Bupe Suboxone/Buprenorphine FAQ & Megathread v3; 2010 - 2022

[SkagKush]

^ ya eh.......that could just make things worse....

the clinic that i am at makes sure you have attempted and failed at getting clean several times first.

 

[f'n a-hole]

Been reading this forum for a few months, great advice here... been on Suboxone for about 4 months now (well, up until a few days ago at least) and I'm wondering - am I going to get WDs from this? I haven't really experienced anything massive yet...

Let me back up a little - started taking Hydrocodone about 9 years ago (insane that it's been that long), kept a pretty good habit going with that off and on for about 6 years but never once felt addicted or experienced WDs from it. Got into OxyContin and at my absolute worst was doing 4-5 80mg pills a day for a period of 3-4 months. I've been seriously cutting back for at least a year, have made many previous attempts to get on and stay on Subs... this last one finally worked. Even before I started taking ONLY Subs 4 months ago, I was doing at most 30-50mg Roxy once a week for another 2-3 months before that.

The most Subox I've ever taken in a day is 4mg. My usual dose this whole time has been 1-2mg/day and I usually snorted it, which I found made me able to use less while getting the same effect. The week before I stopped I did a crapload of 5mg Roxies over the course of 2 days thinking that would kill any WDs. Nuh uh... so I tapered an 8mg Sub over the course of a week and a half. 5 days ago I stopped completely. 4 days ago I took a 10mg Methadone and both last night and tonight I've taken Tylenol 3 or 5mg Tramadol to sleep.

The only thing I'm experiencing is mild abdominal pain and some ferocious shits coming out my ass. Sorry for being nasty. Minor cold sweats and a little bit of a runny nose but nothing like what I experienced during WDs from Hydros or Oxy. Those were both totally unbearable. I could easily go to work (although I'm not, haha) like this or do most anything else. Hasn't ruined my appetite or given muscle aches. Most people have said that days 3-5 of Sub withdrawal are the worst to get through and it really hasn't hit me yet. I know I've been more or less taking very mild opiates all along to mask the symptoms, but my tolerance is still insane and nothing lasts long for me (I took that Tramadol 4 hours ago and it's already worn off). When I used to switch from Ox to Subs I could be in full WDs within 8-10 hours of my last incredibly high dosage and receive no precipitated symptoms from the Sub. With both the T3s and Tram I've only taken them at night close to bedtime so I sleep well. During the day, FINE.

Am I fooling myself? Is something waiting right around the corner for me ready to rip my fucking head off? I've read so much about Suboxone WDs being a nightmare and I'm not feeling it at all. Do you guys think I did this a good way or should I have approached it differently? I always lived by the "less is more" school of thought with the Subs, so maybe that's why? When I mentioned 4mg/day max I was talking about only like the FIRST day I took it after coming off real opiates.

I can't lie, there is legitimately nothing better in this world that I have experienced than the feeling of a good opiate high and I still have dreams where I'm swimming in a DuckTales Money Tower-style pit of beautiful green OC 80s, but it's a lot nicer to get my life back and settle for mediocrity. I just hope I'm not completely kidding myself cuz that would be heartbreaking at this point...

 

[catcalls]

Couldn't find in all that above how long you've been quit?

I'd say it usually hits on the third day, give or take a day.

 

[TOTIDO]

Suboxone is Quite a Strong Opiate in My Opinion! Although it is an Antagonist, It Got me Fucking Wreaked! I took a fourth ov the 8mg tabs (2mg) and I was done! Felt just like a good dose of Hydrocodine! Euphoric and Drowsy! However when taken for rec purposes, one needs to look out as taking to much; like 8mg sublingual can make those who have no Tolerance build up to opiates VERY SICK!

 

[Gamebreaker3233]

Suboxone and energy/motivation/mood

Just started Suboxone this week, Im at 4 mg a day. My question is will Suboxone give me the physical enery and motivation I had pre-opiate addiction? I use to work out daily and do well in school but since becoming an opiate addict my physical energy is no more, I've let myself go, lost nearly 30 lbs of muscle and weigh 145 lbs at 6"2, and I don't have the motivation in life that I once had. My grades and life have truely suffered because of my addiction, I'm hoping Suboxone will get me back on track. Can I expect Suboxone to help me get the energy and motivation that I had pre-addiction?

 

[suessmayr]

Suboxone helped me for at LEAST 6 months. But even then - as to whether or not it made me how I used to be..? I doubt it. I think if you wanna be how you used to be you need to get clean.

S.

 

[Gamebreaker3233]

Suboxone helped me for at LEAST 6 months. But even then - as to whether or not it made me how I used to be..? I doubt it. I think if you wanna be how you used to be you need to get clean.

S.

No doubt but I need to get used to not getting high all the time and the lifestyle that goes with it, which is why I'm starting Suboxone. I've tried quitting literally a dozen times and I went sober for 21 days in December over Christmas Break from a 300 mg a day OC IV habit but I fell off after three weeks and within a week was back to square one. I'd like to take the Suboxone for the school semester and then jump off. I'm starting on 4 mg but plan on going lower and lower till I plan on jumping off at .25 mg or so in four months time.

