Bupe I need help with a decision of dosing my subxone of 16mg a day!

[logriffy]

Yes! My buddy also agrees about the weirdly real vivid dreams. That's the only side affect i find negative but I do feel like taking the gum throughout the day is better for an addict. Because of the feeling of taking something rather than putting it on and waiting for it to work.

 

[logriffy]

So today I had a follow up with the sub doctor and we are going to try the suboxone tablets because I am tired of the strips lol. But my question is, which would yall prefer? The strips or tabs? It's the same dosing and all that. Is the tablet more potent or is the strip?

 

[The Doc.]

Hey there I get the Suboxone tablets prescribed never tried the strips myself but i do know the bioavailability of the strips is a bit higher than the tablets. The tablets usually range 30-40 percent and the strips claim to be up around 50 percent bioavailability. There is a warning for people switching from the tablets to the strips that says "beware more medication than usual may be absorbed with the same dosage." The bioavailability of the tablets can be increased by making a water solution and dripping that under your tounge but just taking them the way they come seems to work fine for me.
I doubt you will notice any difference in the two and the transition should be smooth especially since you have a large dose of 16mgs. Just from what I've heard about the strips I think I would rather stick to the tablets because of how hard the strips can be to cut into smaller pieces and I just don't like the idea of the strips.

May I ask what it is you don't like about the strips?

 

[Screaming_Skull]

Well, we are on the same dose soo, I will give you at first. I have been on Subs(16MG a day, instructed to take one in the morning and one at night.) At first I would take both the strips at once, then a whole one in the morning and half of one in the evening...anyway, from MY expericene I can't tell a differece beteween 8mg or 16mg, so I just started taking 8mg, and maybe 4mg in the evening. Now I have steadied out on 8mg, sometimes less. Soo, unless you are still craving at 8mg, that's the only way I would tell ya to go up to the full 16 each day(only time I did that was on my pink cloud phase the first month.) Doing this will give you a stockpile in case of an emergency. But the whole time I've taken Subs I never stuck to a set dose really..one day it could be 4,6,8,12 etc....or if I was 'vacationing' I would shoot a low dose in the morning like 1mg or a little less then 12 hours later do my drug of choice whatever it was, but I am NOT reccomending that to you at all. But try taking just one Strip, you will be suprised it feels the same as taking 16mg once you are on it for maintaince purposes...

Edit: And on the pills vs strips, I have been on the Stirps the whole time, and MUCH prefer them to the pills. With the strips,you really just have to hold them in your mouth like ten mins before they are dissoved(but I always hold my 15mins,also let the spit soak on my tounge(don't know if that makes a difference) instead of just under my tounge. The pills, from what I understand can be a bitch to let them dissolve under your tounge as it takes longer I suppose. The one time I had the pills it was the old Orange stop signs, had gotten 4 of them and snorted them all. First Sub experiecne was me snorting a whole 8mg pill at work being Mr. Chataroo, then going to a friends taking 3-4 hits off some swhagg weed off a blunt then going into an uncontrolable nod...at the time I was like fucckkk these things rock, but never got that back again after that of course,lol. But, ya, strips all the way for me, dissolve fast, and if I wanna use some fun opiates then I can just bang it for a few days, and I would much rather put a tiny piece of strip in me that a pill full of binders.

 

[logriffy]

I actually asked for tabs because I didn't think I would have to dissolve them. I was tired of having it under my tongue all the time so I asked for tablets then found out the tablets have to be dissolved as well so a little dissapointing but they are also a hell of a lot cheaper!

 

[logriffy]

But screaming skull I can tell a difference between them by the fact it just doesn't last long enough. So splitting it up 4x a day helps it last all day for me. But I am actually trying to get clean so I'm not injecting anything or not taking it as directed. I'm going to continue with the tabs though because they don't taste as muxh and are so much cheaper. With insurance the strips were 30 for $30. And the tabs were 60 for $12 !!!

 

[The Doc.]

Yea the tablets are sublingual too if you swallowed buprenorphine only 10% would be absorbed so buprenorphine only comes in skin patches, an injectable solution or sublingual tablets (under the tounge is sublingual). Cheaper is good though

Yea I get what you mean sometimes smaller doses don't last long enough so don't worry just stick with what works for you currently you can worry about tapering later you've got plenty of time. You probably could get away with 8mgs a day because your taking it 4 times a day. Taking it multiple times a day can allow lower total daily doses in most patients. The analgesic activity is shorter than the pharmacological half-life which is why dosing for pain control usually requires multiple doses per day but dosing like this can also allow the patient to have a smaller daily dose which means fewer side effects. But if you are not having side effects don't even worry about lowering it I realise its a big mental struggle to use a lower dose after coming from a heroin addiction where your mentality was always "more is better than less". I understand You can't change your way of thinking to ''less is more" overnight it takes time.

 

[Erikmen]

It seems to me that Subs is becoming the routine medication when quitting heroin or strong opiates addiction.
Many years ago it used to be basically methadone - 8-14 years ago.
I think Subs were becoming important, but for some reason they kept on going with methadone for a long time until they changed to Subs.
Now the 'methadone clinics' seems to handling out Subs and maybe I should consider changing medication.
I don´t know but it seems that subs are easier to cope and not as heavy as methadone in terms of side effects,
or else there wouldn´t be so many people using subs instead. It has proven to be quite effective also in lower doses.

