but, you have to remember, your doctor is just advising you of what the drug company told him/her. He isn't taking the drug himself and has no idea how strong the medicine is. You also are so new to it that you may still be having some withdrawal symptoms and I don't want you to suffer at all.That is why I want you to keep some sort of symptom journal and figure out how long the medicine is relieving your symptoms because you very well may have to figure out what is right for you yourself. I highly recommend a group counseling session with other suboxone users, it was invaluable to me and if I hadn't gone, I may have been so freaked out that I didn't take it again. It stays in your system for about 5 days ONCE YOUR ARE STABLE. One of the signs that you are stable and that you have the proper amount in your system is that you want to clean things or get very involved in a project. It will kinda do you like taking the percocets or lortabs and will give you some energy. It won't hurt you to take half a dose next time either, if you are feeling drugged still and are having the illusions. Best of Luck. I don't have a computer at my house right now, but, I will check on you later today and tomorrow morning. I will say a Prayer for you because I bet you are scared a little. Find a group to go to also.
zoey72
14 Dec 2009
Thank you patti,and yes i have been very scared. I was kinda affraid i had a stroke or something. But now i think it's just because it is so strong and i'm not sleeping so my eyes are always sleepy feeling.Today i tried to get all 3 took before 5 so maybe i could sleep and good lord i haven't been able to hold my eyes open. And now that it's bedtime i'm awake. I have also been worried about trading one addiction for another , but i've heard these are so much easier to get off of then the loritabs. I think tomorrow i will try cutting my dose back . Well while i'm still alittle sleepy i think i will go try. Thank you again ..it is so nice to be able to talk to all of you !
Inactive
14 Dec 2009
Hey Zooey, I promised you I would check on you and I hope you got some sleep and feel better today. One thing that can also happen with detox and suboxone use is raised blood pressure. Go to a pharmacy and check it a couple of times to see how it is running, just to be sure that is not what is causing the vision and hearing problems. Put the results in your symptom journal. They also sometimes give a blood pressure drug called Clonidine to patients in detox and on suboxone, to help with the pressure being up and it helps with withdrawal. The outpatient clinic I used had 3 doctors they sent people to and 2 of them used clonidine with every patient, mine did not and my blood pressure is high now. I had to ask the doctor about it at 4 different visits before he noticed it and put me on lisinopril. I think the docs just want to make some easy money since they won't take insurance to put someone on suboxone, just cash. Anyway, so far, lowering my dose again has gone ok.
I lowered it the first time before I had been on it for 1 year and did absolutely fine, no problems at all. Logic says that the least amount you are on, the easier it will be to get off. It does stay in your system for several days and you won't feel withdrawal once your brain gets thoroughly saturated, which should be now. I am not happy the sensory illusions happened to you, but, I thought i was crazy when it happened to me, so, I think it may be because I was taking so few lortabs by comparison and was treated like someone who was taking 30 lortabs a day. That can not be right. My boyfriend hates all medicines and doctors and he is very common sense and logical and he said, "hey why would you need as much medicine as someone who was taking 30 when you were only taking 6." Taking the lower dose and going to group helped take the fear away.I'll tell you exactly what I was told, IT IS GOING TO BE OK! And you will be fine. Have your pressure checked today. I will not have access to a computer til wednesday night. There are quite a few people who take suboxone and are in the group as old timers. If you get scared, friend one and talk to them or ask a suboxone question. Hope you feel better, I will check you wednesday.
zoey72
16 Dec 2009
Hi patti i know you won't see this until tomorrow but i thought i would write just in case i'm not back on before you. I did go today and check my blood pressure , because i got up this morning and my hands , feet and eyes were swelled. It was 91 over 55 so thats not it. But i did cut my dose down ... i just took 2 today .Tomorrow i might try even less. Thanks again ..for your help.
