cant_overdose
Greenlighter
Hello all, I have a kind of issue and don't have anywhere else to turn. I'm a new member, so I hope this is posted in the correct format and forum. I have U(d)TFSE ad nauseam and can't find anything to support what I believe.
I have a doctor I see monthly (as per the law in Texas) to get my buprenorphine prescription (8mg x2/day). The guy's pretty cool, and after passing UAs for a couple years I was able to get him to prescribe some Xanax too. I've been on this combination of meds for a long time now, and they work - I haven't used an illicit substance in as long as I can remember.
The xanax has been enormously helpful. I suffer from PTSD, general anxiety, and a condition they finally labeled as "schizoaffective disorder," one symptom of which is auditory hallucinations. Especially at night or when I'm afraid and this makes sleep impossible and by extension, the keeping of any kind of schedule very difficult. Also I sometimes will take a Xanax instead of one of the suboxone - I feel like this is progress (the idea is supposed to be to taper off it, right? Except, in truth, I need to always be on it so that the option of opiates is simply not there for me).
I started out on 1mg alprazolam x2/day, but after a few months he decided to reduce it to the .50mg ones. This is because he is, of course, familiar with conventional warnings about oversedation, etc. when mixing opiates and benzos. He's said many times, "Now be sure to take them far apart so you don't die on me!" I even offered to lower my suboxone to half my current dose so that he'd feel better about raising the xanax back up but he wouldn't.
At 240 pounds, however, I can easily take 6 of these stupid things without discernable effect. Even when I'm benzo-naïve, and haven't taken any for a couple weeks. So tolerance is not the issue. I never build up a tolerance because I'm always out of these half-milligram ones way before I can get a refill.
I have noticed too, that to me buprenorphine produces absolutely none of the euphoria and sedation of other opiates. It does block the others, but I don't see how people can claim it reduces craving other than that it prevents withdrawal symptoms. That's fine, but even when I DO mix them with xanax there's no potentiation of either. I do not believe that xanax and suboxone potentiate one another at all.
I am convinced of this, and I really want him to raise the dose back up. But every time I ask he says he's worried I'll overdose. It's just not a high enough dose of xanax to be effective, and only works if I overtake to ridiculous proportions, but then I'm out prematurely.
Has anyone else here ever felt that buprenorphine is some kind of exception to the rule about mixing sedatives and opiates? Better yet, can anyone point me to some kind of citable article or scientific literature to that effect so that I could show it to him? I KNOW I'm right, and there's got to be something somewhere that doesn't just repeat the same old information.
I've been seeing this MD for four years, and he doesn't take insurance so I have spent a LOT of money at his practice, and like I said I haven't had a bad UA in a couple years. So I think he'd be receptive if I could just show him something that supports my argument that there's little chance of an overdose.
Also, I have avoided telling him about my psychiatric issues because I know he'd try to refer me to a psychiatrist and I don't need that crap. Can't afford ANOTHER doctor.
I've tried mixing drugs like amlodipine and famotidine with Xanax to make it work better, as these supposedly enhance metabolization of it. Then, I got desperate and tried to substitute first chlorbutanol, then 2M2B (neither of which proved to be a viable alternative). What about muscimol? I just ordered some. I can't order the RCs benzos - don't know how.
I really could use some help from the knowledgeable on this. Thanks for your time.
I have a doctor I see monthly (as per the law in Texas) to get my buprenorphine prescription (8mg x2/day). The guy's pretty cool, and after passing UAs for a couple years I was able to get him to prescribe some Xanax too. I've been on this combination of meds for a long time now, and they work - I haven't used an illicit substance in as long as I can remember.
The xanax has been enormously helpful. I suffer from PTSD, general anxiety, and a condition they finally labeled as "schizoaffective disorder," one symptom of which is auditory hallucinations. Especially at night or when I'm afraid and this makes sleep impossible and by extension, the keeping of any kind of schedule very difficult. Also I sometimes will take a Xanax instead of one of the suboxone - I feel like this is progress (the idea is supposed to be to taper off it, right? Except, in truth, I need to always be on it so that the option of opiates is simply not there for me).
I started out on 1mg alprazolam x2/day, but after a few months he decided to reduce it to the .50mg ones. This is because he is, of course, familiar with conventional warnings about oversedation, etc. when mixing opiates and benzos. He's said many times, "Now be sure to take them far apart so you don't die on me!" I even offered to lower my suboxone to half my current dose so that he'd feel better about raising the xanax back up but he wouldn't.
At 240 pounds, however, I can easily take 6 of these stupid things without discernable effect. Even when I'm benzo-naïve, and haven't taken any for a couple weeks. So tolerance is not the issue. I never build up a tolerance because I'm always out of these half-milligram ones way before I can get a refill.
I have noticed too, that to me buprenorphine produces absolutely none of the euphoria and sedation of other opiates. It does block the others, but I don't see how people can claim it reduces craving other than that it prevents withdrawal symptoms. That's fine, but even when I DO mix them with xanax there's no potentiation of either. I do not believe that xanax and suboxone potentiate one another at all.
I am convinced of this, and I really want him to raise the dose back up. But every time I ask he says he's worried I'll overdose. It's just not a high enough dose of xanax to be effective, and only works if I overtake to ridiculous proportions, but then I'm out prematurely.
Has anyone else here ever felt that buprenorphine is some kind of exception to the rule about mixing sedatives and opiates? Better yet, can anyone point me to some kind of citable article or scientific literature to that effect so that I could show it to him? I KNOW I'm right, and there's got to be something somewhere that doesn't just repeat the same old information.
I've been seeing this MD for four years, and he doesn't take insurance so I have spent a LOT of money at his practice, and like I said I haven't had a bad UA in a couple years. So I think he'd be receptive if I could just show him something that supports my argument that there's little chance of an overdose.
Also, I have avoided telling him about my psychiatric issues because I know he'd try to refer me to a psychiatrist and I don't need that crap. Can't afford ANOTHER doctor.
I've tried mixing drugs like amlodipine and famotidine with Xanax to make it work better, as these supposedly enhance metabolization of it. Then, I got desperate and tried to substitute first chlorbutanol, then 2M2B (neither of which proved to be a viable alternative). What about muscimol? I just ordered some. I can't order the RCs benzos - don't know how.
I really could use some help from the knowledgeable on this. Thanks for your time.
