I hope I've found the right forum and am clear to post my own topic instead of being meant to be in a megapost. I read the rules and such but I'm on mobile so the site's a bit confusing and I may have missed something. And I'm sorry this is long lol but I just wanna give some background on my situation
Hopefully this is coherent as I'm writing this at nearly 3 am.
I've had chronic pain from a T5 fracture(2015, but it's permanent), sacroiliitis, fibromialgyia, just general high impact sport damage, chronic daily headaches and semi-regular migraines, and suspected endometriosis. I was on percocet for about a year and a half. My doc tried to wean me last fall but I tolerated it horribly, so last month he switched me to Zubsolv. He started me at 2mg but said I could take up to 4mg. I took 2 to start with but it did next to nothing so immediately the next day I upped it to 4 with still no greatly noticeable effects. I felt like I might as well have not taken it at all, if not for the withdrawals I'd have without it. He upped it and now I'm taking 6 mg and feeling its effects slightly but it's still not even close to a actually managing my pain. I don't believe my doctor would even consider the possibility of putting me on 8, as he was very reluctant to even prescribe the 6.
What absolutely baffles me is the morphine equivalent. He said that 8mg buprenorphine equals 200 MG of morphine! How the hell does that even work? I have a little opiate tolerance, as I used to take 20mg perc twice a day, but I'm pretty sure if I took that much morphine, I would die lmao
So I wonder, why are the effects so weak when it's supposed to be so potent? How and why is the pain relief so poor?
That's actually just an extra question, not what I came to ask lol. Anyway, what I read about buprenorphine & suboxone is that since it's an opioid that attaches slightly differently to your receptors, your body doesn't become as dependent on it as opiates, you can take less of it and still have a strong effect, and there's much less of an hyperalgesic affect. My doctor really sold me on it, but then at my next appointment he told me that in fact it is /exactly/ as habit forming as any opiate, and that it can reduce hyperalgesia but how much can vary, and then of course as I stated before, the lower dose does not give me more relief than a higher dose of another opiate.
I really only agreed to trying Zubsolv because I was under the impression that it would both continue to help my pain about the same amount as the perc, and mainly, make it easier to wean. But neither of those things are true; it seems my doc seriously mislead me. So I'm wondering, what's even the point?
I know there is a ceiling for it so I'm wondering if a higher dose would even increase the effects at all? What is the max dose prescribed before it becomes dangerous or just stops increasing in strength altogether?
I am allergic to all nsaids that I've tried so far, which has been several, including Toradol, which I mention specifically only because doctors have tried to give it to me despite my allergy because apparently it's slightly different than your average nsaid. I'm also allergic to acetaminophen, another reason I needed to get off the percocet.
So I'm super fucked when it comes to controlling my pain. I used to pop excedrin like candy, but somewhere along the way the allergies started and now I can't have a single OTC pain killer. Only two doses is all it takes to make me break out in a rash you would not believe. So the only things I can ever take now for pain are opiates/opiods, gabapentin(which is helpful enough to be worth taking), and tizanidine(which really doesn't help much, it just makes me sleepy)
I have also tried mj, medical grade, with no luck. It just makes me sorta tired and boosts my depression and anxiety. It feels like my body is like, sorta paralyzed and out of control; It feels like I'm mostly sober in my head but trapped in my fucked up body and unable to escape. It's overall a horrible experience, even when I only take a small amount. It's very disappointing, because I really looked forward to a safe, natural, and even fun analgesic, and then when I finally tried it, it just made me worse. Someday, though, I'd like to try different strains, but I can't really be choosey in a state where it's illegal lmao
I was really counting on the Zubsolv helping me wean and reduce my tolerance so I could eventually take opiates again at a lower dose (that doctors would be more agreeable to) and have them be effective. The issue is that the pain, while fluctuating and always increased by activity, is always there. I wake up with it, and I go to bed with it. It is debilitating, so managing it is the paramount goal in my life right now.
Will Zubsolv lower my opiate tolerance, or in fact raise it due to the high morphine equivalent? And if I end up changing meds again, how long after a Zubsolv do you need to wait in order for something like oxy to be able to attach to your receptors?
I would not mind if I had to take oxy until I can get stronger and find another effective course of treatment. The worst side effect for me is constipation, but it's controllable. Otherwise it doesn't interfere with my life. But no, doctors are much more concerned about potential addicts than helping disabled people with their chronic pain smh
The hardest part is... well, I'm only 18. The things effecting me supposedly just shouldn't be, or should've been completely healed by now(wrt breaking my back & sports injuries). Docs see that, plus illnesses many people still think are totally fake anyway(like fibro and endo), plus plus allergic to OTC pain killers as an excuse that I don't have any other options than opiates, and by the time they enter the room for the appt., they have already made up their mind as to who I am and why I'm there.
The very last visit with my pain management doctor, he suggested seeing a psychiatrist to learn techniques to ~cope~. I've had lots of mostly terrible experiences with mental health professionals, but even aside from that, I'd really rather continue trying to find something that actually kills or fixes the pain instead of trying to accept it and just "deal" with it. I feel like by saying that, he's both confirming that he doesn't really understand just how much pain I'm in, and also that he's running out of ideas of how to treat me and that's very worrisome.
This is actually still far from my entire history of illnesses lmao, but I wanted to cover things that give context to the situation. I tried to narrow it to only the most relevant things but I'm sorry this is still so long. I'm also not sure if I'm allowed to talk about more than one drug in one topic so, sorry if that was a rule I missed.