steven7120
16 Jan 2011
I have been on suboxone for about 5mouths now i have been in and out of the doctor for high blood pressure and they do not no why i think it is the suboxone because i am not geting better could i be on too much and that could be makein my blood pressure go up and i can here it really bad when i am laying down if anyone can answer this please do thanks it is starting too scare me
Inactive
16 Jan 2011
yes, Steve it likely is the suboxone that is causing your blood pressure to be high. I too got high blood pressure while on it, but it did drop back down as I tapered. You didn't say how much you were on, but, you may need to let your doctor know so you can safely drop the dose, just to see if it is the subs, but it totally could be the subs. Most negative side effects will be reduced or disappear when you lower your dose. Many are frightened that they will go into withdrawal if they taper the dose, YOU WON"T, unless you skip the dose completely for 3 to 5 days.
familyman23
13 Dec 2009
zoey,
It will get better the second drug thats in suboxone will make your stomack very upset if you have opiates in your system. It may take some time for that to level out. There is another person on this board who was having the same issues as you, but he hung in and by the end of the first week he was doing much better I believe he even went as far as to say great. By the way I won't use the screen name but he could have been a she. (just don't want to offend anyone) It doesn't matter on this computer how old you are, what you look like, your monatary income, your social status, or your education level. The warriors who join these support groups are here to fight an invisible evil, who sneeks into you by pretending its good, fun, or helpful. So continue forward with the fight zoey give it at least 10 days I think you will feel much better by then. Good Luck!!! Fight the good Fight!!!
zoey72
13 Dec 2009
Thanks you so much , it is really nice to know that there are people who really understand!
kwoodison
22 Feb 2010
Zoey, I agree about the stomach upset. In fact, you may find in the long term that it suppresses your appetite, so do try to eat well. It does take time for the opiates to clear your system and for the suboxone to build up, and each day is better. I was on it for a year in 2008 and lost quite a bit of weight. Unfortunately for me, it irritated the tissue in my mouth and throat and the doctor had me change to using it a bit differently. Good luck and good for you in taking control of your life.
kuntrystrong
13 Dec 2009
Hey buddy how are you? not so good huh i have a very simular situation i started saboxone 2 days ago for me mentally its been a god send but physically its a lil rough at the moment its made my stomach turn wanting to throw up i mean body feels okay just sick feeling but to answer you question of course side effects like those you need to go get checked out immediatly how long have you been sober? that could play a huge factor well im right here with you fighting the good fight for we are warriors my friend dont give up lets beat this evil i hope your well- Brandon
zoey72
13 Dec 2009
Hey ... i guess you were talking to me ... Thanks ! Yeah i have had upset stomach to and i'm not getting any sleep. I guess from what i hear it will get better. So hang in there and thank you again!
familyman23
12 Dec 2009
zoey72, Give the subs some time to work, if they don't think the vision problems are from the subs it could be an interaction with whatever you needed to start taking the subs for, which as long as you continue the subs the other stuff will stop working or get you sick. It takes a few days to start to feel totally normal with suboxone. Good Luck!!!
familyman23
11 Dec 2009
zoey,
I hope you got your answer, I see you posted 16hrs ago. Go to the hopital if you have a ride don't drive. If you are able, call the E.R. and tell them your symptoms, they can send an ambulance if needed. That being said, if the symptoms have gone away I would still call your doctor today. Good Luck!
zoey72
12 Dec 2009
Thanks for your help , as you may see on my other comment ... i did call today and they said they didn't think it had anything to do with the suboxone. I know it does.Really disappointing , because i thought this was the answer. Thanks again !
ronnie1
11 Dec 2009
Hi zoey72. I started taking suboxone 8 days ago. The 1st few days I had problems with vision especially reading & judging distance but it's better now. I also felt off balance like one side of my body was heavier or something. Thinking back it may have been withdrawals from the percs. You may want to call the doc to be safe. Hope you're ok. Please let me know how you make out.
zoey72
12 Dec 2009
Thanks ronnie1 ... i called the clinic today and they said they didn't think it could be from the soboxone. I know i have read that is one of the things you need to call your doctor right away . I guess i'll just wait a few days and see how it is.If you don't mind me asking how much do they have you on a day? Thanks again for your help !
