Suboxone is estimated to be 25 to 40 times more potent than morphine. I have found that the optimal time to have someone on Suboxone is between 20 and 25 days, tapering down on the medication every few days. This makes the physical symptoms of detox very manageable, without causing the patient to become cross-addicted to Suboxone. I have found that Suboxone use for a longer period than this begins to cause a strong dependence on the medication.
Once a patient is stabilized with Suboxone and no longer getting high, he/she has to be convinced that recovery is possible. Then you must prepare for the restlessness, irritability and discontent they will experience when they are off all narcotics, including Suboxone.
Suboxone detox makes the physical aspect of the disease manageable, but does not help with the emotional and spiritual consequences of addiction. Often patients are concerned about coming off Suboxone, but I educate them about how Suboxone is a tool to get them clean but not a suitable maintenance drug if a patient wants to get into recovery.
Suboxone is a powerful opiate-an anesthetic to emotional pain. It immediately alleviates anxiety and depression, and makes a person feel more emotionally stable. A lesser dose of Suboxone (2 mg a day) will block an estimated 80 percent of a person's feelings, while higher doses can make a patient practically numb. Patients often say they feel great on Suboxone and since they are not getting high they want to continue on it. At that point you need to start experiencing emotions to understand what you were trying to self-medicate in the first place. It's time to live life on life's terms.
When used in the short term, Suboxone is the best detox drug I have ever seen. It can immediately stabilize a patient's life, and this can be done in an out patient setting. When used long-term, though, it is the hardest medication I have ever dealt with in terms of detoxing myself and patient's from it.
Suboxone does not work like natural opiates; it is created in a lab and interacts with the receptors in the brain unlike any other opiate.I speculate, based on dealing with hundreds of patients who have been on Suboxone maintenance, that when Suboxone is given long-term it causes abnormal adaptations to opiate receptors and other brain receptors. In my experience,long-term use can cause emotional deregulation, loss of libido, hair loss, and an abnormality in how the body regulates its response to stress.
Suboxone is a mixture of buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine is a powerful opiate, and naloxone is an opiate blocker used to resuscitate people in the ER from an opiate overdose. The misuse of Suboxone and the lack of attention to the problem are causing physicians untrained in addiction medicine to feed into over prescribing. Many do not understand the long-term ramifications of Suboxone addiction, and it also is a very lucrative business for the prescribing physician. Many doctors charge $200 to $300 monthly, per patient, for a 5-to-10 minute checkup to renew a Suboxone prescription.
Most places prescribing Suboxone maintenance do not offer any addiction treatment because the doctor is not trained in addiction medicine and because it is not time, or cost-effective to do so. Furthermore, the lucrative nature of Suboxone on a maintenance basis creates a disincentive to tapering the drug and its income-generating potential. The success rate for detox from Suboxone is much lower than that for detox from other opiates because patients tend to give up hope during the lengthy withdrawal process.
Remember a Suboxone induction rarely needs more than 2mg, and anything over 4mg is ludicrous.
Nowadays patient rights are consistent with that of an oxymoron. Here in the United States the Drug Enforcement Agency will always back a Doctor who refuses to prescribe narcotics. So realize now you have no rights when it comes to narcotics. If you are addicted to Suboxone because you feel that it solves all your life problems then you do need counseling. However, I am a strong believer that you must do what you feel is right. BUT DON'T LIE TO YOURSELF. If you know you are addicted, just say "I'm addicted" and "I can better manage my life on this addictive drug". Heed my words though, the longer you are on Suboxone the harder it will be to ever get off. A Suboxone withdrawl is long, hard, and pure agony compared to even Fentanyl and Heroin. It is because the half-life is so strong and it builds continuously in your system.
I myself am a counselor and a psychiatric prescriber of medicines. I am also a Fentanyl addict who has spent 5 years experimenting with opiates extensively; including Suboxone. I have come to terms with my addiction. I like being on drugs and i have no wreckage to clear from my life because of addiction. I have created a balance of drug addiction and real life. My drug addiction always comes second, but i don't keep it on the back burner long. However, very few people can do that...maybe you are one of the few? I doubt it though bud....you are trying to find a loophole right now involving patient rights so you can stay on the drugs. You are also doing research into the drug to find a validity to make your case.
Do you think just because the Suboxone doesn't make you high that it is the "magic pill" to help you manage your life? I can tell you that you are heading down a road of denial; it's ok, at one point we all do. Like I said before, and will reiterate now, DO NOT LIE TO YOURSELF. If you can honestly say you 100% absolutely have no issues (even though you have extensive drug addiction issues) then switch to a doctor that will continue to feed you your supply of dope...there are plenty who will.
However, if you realize you have physical or psychosomatic problems that need resolving, stay on the drug; go to counseling and when you are ready, get off the drug. Fear is not our enemy it is our friend. Embrace it...consider change. You have nothing to lose by considering counseling. It does not make you less of a man. I know, I've been there. I had an injury 10 years ago while serving my country that left me with a broken back. I have plates, screws, and rods throughout my body. I am finishing my Doctorate internship to become a clinical Psychiatrist. What I'm not doing is lying to myself about being a drug addict. I can balance my life because I never destroyed it with drugs.
Also remember, Suboxone is a narcotic, a narcotic worse than the pain pills you were taking. You are fooling yourself by thinking it is helping your life anymore than the pain dope you were on. Just think about it. There is no right answer, you must do what you feel is right. There is an entire community here behind you that will not judge you. Best of luck.
