Bupe Looking for advice about getting subs for pain

[North Country Girl]

Hi I'm new here. My lower back was fussed with a metal plate and bolts in 94. I was a kid. It's been nonstop painful ever since. I've been reaching out for help ever since too. I've been treated pretty coarsely as you can imagine. That and many other negative experience in hospital settings have left me pretty neurotic and consequently I am so nervous and can't manage to stand up and speak for myself when seeing pain management. Ive been going to the same place every few months for 6 years and really feel like I'd best just keep my head down, mouth shut and be grateful I get anything. They are always in a hurry, seem to expect to get thru the meeting without my saying anything about anything, want you to get the shots, and pee in the cup and bring the drugs. Lots of pee to drug test and never to see how my organs are holding up to this mess of drugs. I'm on 130 tramadol 50 mg, 75 Percocet 5mg, 60 belbuca 600mcg, 25 soma a month. For me it's a mess. No one ever asks how I handled the first 20+ years or if I know what works or what my drug tolerance might be or anything like that. I guess I'm venting/ trying to give an idea of the general shape of the situation. Thanks if you're still reading. Thing is I know that one 8mg Suboxone a day would completely change my life for the better by a lot. But given my difficulty, nervousness, distrust, fears, them being um them I don't dare say anything. I'm sure if I said it plain they'd just make sure I never get a sub legally. I've also been advised not to by someone I trust. So any advice if anyone has an opinion or helpful suggestions. I've considered going to the local addiction specialist which is clearly a sub mill but I don't want to because I will have back pain and problems the rest of my life and am afraid of how going there could affect how I may be treated in the future.

 

[Fire&Water]

Why do you think bupre' will be better for your pain than a full on agonist med'?

 

[North Country Girl]

Why do you think bupre' will be better for your pain than a full on agonist med'?

Because I've used it and tried many pain drugs

 

[Nurse Ratched]

Because I've used it and tried many pain drugs

I think what the poster was getting at is why you would actually prefer subs for pain control when you are already prescribed full agonist opioids. For most people it is the other way around as they would prefer oxy and tramadol ( which you get ) over subs anyday.

IF you really want subs for your pain just tell your Dr. that it is what you prefer. I'm pretty sure he will have no issue with discontinuing your other scripts and putting you on subs. Just make sure that is what you really want to do as once you do this you might not be able to go back to the full agonists.

 

[North Country Girl]

Thanks for the advice. It's not that the drugs I'm prescribed don't help with pain they do but overall it's not even close. And I look at that handful of stuff a day I'm putting thru my boy and it seems like it must be close dosage wise to what I want.

 

[Nurse Ratched]

Thanks for the advice. It's not that the drugs I'm prescribed don't help with pain they do but overall it's not even close. And I look at that handful of stuff a day I'm putting thru my boy and it seems like it must be close dosage wise to what I want.

I see your point. A few mgs of subs compared to a hand full of pills. I commend you for thinking that way. And I think you should do it. Just wanted to warn you that if you found that you needed your pain pills back because the sub wasn't cutting it you might meet with resistance from the Dr. that you feel is less than adequate as it is. You don't like the way he treats you now. Most people don't feel that they need to put their head down, shut up, and can't relay their fears. It's certainly not a good fit. But I know it's hard to quit one and find another Dr. that will be a bit more compassionate and understanding. Pain clinics seem to hurdle them through like cattle nowadays. Here's your scripts now leave and be happy you get them. I feel for ya.

 

[North Country Girl]

Yeah, thanks for your thoughts. The place I go schedules 15 minutes apart and places high value on getting the shots. I was ok for a while, the first year or so my Dr was so friendly and smart and I finally felt comfortable in that environment with that person I even had normal heart and BP. I normally do have normal heart, but never in hospital after everything I've been thru. Then she retired and the next woman was so unkind, really just plain old mean/ doest like her job awful. She suggested that maybe I'm just a wimp, said flat out she'd never help me or make any changes to my meds. Even after a lifetime of being treated badly I was shocked at how she spoke to me and she ended every appointment with " want some shoots?" Then the last time I saw her, I went in with no hope, prepared to take whatever she felt like dishin me and she acted like a real nice person, completely unlike every other time. I guess because she knew I was going to become the new hires patient and it was brought to her attention that in 4years I've never had a pain level change or drug change and the new guy might think people weren't doing there jobs. So anywho, got the new guy for about a year and a half and when I finally worked up the nuts to try to speak to him, which was hard cause he never asked one question, usually they want to know how I came to be how I am but not him, he couldn't get out of the room quickly enough, like he realized he left his car open with the keys in it and his wallet in the glove box, he said he had no idea what to do with the mess of stuff I'm on which I took to mean, he really wasn't qualified for the job or he didn't want to lose the 10 minutes thinking about it. Well now the b and the new guy are gone, my psychological issues are completely inflamed, I'm a nervous wreck since the b was so mean. And I have to now see the man who did the shoots, his accent is difficult to me and I'm scared to meet and speak with him. To me he is a classic scary doctor and the man who stabbed me in the back a hundred times causing new awful pain issues. I couldn't stand to have the left side touched for over 2 years and I could only lay in one position 2 years plus. Just trying to do that, never roll over in bed I'm sure would drive anyone nuts. So yeah, I don't see this going my way, I'm scared and nervous just thinking about it here on my couch. And I can only imagine how they interpret my nervousness. I wish I could get a grip on myself and put this neuroticness in it's place a go forward with confidence in my truth and communicate my simple and true story of having been badly injured as a child and forced to handle a life time of sever pain thanks to modern medicine and I deserve to get it under control in a way that's agreeable to me. We're I on the outside of this and this situation was on someone I care about I'd be a force to be reckoned with, I have no doubt I could make anyone understand but for my own self idk it's my own little hell. Its so frustrating to have these issues on and with the only people who can help, especially because it's not like me anywhere else. Thanks so much for the advice and the talking. It's so nice to have fresh eyes on my old problem. I'll let you know if I do any better when I see the Dr.

 

[simstim]

I'm not surprised your perc 5's and tramadol s don't work since you're on belbuca (which is buprenorphine). I once snorted 1/16th of an 8mg strip and it completely blocked the effects of my 25g dose of kratom.

I would just go to a Suboxone clinic and say you wanted to kick all your pain meds. If they don't like that lie and tell them that you're an addict.

I would rather have 8 mg bupes for pain than tramadol and Percocet 5's, too. Tramadol and perc 5's are an insult when you are in real pain.