ronnie1
12 Dec 2009
Hello zoey72. Very relieved to hear back from you. Hope it's getting better for you. When that happened to me I was freaked out. When I called the doc I was treated as if I was over reacting. I was thinking, I lived through the drug abuse ,finally got help and now I could die or be screwed up from what I thought was gonna help me. It made me wonder why they bother to warn of serious side effects in the 1st place. On the other hand I remember feeing like that when I tried to stop taking the percs too. That's why I chalked it up to wds. I'm on 2 8mg/2mg suboxone a day. How are you feeling now?
zoey72
13 Dec 2009
Hey, i'm still alittle freaked out. They have me on 3 - 8mg/2mg a day... which i think might be to much. They told me i wouldn't get high on these but i feel really drugged... i guess thats better then wd. I was taking about 9 or 10-7.5 loritabs a day. If you don't mind me asking, how many perc's where you taking ?
ronnie1
13 Dec 2009
I was taking 10 to 15 10mg percs a day. It does sound like you're on a high dose of subs. I'm on 2 8mg/2mg twice a day.
Wastedyouth1234
18 Aug 2010
Hey zoey72 I just stared taking suboxone 2 days ago I am experiencing the same thing I know what it is! If you have been taking opiates for a whole like me its because you are use to your eyes being well pupils being very very small and now they are kind of dialatied and more light is xomeing. Through. Just thought you should know I'm going through it too! And I'm sure we will get use to it l! :)
Inactive
10 March 2011
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to add their experience. Docs know their chemistry but we know first-hand what this stuff does. 32mg Buprenorphine/Naloxone is the maintenance dose. My doctor STARTED me at that level and I thought I was going to die; heart pounding, irregular pulse, arrgh! I wound up firing the doctor, (not because of the dose but that's another story) leaving me with no medical support to this day. I had to experiment with the dose. Believe it or not I take 1/16 of a strip and not every day. I take the sublingual film, which is a soft, rectangular gel-like substance. I fold it in half, then in quarters, then half of that, and by that size (1/8 of the whole strip) I have to use little tiny scissors to cut an 1/8 diagonally to get a 1/16 of a strip. People tell me it can't be of any therapeutic value and I don't care if it is psychological of physical, it works for me.
Any more than that and my eyes get a little yellow (jaundice, liver goes into over-drive, not good) and vision is blurry. A full dose gave me sores on both sides of my tongue (Yuk). Buprenorphine is an opiate, just like the stuff you stopped taking, so if your body gets used to (addicted to) a certain level of it, you will go through withdrawal. My poor old fossilized body went through enough pain when I went cold turkey off oxycodone and lorazepam. My body can't go through another insult that severe. My goal is to take the tiniest dose of suboxone I can, as infrequently as possible until I can just stop completely, go through a few days of discomfort and be done with it. I don't know why, but I have not had a single thought to go back on the narcotics, even when my doctor offered to put me back on them. I felt like asking, "What part of 'I want to be clean and sober' do you not understand?" I definitely had a medical reason to take the meds which were prescribed and filled legally. I had 3 major surgeries to correct scoliosis. I don't know how anyone avoids becoming physically dependent. I was concerned about it, but my doctor insisted I was not on "half the amount most other patients take." Tell me someone is taking twice what I took ( 15 mg, #300 every month, month after month) and I will show you a someone in a chronic vegetative condition. There is a definite need for pain management, but I cannot imagine anyone, except those of us who became addicted, needing it in those quantities at that strength. This doctor was only too happy to increase the strength and the numbers whether I asked for it or not; a true candy store. I reported this doctor to my state's medical licensing board. If she is truly prescribing twice what I was taking, then those patients probably can't refuse their refills, and they should be detoxed safely. For the record, I have ZERO back pain, but I was convinced my pain was a level 10 all the time. I slipped on icy porch steps and even though it was a little sore for a couple of days I did not need to take so much as a Tylenol. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
maximus99
16 Oct 2011
Yes. I noticed that and never correlated it. I thought about it sometimes though, so valuable you bring this up.
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- Side effects of Suboxone (detailed)
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