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Opioids Can I take a dose of Ativan while I am on Suboxone?

mareseatoats

Bluelighter
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Messages
297
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NJ Volkswagens
Hi all. I wanted to see what the general consensus is regarding my question: I have been on suboxone for a year and a half now, approximately 12mg a day, and have strictly stuck to only taking it -with no other extra curricular drug use. Now I am going to start getting some oral surgeries done soon, but I am a very anxious person, severe anxiety comes with most of my everyday life, etc. Before I was taking subs, and getting oral surgery, my dentist would prescribe me I believe 1mg of ATIVAN that I could take before my procedure so I wouldnt be so scared and panicky, and run out of the dr. office. (Also, before I started subs I was used to always mixing benzos and opiates of sorts, but not in gigantic doses). Well now that I am being more health conscious, and worry about what mixes with what I am already taking, I needed to know from others who have experience, if it is generally safe to take the prescribed dose of ATIVAN(1mg) even though I take suboxone. I am very scared of getting my teeth pulled, and my anxiety is really the only thing that keeps me from getting these procedures done in a timely fashion. Is this combination even more common than I am aware of? Have any of you had experience with one doctor prescribing you both of these meds together at the same time? Thanks for looking beforehand, and in addition, if you have any thoughts or advice to give, that would be even better. P.S. I hate going to the dentist.
 
It would be fine to take 1 mg, even 2 mg. I expect you won't be undergoing anaesthesia besides maybe nitrous oxide, which I would request. If you are going under general anaesthesia I don't know if I would take an extra dose of a benzo like Ativan.
 
The anesthesiologist would take in account the ativan, and usually they fill you up with a but load of midazolam anyway with fent. I've had plenty of extra benzos, say 2mg of xanax before the butt load of midazolam my anesthesiologist gave me one procedure. He was hilarious saying "I"ll be your bar tender today, if you'd like some more just let me know".
 
Yes, but I've seen someone who has taken too much ativan on Suboxone, and they were smearing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich all over their face. I'm pretty sure I took pictures with my camera phone at the time but I don't think I have them anymore; otherwise I would post them as an example of what happens when you get too trigger happy with benzos in general.

The anesthesiologist would take in account the ativan, and usually they fill you up with a but load of midazolam anyway with fent. I've had plenty of extra benzos, say 2mg of xanax before the butt load of midazolam my anesthesiologist gave me one procedure. He was hilarious saying "I"ll be your bar tender today, if you'd like some more just let me know".

I too have now felt the midazolam+fentanyl blackout which makes 2 hours seem like a nice 10 minute nap with extreme grogginess afterwards.

It was my last dosage of a really potent full agonist and I hope that stays true for the rest of my life. 8(
 
Have you disclosed to your dentist that you are taking Suboxone? And shown to him the blue card that those who are prescribed Suboxone carry (you can download the card from their website)? I say this because many health care professionals outside of addiction medicine and anesthesiology have no clue what Suboxone is. I would also encourage you to speak with the physician who has prescribed Suboxone to you about the safety of combining these medications.
 
Thank you all-such quick responses! You all have good points, and I failed to mention that I wasn't going to be under any anesthesia or nitrous-somehow I have always gotten through all of these dental adventures with only heavy novacaine-so there is no added sedation to what I described. I will definitely be letting my oral surgeon know of my current situation with what I am taking-it's not like I'll be waiting for a script of painkillers anyway, so I don't have to be on the "hush hush" about the subs. Thanks again, you guys were all a ton of help!
 
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I'm not too keen on peanut butter and jelly much these days; rather more than likely some Mac and cheese if I plan to spread anything on my face...
 
Make sure you have a ride to and from the dentist so that you don't drive on the ativan/suboxone combo. I have been prescribed both, and they would knock me out even in low doses (2mg suboxone, 5mg diazepam). I can't really take them anymore because I nod off at random times throughout the day after dosing, but everybody is different.
 
Thank you Tommyboy-if i do end up taking the combination, I will have someone drive me. In fact, I went today, had someone drive me, had a tooth pulled, did NOT have Ativan, so therefore i was squirming like a nut in the CHAIR OF DOOM when they were injecting me with the spear, and yanking and pulling and the doctor might as well have been dancing; doing the DOUGIE or something while he was removing my tooth, because he was moving himself and the freaking pliers all over the place, taking forever, and causing some discomfort. Lets just say next time I think I'll go for the Ativan. Im certain it will do more good than harm-if this is going to be the way of it again...
 
I truly dislike dental/medical procedures and I get given 2mg lorazepam/ativan before dental procedures; I've had two teeth pulled during the same procedure once and with the loraz I was actually joking around with the dentist during the extraction and actually enjoying myself. So I would go for the ativan.
 
Yeah 1mg of Ativan is a pretty low dosage. I was taking 2mg of Ativan daily with my suboxone, and now I've switched to 1mg of clonazepam, I don't have problems with it. If you want to be safe, just take .5mg Ativan, though 1mg of Ativan is equal to 1/2 a mg of xanax, so it's really not all that much
 
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