Opioids On bupe..Back surgery imminent =(

So today I found out I need back surgery to repair a cracked vertebrae..I am afraid to tell the doctor im on sub but I know for a fact they can't operate on me if I am taking it..Should I taper off completely wait a week then go for the surgery? I am pretty stuck as I take bupe for W/D's but mainly as a preventative so I don't start using again...I know I will get painkillers during and after the surgery but i don't want to get hooked again (for the thousandth time).. Man I am screwed..Any advice?

If you are taking bupe, I assume your tolerance is well above the above person coming in so if you neglect to tell the doctor of your history, chances are you'll be under-medicated and miserable.

The doctor has an ethical obligation to treat you and although they may be more weary due to your history, at least you have a chance at receiving proper treatment if you're honest. Why exactly are you afraid?

I think your best option (from numerous standpoints) is to disclose your use of bupe to the doctor as well as your concerns and see what his professional opinion is.

I was in a similar situation, I was on 2mg of bupe a day and needed gall bladder surgery......I did not have anytime to taper off because I went to the ER because of the pain and was told there I would need surgery. I told the docs I was on bupe and why, and they did not treat me any differently than any other patient. I told them that I would need high doses of opioids to break through the bupe, so they moved me from 10mg morphine to 4mg dilaudid IV every few hours, and it did breakthrough the bupe well........my pain was under control the whole time. I think you will be fine, just be honest with them why you are taking bupe, and that you will likely need higher doses of opioids for pain relief. But in your situation, I would taper off and be clean a few days before surgery.

^good advice, the doctor may even prescribe you a full agonist to transition to prior to the surgery so you don't have to go in sick. I can't be sure he would do this, but there have been other threads where people on maintenance needed procedures done and this isn't unheard of.

Yea, you should definitely inform the doctor abour your suboxone use. No matter what medication you are on, and no matter what surgery you are hvaing, you ALWAYS need to disclose all medication being taken to your doctor/surgeon.
First of all, you will be treated just like any other patient if you tell them....its not like they are going to refuse you surgery because you are on bupe. They are still capable of performing surgery but they just have to tweak there methods a little bit because you are a unique situation, but in fact, everyone is a unique situation and needs to have special decisions made about the procedure being performed on them.
The will more than likely just give you much stronger medications, or alot more quantity of the meds they were already gonna use. Either way, they CAN break through the bupe.

But, if you are worried about becoming addicted to pain meds again maybe you should ask your doctor if there is another alternative to having the surgery so that you dont have to end up using opiates. Chances are there is not, so you will more than likely still have the surgery. I would just reccommend that you make sure you have a support structure there for you that knows the situation you are in, so they/he/she can help keep you clean and prevent temptation from the opiates you were given. You can also call your bupe doctor/therapist/or drug counselor and get support in the way for a while until you feel that the risk of having the urge to relapse is insignificant.
Good Luck, I am having SEVERE back pain right now in fact because of muscle deteriation near my spine on my lower back.....im currently going to a chiropractor right now but I might end up hvaing to have surgery and maybe get opiate narcotic pain meds....which im trying to stay away from.

Thanks guys..I am afraid of yeah not getting treated properly or even the doctor making it worse on purpose (like not giving me anything) cuz his son was killed by a drug dealer or some shit who knows.. Hope it all goes well.

^I firmly believe that people misappropriate sadistic tendencies to doctors. When it comes down to it, very, VERY few are willing to risk their licenses to break protocol and intentionally mistreat a junkie.

The worst thing I can see being remotely possible is the doctor refusing the procedure altogether but chances are he stands to make bank off this so when it comes down to it, I imagine he'd rather dope you up a little more and walk away with the pay day then the alternative.

Be sure to let the doctors and nurses know. My sub Dr. wrote a note to another doctor for me when i fractured my arm which allowed me to get much stronger opiates. I would have probably just gotten Vicodin 5s but was instead prescribed Oxycodone IR 15s.

I agree with the other BLers. It's best to be honest.

As a side note, I don't know where you located at but it is of upmost importance that you find a superb doctor to perform your surgery. The one excellent one that I know of is Dr. Jaine (I may be spelling it wrong-it sounds like 'Jane') who is located in the Charlottesville Va area, I believe he is associated with UVA. Even if you aren't in this geographical area-and either can't or don't want to travel there for surgery-you may want to consider calling his office for a referral to a good MD in your area. The 'cream of the crop' all tend to know of each other so I would guess that his office will be able to steer you in the right direction. Just my .02-take it or leave it. I just know that when it comes to back surgery having a good doctor is VERY important.

And yeah, just take a deep breath and be honest about your situation with your doctor. I think you'll find that the reality will be far better than the scary images you have in your mind about coming clean with your doctor. You have nothing to worry about-you should be proud that you are taking care of yourself and your winning the battle with addiction.

Also-generally taking pain meds when you actually need them and at recommended dosages will not cause you a problem. Of course your at higher risk than someone who has never had an issue before but that's not to say that you can't do it. Be sure you have a strong support system around you--do some post-op prep. All we can do is the best we can do, right? Take it one moment at a time.

And best of luck with your back-sending you healing thoughts.
P.S. Dr. Jaine was Superman's Back surgeon-that should help you find his office if you want to do so.

be honest.......

whats the worst that can happen.... you get narcotics....