 

[Gemz]

I'm hoping to start subutex within the next few weeks, I'm not sure of dosage r anything yet but I know it will be daily at the chemist where I will be supervised taking it, my fear is will it have worn off by night time? I'm not sure if I'm getting subutex r suboxone, tbh I would rather the subtex as I've used these on top of my codiene and I think I read somewhere the side effects of suboxone r worse and that subutex is the better tablet, I could be wrong I'm just looking any advice if anybody has any, thanks

 

[logriffy]

If you actually want to quit get on suboxone. It lasts longer as well. Your not supposed to take and opiate while on buprenorphine haha. So idk man if you actually want help. Get the suboxone. That's just how I feel about it personally because I can take opiates on subutex as well so then what's the point of taking the sub?

 

[The Doc.]

If you have a choice go with the subutex it does have less side effects and the Suboxone doesn't offer anything the subutex doesn't they both will help you recover or maintain in the same way. Subutex and suboxone both stay un your system the same amount time they are the same drugs but suboxone has an added ingrediant (naloxone a opiate antagonist) that helps constipation slightly. But be careful if you took a lot of codeine and was still high then took a subutex you would go Into precipitated withdrawal where the codeine gets stripped from your opiate receptors and leave you sick as a dog from intense withdrawal in seconds.

Sub's don't last all day for me I have a fast metabolism but I have a dosing schedule where I dose it multiple times a day so its not a worry. Subutex does last alot of people all day when taken in the morning sk you neber know if you have a high enough dose it coukd last youll all day. But If it doesn't last all day either you can usually ask for split dosing so you only take half your dose in front of the pharmacist then take the rest home with you for the evening.

 

[Erikmen]

The idea of 'less is more' is kind of trick and I imagine it would be good to really understand the reasons.
One thing that is important to know is the antagonist role of this medication and also be aware that once you are on subs, like methadone, you really have to start thinking not to add other opiates while you are in treatment. Ask yourself if you are ready for this.
Or make yourself ready if that´s what you really want. I don´t know for sure, but having other opiates could increase your tolerance and make it harder to quit again.

 

[The Doc.]

Yea once your taking a dose of subutex like 8-16mgs a day for a few days you won't even be able to use other opiates on top of it because they will be completely blocked off from the subutex. You could use as much heroin and you wanted and you might overdose but you never feel a high until the subutex leaves ypur body. Like i just got done telling my friend logriffy, You would have to stop taking it for 3 days or so to fully feel another opiate and if you have to go to a chemist daily they would kick you off the program for missing days like that because they don't want you stopping the subutex to use other drugs to get high then starting the subutex again.

 

[rhun]

^ what is this in reference to? I don't see anything overly triggering. But if that's a concern, please post in TDS and SL where they do not allow triggering content. Here in OD, we do.

 

[Gemz]

I don't intend on taking opiates aswel as subutex/suboxone, the only reason I have been doing so was because I had been living a lie pretending I was sticking to my daily dose of 8 dyhydrocodiene and otc tablets, I tried rehab 3 yrs ago but signed myself out on 3rd day.. I came clean to doc over month ago about what I'm really taking and she referred me back to an addictions team and it was just on fri there the fella I seen said they would be putting me on one of these programmes, I just have to wait on an appointment to see the doctor from the addictions team.. I am ready for this, I've been living like this from I was 21 and I'm now 27 and life just seems to fly on by and I'm stuck at the age of 21 if ya get me.. I wanna get my life back, thankfully I have an amazing family support so I'm hoping I can really give this a good go and get my life back. I'm not sure they will let me take any hope to split it into 2 allow I would prefare that as I'd hate to start feeling withdrawls at night x

 

[logriffy]

So I'm doing 4mg every 4 hours and by the end of the 4 hours I'm craving rreally bad. Do you think doing 2mg every 2 hours would help that a little better? I have a max 16mg a day and am allowed to take it anyway I want.

 

[downerhead]

When I was on 16mg/day I did 8 in the AM and 8 at night.Works much better that way,for me anyway.Or you could do 8 when you wake up,4 afternoon,and 4 at night.Either of those I think would be a better dosing plan.

 

[logriffy]

I am going to try the 2mg every 2 hours tommorow then the next day try the 8mg,4mg,4mg. I've done the 8mg and 8mg before and it lasted as long as a 4mg dose and felt the same as well. But also my psychiatrist said my max dose is 16mg but I've heard of people being prescribed way more than that?

 

[lazylazyjoe]

You shouldn't have to redose every 2 hours, that's crazy. You're just training your body to expect a dose all the time.

 

[Treefa]

Less is more with suboxone.. Take it in 2mg increments until you feel little to no WD... Trust me, when it's time to come off it you will thank me... Be well, stay safe and stay informed.

This^...

Nothing like 4 weeks of severe pain because you were taking waaay more than you needed....I do the same thing in a futile attempt to get high, but I just end up running out and jonesing for anything...

Went on a sub binge the last week at about 6mg per day...now i'm broke with nothing but about 100 50mg tramadol tabs, which unfortunately, aren't helping me that much at all..

I'm seriously considering seeking out help with a Suboxone/Methadone maintanence program, but i'm so afraid to tell my doc...they will probably want me to go to rehab LOL i'd murder a few people in there, and to be completely honest, I don't WANT TO QUIT, I WANT TO BE COMFORTABLE, and 3 Norcos a day WILL NOT cut it..
I don't use the opiates to get high, like EVERYBODY ELSE I KNOW does, I use them to maintain comfortability from pain so I can get up and do the shit I want to do without being miserable the whole time,, haha I can dream right??

Whether I gotta score off the streets, or go to a clinic for a fix every month IDC, I'm just tired of wasting so much time and money all to get some decent pain relief..and the fucking uncertainty is what's really awful.

Well fuck it, i'ma just go on down, really aint no use in me hanging around