My treating psychiatrist expressed something to me a few years back. He had helped me with my pain pill dependence in 07 with Subutex. I tapered off of it in 1.5 years. When my L5-S1 herniated in 14, I required powerful pain medication once again, and then after surgery I used Subutex again and tapered off in 1.5 years. In 17, when my L5 began rubbing bone to bone on my tailbone, I again had to take pain med again, and after the fusion surgery, I used Subutex once more to taper off in that same amount of time as twice before.
When I saw him at the end of the third 1.5 years, and stopped him from writing another prescription for Subutex, his eyes got wide open with excitement and asked me how I am able to stop taking it, not once, but three times. Until this point in time, I had never known that it was a medication that folks would tend to stay on indefinitely. I was told by him in 07 that it is a 2 year medication, and so I always wanted to stop it before he made me stop it by not prescribing any more after two years.
It was relatively easy for me because even taking a very small amount each day caused me horrible constipation. That’s not why I stopped taking it. I just tapered off because that’s how he said it was done. I did notice, all three times, that once I took it no more, I was in a low for about a month but it was nothing compared to what stopping pain med is like. The hardest part was that month after I totally quit. Going from 8mg to 7mg, and taking that much for a while, and then stepping down another mg, etc., was never a big deal at all, so why would people not go ahead and taper off?
Does anyone know anyone that is seemingly going to take it for the rest of their lives? If so, or if it is you, what’s the reason they/you won’t taper down? Is post heroin addiction a whole different animal than post pain pill dependence?
Let me know your thoughts…
TIA…
When I saw him at the end of the third 1.5 years, and stopped him from writing another prescription for Subutex, his eyes got wide open with excitement and asked me how I am able to stop taking it, not once, but three times. Until this point in time, I had never known that it was a medication that folks would tend to stay on indefinitely. I was told by him in 07 that it is a 2 year medication, and so I always wanted to stop it before he made me stop it by not prescribing any more after two years.
It was relatively easy for me because even taking a very small amount each day caused me horrible constipation. That’s not why I stopped taking it. I just tapered off because that’s how he said it was done. I did notice, all three times, that once I took it no more, I was in a low for about a month but it was nothing compared to what stopping pain med is like. The hardest part was that month after I totally quit. Going from 8mg to 7mg, and taking that much for a while, and then stepping down another mg, etc., was never a big deal at all, so why would people not go ahead and taper off?
Does anyone know anyone that is seemingly going to take it for the rest of their lives? If so, or if it is you, what’s the reason they/you won’t taper down? Is post heroin addiction a whole different animal than post pain pill dependence?
Let me know your thoughts…
TIA…