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Bupe bupe taper problem...input needed ASAP

South618

Greenlighter
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
2
ill start off by saying im a 23 yr old male and have been dependent (yes, dependent) on opiates since i was 15. A botched surgery at the age of 13 left me in constant pain, but all the drs in my area treated me as if i was just trying to get high. i dont know many 13 year olds looking to get strong pain killers to abuse. I was prescribed vikes and percs for a couple years and then put on 20mg oc at the age of 15. the dr pulled me off of them 6 months later and i was left to fend for myself, as the dr put a note in my medical record stating im an opiate addict. from that point on i used oc, morphs, dilaudid, opana, and even heroin if nothing else could be found. it eventually led to an all out heroin addiction for a little over 2 years (never iv, always snorted). 9 months ago i started sub maintenance (16mg/day), and it seemed to be a lifesaver for 4-5 months.

after those amazing few months, everything went back downhill. Ive only had 2 relapses in those 9 months, and both were because i couldnt make it to the doctor because i cant drive and its an hour and a half from where i live (execuses, execuses....i know).

What i mean by "downhill" is ive had HORRIBLE mood swings, been in a total depression (ive had depression issues since childhood, and from what i understand, long term naloxone use worsens depression), and an overall shitty feeling. Not to mention i cant seem to keep any food down and have been steady losing weight over the past few weeks. Ive tried to taper my dose slowly 3 times now, and for some reason it just doesnt work. if i take even just a speck less than normal, i get sick. Ive tried taking 15mg and waited 12 hrs and was still sick.

now a close friend of mine (whose been on sub for almost 3 years now) suggested a new idea and this is where i need input...she posed the idea of stopping my sub until i get into withdrawls, and then using a different opiate (my primary care physician will prescribe me 2 weeks worth if i ask him too, weve already had this discussion) for 2 weeks or so(long enough for the bupe to be out of my system), then starting sub again, but at a MUCH lower dose (2-4mg/day)...does this seem to make sense to anyone else?

i feel like the sub drs are waaaaaaay over-prescribing subs. even 8mg/day is a relatively large dose of bupe. i wholeheartedly believe if he had prescribed 4mg/day it wouldve worked just as well as 16. 16mg of bupe roughly equals 600+mg of morphine, and thats a little excessive in my opinion. i wish i had known as much as i do about bupe now when i first went to the dr.

any input would be MUCH appreciated, but please, i can do without judging or telling me what ive done wrong. i thank you all in advance.
 
Hint: it helps to make the questions your asking more clear instead of hiding them with-in the text. Some people don't want to read a ton of text to find the question the original poster is asking.

I'll try to help, though...

If I'm reading right, you don't like that you're prescribed a high dose of Bupe? There is no need to switch to another opiate if you are able to take a lower dose of Bupe already. If you aren't able to take a lower dose of Bupe already, then I suggest tapering with the Bupe alone because switching to another opiate has the potential to send you straight back to addiction.

If you think you can handle it, then go ahead, but what makes you think at the end of the two weeks you will be able to handle a lower dose of Bupe? It takes more than two weeks to drop your tolerance, so you might as well just stick to the Bupe and gradually lower the dose without using another opiate.
 
Yea, there is no point in trying to "start over" with bupe. If you want to be on a lower dose (which I think is a good idea), then just taper down to a lower dose. There is no point in switching to another opioid and then back to bupe at a lower dose. In fact, by going back on a full agonist opioid (like oxy) it will just be harder to switch back to bupe.

So, just taper down your bupe dose and try to get to 2-4mg per day. I know that I find that bupe is WAY better at those doses then at the absurd doses that are usually prescribed.-DG
 
What i mean by "downhill" is ive had HORRIBLE mood swings, been in a total depression (ive had depression issues since childhood, and from what i understand, long term naloxone use worsens depression), and an overall shitty feeling. Not to mention i cant seem to keep any food down and have been steady losing weight over the past few weeks. Ive tried to taper my dose slowly 3 times now, and for some reason it just doesnt work. if i take even just a speck less than normal, i get sick. Ive tried taking 15mg and waited 12 hrs and was still sick.
Maybe talk to your doctor about an antidepressant to help you through this transition. Mirtazapine would be a good choice.

It will lift your mood, help you sleep, and make you hungry as a mofo... worth looking into.
 
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