 

[bwanajzj]

I think I finally did it. . .

I finally got back on Suboxone after using heroin for six months. What a fucking ride this has been. I felt shitty for the first three days after getting on Subs but now my mind and body seem to be getting back in order. Today is the 5th day since my last shot. I feel good, and I feel like things are getting back to normal. Heroin came very close to ruining my life, and almost killing me. I almost OD'ed once, and almost went into anaphylactic shock another. Even through that I kept using and it finally took what I see as a fucking miracle to get me straight again. My little sister ended up finding my dope and needles. After a lot of introspective thinking and talking with my family I've finally been able to stay on Subs for more than 72-hours without relapsing. I deleted my dealer's number and all that.

So, hooray for being (sort of) clean and hooray for Suboxone!

Way to go! I'm happy for you, and I figured your post could do with a little pat on the back from a total random. In the long run, I'm sure you'll find that it is the right thing to do, as so many others in here have probably also realized, not to forget the many that have yet to realize it. The whole situation with your sister must have been a drag, but in retrospect, I think you will really appreciate that little mishap. I once ran out of dope while visiting my mom and sister, and this was NOT supposed to happen, as I had a few days left at their place... going into full-blown heroin withdrawals, with the family around me, really gave me a big fat whack and slap in the face, telling me to get the fuck out of the dope dance. I managed to quit for some months after that, but relapsed after a long and work-intense summer. Now, I am a month and a week into my substitution treatment with subutex, and it's going well. Except the tapering is annoying me mentally... other than that, I really enjoy my days during these turbulent times, and when I think about all that has happened, how much I actually love my family and true friends, and all that, I realise that I have made such a wise and brave choice, in terms of cutting the smack line, and swimming freely (perhaps a little sporadically at times too) to safety. But I'm still swimming, and treading water, I just hope I don't get caught in that line again... Will power is ALL!

 

[f'n a-hole]

Couldn't find in all that above how long you've been quit?

I'd say it usually hits on the third day, give or take a day.

Sorry - I stopped taking Suboxone 6 days ago... still nothing but the mildest of WD symptoms.

 

[swmo]

sniffing generic & sniffing Suboxone

I found out that there was going to be a generic subutex coming out and I found a good DR. I called the DRs office before my first appt & told them I had stabilized myself on 16mg/day, obtained on the street. All good. I didn't have to wait until i got sick for him to write me. Still had to go thru the motions tho of getting my first dose, bringing it to the DR office and do it in front of him. . He put me on the generic tex (i showed him walgreens papers that would show the cost difference.) I was his only patient on it. After snorting it for some time, it clogged up a small gland/follicle, very close to my eye. I did a nosebath and was amazed at how much caked crap came out! I went to an optometrist for treatment.
Then I was approved for the Here to Help program, which each DR can have 3 or 5 patients on it & it provides free Suboxone for a year, however much the DR writes. I have no problem sniffing them as they seem to completely absorb. The generic version has talc or some such crap that won't absorb in my nasal cavity.
Also, I've found that I can quarter an 8mg and take the 4th, smash it up, and just do little bumps from it over about 10 minutes time. The trick is not to get the drain. Let it absorb in your nasal passages & cavity. If you even taste orange, that part is wasted. And, if you're not used to it, you could get sick once it hits your gut.
I've tried plugging it and never really noticed anything that would make me want to keep doing it that ROA.
I haven't tried the film. It's not yet covered under the here to help program.
I'm ashamed to say I even IVed some. I didn't do enough because I didn't feel it at all. But ONE MORE TIME WAS ALL I wanted to do. For those of you who know my history, it was like getting thrown from a horse and getting back on it mentality. No way was I goin through what I did previously. Absolutely no way I'd get back to slammin'.
Wow...sorry so long.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Question about the effects of snorting sub:
I've had sinus surgery twice (sinusitus); once in 2000 and again a year later. I was on allergy shots for a while but have been off for about four or five years now. But now my sinuses/allergies are getting bad, and I may need to see an allergist or ear, nose and throat specialist. Does anyone know if there's visible damage from having snorted subs/oxies? I've only been on subs for a month or so, and usually take it sublingually, though sometimes intranasally. Before that I snorted oxies every day for many months.

You don't want to snort them unless you can micron filter them. Since you have had sinus surgery your nasal passages are probably more prone to damage than other people's are.

