Advice on beginning suboxone with “recovery” doctor?

[Xo.QueenK]

Hi all. I’m a long time reader, first time poster.

I’ve been dealing with opiate addiction 8ish years. I was hooked on about 120mgs of roxies daily for many years- spent a lot of time and effort to quit, and did without medical help. Also this was NOT prescribed to me. I spent several years only getting high once every month or 2, for several years after- my original dose didn’t do much for me still.
Now the person I’m in a relationship with has a legit medical issue and gets prescribed opiates daily- and this sucked me back in.

My psychiatrists office is also “recovery medical” which a few people I used to know used, and were prescribed suboxone to successfully quit opiates.

I wanted to know the process any of you went through when using a doctor- not a clinic- to quit opiates.
Questions:
Were you drug tested?
How did the first visit go?
How often did you have to see the doctor in the beginning? (As in, daily, weekly, monthly, etc?)
After your first visit, what was the quantity prescribed for? (Day, week, month, or year?)
Are there any issues if the addiction is from buying street drugs? (Originally it began after a surgery 8 years ago- but after a 1x prescription of 10mg oxy @ 50 pills- however it was maintained buying oxy illicitly)
How does this impact your medical records? As in if something were to happen and you need pain medicine legally- will you receive it even though it’s known you’re a former addict?
What else was required for you to continue seeing your doctor? (Regular UA’s, NA meetings, etc?)
How much did your recovery average out to cost you monthly? (Doc appt, medication, etc?) As I don’t have insurance, mine will have to be done out of pocket.

Because this is my psychiatrist, I’m incredibly nervous about admitting this.. I had a psych appt tomorrow, and was wondering if I should specify that I ALSO need to speak to him about the addiction with the receptionist before my appointment.
I’m also so nerve wracked because I’ve spent the past year with him taper off of a 4mg daily Xanax dependence of over 6 years (down to .5mg klonopin daily & 10 mg ambien.)
Originally I quit my addiction alone because I assumed I would lose my anxiety medicine which I genuinely need. However because I’m already down to almost nothing, and can hardly move daily, and am doing bad things to get these shitty pills to keep out of withdrawal- I decided I needed some serious help.

Thanks in advance to any posters, and any advice is happily accepted. Hugs

 

[tukabirdy]

Im not a big fan of using sub long term. It comes with its own set of issues.
So all I can say is, regardless of what you have to do or say to get in, get down on 2mgs as fast as you can. Stash the rest. You just don't need that much. Cravings be damned...push thru the urge to use more....It doesn't help.

Buprenorphine is a powerful opiate. It will get you high, and it will make you want to get higher....but all that usually happens is a flatness, a brain fog. You'll go thru a honeymoon stage, it can last two weeks, two months, or two years but when it's over, you'll know and you'll want OFF.
It can be a mental bitch to come off of too.
Please, stay low, no matter what the good Dr says. For the Dr's, it's all about the money, they want to keep you a returning customer.

 

[Jopeth]

Yea switching to bupe is a mistake in my opinion, and experience. Im aware and grateful for those who it does help to find stability in their lives to make the step of getting clean, but for the vast majority of any opiate addiction besides the truly strong (Diamorphine, hydromorphone, fent), it just delays, and lengthens the wd. Had I known bupe withdrawal would have lasted as long as it did, compared to normal acting opies, I never would have touched it. I say it a lot around here so some might think its all the advice I can give lol But this is specifically why I rejoined with a new account. Rip that bandaid off as soon as you can. Get stable, get prepared with comfort items (loperamide, groceries, cannabis if you can) and calling out of work and jump! Its either now, where your wd will be a couple really shitty weeks, or later on, after much more wasted money, and firmly setting those neuropathways to a very long half life chemical that will extend your wd by in my experience another 4 weeks. 6 weeks to normal. I know some people say the wd is not as bad as others, but unless your on heroin or oxymorphone, bupe wd is just as bad if not worse than lesser opiates for which its prescribed. Its just a long term, expensive trap imo.

 

[Xo.QueenK]

Thanks for the advice, yall. I've gone through the hardcore withdrawals several times, the worst of which actually lasted me close to a month of pure misery.. I mean a trash can next to the bed for 30+ days of puking dark kale colored green stomach acid. But having gone through that, I didn't realize how hooked I was again, bc that's all I have to compare it to. The bupe has helped to make me just feel, normal. Not happy, not high, not pain free.. but just to where I imagine I was before the opiate demon.

I'm supposed to be taking 12mg daily, however bc I learned myself that (for me, at least) 2mg-4mg does the exact same as the 12mg dose. Although im trying to get to 1mg dose, then dose every other day- mentally I cant do it yet. Its the drug addict mentality of where "if I have it, I should do it."

Would either of yall have advice on the shortest duration Suboxone can be used for, with relatively successful results? Obviously the doctor just views this as a money-making opportunity, because the first thing he said to me is "we'll put you on this, and if ever you decide to come off of it, just let me know and we'll do a taper together." My idea wasn't to be on this forever, I just needed something to help dampen the withdrawals as I try to continue pulling my life together.

Are there people who've successfully only used it 2weeks-a month or so? Or would that time period result in the same hardcore heroin WD? I don't want to trade one addiction for another, so as I said,I'm just trying to dampen the WD to where im not completely immobile for months.

& one last question I wanted to ask, do any of yall have tips on the depression that stays even years after quitting opiates? I've been on every antidepressant possible, they only help so much- and by that, i mean they keep me from going off the rails and getting suicidal- into that deep, deep rut. But nothing has helped with the pure anhedonia. The suboxone has actually helped that a bit (probably bc its still an opioid), but I don't see that as a long term solution. I have no passion for anything I used to. Part of me accepted this is forever, but that's where the suicidal cycle starts. if there are any tips on that, they would be much appreciated! Kratom supplements, possibly?

 

[Jopeth]

Id try to limit it to two weeks at max. Jump off your dose now, wait until you are in wd, then take a little bit of bupe. Wait for as long as possible to take your next dose. I guess an analogy is a parachute. Slow down the wd to make landing at 1/4 wd compared to full wd.

What you said about your doctor is one of the reason I despise the stuff. They are purposely getting your addicted to buprenorphine.....imo that is not medicine. Like I said, I understand that its a stabilizing force, so its important to decide how fast you can comfortably land. Today is always the best day to stop. Better than tomorrow, worse than yesterday. You got this (y)