Many thanks in advance to anyone who made it through this essay!
Hopefully this is coherent as I'm writing this at nearly 3 am.
I've had chronic pain from a T5 fracture(2015, but it's permanent), sacroiliitis, fibromialgyia, just general high impact sport damage, chronic daily headaches and semi-regular migraines, and suspected endometriosis. I was on percocet for about a year and a half. My doc tried to wean me last fall but I tolerated it horribly, so last month he switched me to Zubsolv. He started me at 2mg but said I could take up to 4mg. I took 2 to start with but it did next to nothing so immediately the next day I upped it to 4 with still no greatly noticeable effects. I felt like I might as well have not taken it at all, if not for the withdrawals I'd have without it. He upped it and now I'm taking 6 mg and feeling its effects slightly but it's still not even close to a actually managing my pain. I don't believe my doctor would even consider the possibility of putting me on 8, as he was very reluctant to even prescribe the 6.
What absolutely baffles me is the morphine equivalent. He said that 8mg buprenorphine equals 200 MG of morphine! How the hell does that even work? I have a little opiate tolerance, as I used to take 20mg perc twice a day, but I'm pretty sure if I took that much morphine, I would die lmao
So I wonder, why are the effects so weak when it's supposed to be so potent? How and why is the pain relief so poor?
That's actually just an extra question, not what I came to ask lol. Anyway, what I read about buprenorphine & suboxone is that since it's an opioid that attaches slightly differently to your receptors, your body doesn't become as dependent on it as opiates, you can take less of it and still have a strong effect, and there's much less of an hyperalgesic affect. My doctor really sold me on it, but then at my next appointment he told me that in fact it is /exactly/ as habit forming as any opiate, and that it can reduce hyperalgesia but how much can vary, and then of course as I stated before, the lower dose does not give me more relief than a higher dose of another opiate.
I really only agreed to trying Zubsolv because I was under the impression that it would both continue to help my pain about the same amount as the perc, and mainly, make it easier to wean. But neither of those things are true; it seems my doc seriously mislead me. So I'm wondering, what's even the point?
I know there is a ceiling for it so I'm wondering if a higher dose would even increase the effects at all? What is the max dose prescribed before it becomes dangerous or just stops increasing in strength altogether?
I am allergic to all nsaids that I've tried so far, which has been several, including Toradol, which I mention specifically only because doctors have tried to give it to me despite my allergy because apparently it's slightly different than your average nsaid. I'm also allergic to acetaminophen, another reason I needed to get off the percocet.
So I'm super fucked when it comes to controlling my pain. I used to pop excedrin like candy, but somewhere along the way the allergies started and now I can't have a single OTC pain killer. Only two doses is all it takes to make me break out in a rash you would not believe. So the only things I can ever take now for pain are opiates/opiods, gabapentin(which is helpful enough to be worth taking), and tizanidine(which really doesn't help much, it just makes me sleepy)
I have also tried mj, medical grade, with no luck. It just makes me sorta tired and boosts my depression and anxiety. It feels like my body is like, sorta paralyzed and out of control; It feels like I'm mostly sober in my head but trapped in my fucked up body and unable to escape. It's overall a horrible experience, even when I only take a small amount. It's very disappointing, because I really looked forward to a safe, natural, and even fun analgesic, and then when I finally tried it, it just made me worse. Someday, though, I'd like to try different strains, but I can't really be choosey in a state where it's illegal lmao
I was really counting on the Zubsolv helping me wean and reduce my tolerance so I could eventually take opiates again at a lower dose (that doctors would be more agreeable to) and have them be effective. The issue is that the pain, while fluctuating and always increased by activity, is always there. I wake up with it, and I go to bed with it. It is debilitating, so managing it is the paramount goal in my life right now.
Will Zubsolv lower my opiate tolerance, or in fact raise it due to the high morphine equivalent? And if I end up changing meds again, how long after a Zubsolv do you need to wait in order for something like oxy to be able to attach to your receptors?
I would not mind if I had to take oxy until I can get stronger and find another effective course of treatment. The worst side effect for me is constipation, but it's controllable. Otherwise it doesn't interfere with my life. But no, doctors are much more concerned about potential addicts than helping disabled people with their chronic pain smh
The hardest part is... well, I'm only 18. The things effecting me supposedly just shouldn't be, or should've been completely healed by now(wrt breaking my back & sports injuries). Docs see that, plus illnesses many people still think are totally fake anyway(like fibro and endo), plus plus allergic to OTC pain killers as an excuse that I don't have any other options than opiates, and by the time they enter the room for the appt., they have already made up their mind as to who I am and why I'm there.
The very last visit with my pain management doctor, he suggested seeing a psychiatrist to learn techniques to ~cope~. I've had lots of mostly terrible experiences with mental health professionals, but even aside from that, I'd really rather continue trying to find something that actually kills or fixes the pain instead of trying to accept it and just "deal" with it. I feel like by saying that, he's both confirming that he doesn't really understand just how much pain I'm in, and also that he's running out of ideas of how to treat me and that's very worrisome.
This is actually still far from my entire history of illnesses lmao, but I wanted to cover things that give context to the situation. I tried to narrow it to only the most relevant things but I'm sorry this is still so long. I'm also not sure if I'm allowed to talk about more than one drug in one topic so, sorry if that was a rule I missed.
Many thanks in advance to anyone who made it through this essay!
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