I found out that there was going to be a generic subutex coming out and I found a good DR. I called the DRs office before my first appt & told them I had stabilized myself on 16mg/day, obtained on the street. All good. I didn't have to wait until i got sick for him to write me. Still had to go thru the motions tho of getting my first dose, bringing it to the DR office and do it in front of him. . He put me on the generic tex (i showed him walgreens papers that would show the cost difference.) I was his only patient on it. After snorting it for some time, it clogged up a small gland/follicle, very close to my eye. I did a nosebath and was amazed at how much caked crap came out! I went to an optometrist for treatment.
Then I was approved for the Here to Help program, which each DR can have 3 or 5 patients on it & it provides free Suboxone for a year, however much the DR writes. I have no problem sniffing them as they seem to completely absorb. The generic version has talc or some such crap that won't absorb in my nasal cavity.
Also, I've found that I can quarter an 8mg and take the 4th, smash it up, and just do little bumps from it over about 10 minutes time. The trick is not to get the drain. Let it absorb in your nasal passages & cavity. If you even taste orange, that part is wasted. And, if you're not used to it, you could get sick once it hits your gut.
I've tried plugging it and never really noticed anything that would make me want to keep doing it that ROA.
I haven't tried the film. It's not yet covered under the here to help program.
I'm ashamed to say I even IVed some. I didn't do enough because I didn't feel it at all. But ONE MORE TIME WAS ALL I wanted to do. For those of you who know my history, it was like getting thrown from a horse and getting back on it mentality. No way was I goin through what I did previously. Absolutely no way I'd get back to slammin'.
Wow...sorry so long.

It's corn starch, not talc. I understand completely what you went through though. Not everyone enjoys IV buprenorphine, so I am glad to hear it didn't work well for you.

 

[ThePharmicist]

Way to go! I'm happy for you, and I figured your post could do with a little pat on the back from a total random. In the long run, I'm sure you'll find that it is the right thing to do, as so many others in here have probably also realized, not to forget the many that have yet to realize it. The whole situation with your sister must have been a drag, but in retrospect, I think you will really appreciate that little mishap. I once ran out of dope while visiting my mom and sister, and this was NOT supposed to happen, as I had a few days left at their place... going into full-blown heroin withdrawals, with the family around me, really gave me a big fat whack and slap in the face, telling me to get the fuck out of the dope dance. I managed to quit for some months after that, but relapsed after a long and work-intense summer. Now, I am a month and a week into my substitution treatment with subutex, and it's going well. Except the tapering is annoying me mentally... other than that, I really enjoy my days during these turbulent times, and when I think about all that has happened, how much I actually love my family and true friends, and all that, I realise that I have made such a wise and brave choice, in terms of cutting the smack line, and swimming freely (perhaps a little sporadically at times too) to safety. But I'm still swimming, and treading water, I just hope I don't get caught in that line again... Will power is ALL!

Thanks for the support! I really appreciate it. I had been on Suboxone for a little over a year and gotten down to 3.5mg when I relapsed for those six months. It's been crazy but I am finally back on Suboxone for good. Heroin just grabbed me by the balls and wouldn't let go without a fight.

 

[muvolution]

SWMO- what is a nosebath? like a Neti-pot from the pharmacy? please explain. I am pretty sure I have a fair bit of stuff up there, not just from druf use, but because of work around dust and particulates when I'm being dumb or in a hurry and not wearing a respirator.

 

[swmo]

yeah, it's a neti pot.

 

[muvolution]

Cool - I imagine instructions are on them, but do you have any tips. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pulling out a bunch of orange/ pink and sawdust - y goo.

So I'm about to jump back on to subs. my PM has gone OK, but at my last drug test, I pissed negative for everything, which I thought was a good thing since I was doing an antioxidant cleanse at the time but is apparently very bad.

My plan is to taper down on the Oxymorphone until Monday when I should be at like 1/4 to 1/2 of a 10mg, then let withdrawals set in like overnight, then start with the bupe again. comments?

 

[OEandricearoni]

actually suboxone is quite weak compared to all the other opiates. i forget where i heard but someone took a sub when they had overdosed and it helped them comedown alittle or someting like that. so subs get you high but nowhere near as high as all the other goodness. ...plenty good high for someone with no opiate experience tho, thats for sure!

Actually suboxone is an extremely potent opiate, more potent than morphine or heroin. If you regularly do opiates suboxone wont really get you high, but that really has little to do with it's potency.

 

[HdoubleODeezy]

^ because it is only a partial agonist.. if it was a full agonist (like morphine, oxy-codone/morphone, hydro-codone/morphone or methadone for example), it would be dangerous to even take it. Think fentanyl but in a high dose tablet.

 

[catcalls]

Yes, Subutex has a higher binding affinity to the opiate receptors in the brain. It basically 'kicks' the heroin straight off the receptors making it impossible to get high from heroin again. That is why I've stayed clean all these years.

 

[euphoricc]

i been on suboxone for about 3 years off and on and im goin on a year strait if i stop for 6 days (by than im sick as hell)i can get high than but i cant make it that long to get high so i said hell with it receptors are burned out lol

 

[HdoubleODeezy]

impossible to get high from heroin again while your on it right? you dont mean forever?

i know you're not asking me but but ill give my .02 ..yes it is intended to block heroin (and other opiates) while taking the drug, BUT..
with the high doses of bupe that doctors put people on, it raises your tolerance making it harder to get high again once your even off the bupe.. it's a double edged sword or "catch 22".