• The Dark Side 💕 Welcome Guest 💕
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads Urgent Hotlines
    Bereavement Mindfulness
    Suicide Support Anger Management
  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Has suboxone helped you??

SececaRD said:
Im my personal opinion I beleive subs are only good for a short tqper... its worked very well for me in th epast....Why would you want to get addicted to another drug?? When your done your done... This is just my 2 cents thanks
Click to expand...

There is no comparable psychological dependency.

At least, for quite a few people who have gone on it. I certainly don't crave buprenorphine in the same way others crave heroin.

Any physical dependency buprenorphine causes isn't nearly as severe as a full agonist opiate as well.
 
I agree with Cap-I think if it requires Subs 2 get off opiates then they should b used. Today is my 8th day clean off opiates + I am beginning 2 have real hope that my life is turning around. One thing is I started on the very smallest amount of subs that would work-.5mg 2x per day. I hope u r doing well.
 
I see sub as nothing short of a "miracle drug" in my opinion. Much the way people on MMT see it in the same light. When I was on sub, i would take 2-4 mg a day (less is more with sub), every single day. I stayed on it daily for 5 weeks+ at this dosage, and then tapered and stopped...not in a better position let me tell you.

On sub? I am evened out, as most addicts seek to be. I am level, balanced, and feel (more) like my old self. I do not experience any cravings, and I just feel normal.

It doesn't fuck me up (probably because of its effects only being prominent on 2 of the 3 opioid receptors in ya brain, though the chemistry is a discussion for another thread), I don't feel "high", I just feel normal, not depressed, not anxious, not out figuring out how to get my next fix.

The trick is (imo) to take it as SOON as you wake up, your morning dose, whatever it may be. That way you are not tempted later on to go out and score, thinking to yourself "well, i didnt take sub this morning, so maybeeeee i could do one blue/bag of dope/whatever your poison may be". This was the key in my experience: take my morning dose as SOON as i woke up, without even thinking about it, so that I would have 0 cravings and not be tempted later.

Though despite all of the good things sub did for me, it was not without a few negatives. On sub daily, i experienced a head fog in much the same way that being stoned all day does. I t took getting off the sub to notice this (although since stopping the sub, i have relapsed greatly), but it is definitely a fact. Also sub also has some negative effects on my stomach (opioid constipation) as well as my ability to urinate (when i first started sub or take too much, it is almost impossible for me to piss. Sad but true. Christ, i almost went to the hospital to get a catheter, thats how bad it was).

Also, sub withdrawals are NO WALK IN THE PARK! While I would agree that they are less "intense" than withdrawal from full agonists, they are not easy...they last much longer than regular agonists, and just left me feeling worse and shittier for longer than i could handle...regular dope sick i can handle...i can handle the intense sickness for a few days....the overall feeling of malaise that persisted for well over a week on sub was more...unpleasant that I was expecting. Don't expect to just stop taking sub, it doesn't work that way....taper yourself people, please.

So, has/did suboxone help me? Yes, a great deal. Did it have some trade offs? Yes, a few, but they were much more worth it than the usual tradeoffs, and highs and lows of opioid addiction.
 
I think id rather just stay on SUB LONG term than risk another relapse and possibly death..

Honestly if i get down to 2-4mgs of sub a day .. i dont see any harm in taking it for as long as you feel if it keeps me clean and safe...

Sure its an addiction... BUT its totally totallly different than the behavoir of active addiction...

I take my sub and it just basically treats the addiction..

I used to be totally against sub maintenance.. but now im just like fuck it i give up..
 
Last edited:
SenecaRD I was doing research about suboxone and methadone studies to compare the success rates. And it seemed like suboxone had a much higher failure rate bc one is not monitored.

Anyway, I stumbled upon an interesting study stating that a relatively quick suboxone taper was the most successful way to use suboxone. The mean duration was about 2-3 weeks. And the starting dose started at 4mgs and went up by 2mg throughout the day. Sorry I dnt have the source.
 
Its my belief that the partial opiate messes with my head and isn't processed the same way full Opiates are (which our brains are used to receiving and processing). Bupe was a mental head fuk for me. It gave me almost bi-polar like feelings and mood swings when I was tapering and through initial withdrawal. It never lasted anywhere near its half-live for me and I would began early withdrawal symptoms that evening and have a hard time sleeping without a second evening dose , which I tried to cut when tapering. Even though my taper was kinda quick 8- .25 I'n three weeks it was almost a constant state of withdrawal from start to finish (not to mention I felt like shit the first four days I was on it) and then another two weeks of its full withdrawal. It served its purpose but I'm glad to be free of it. Its withdrawal was more mental and depressive with awful insomnia than oxy but less physical. Anyone feel this way on subs?
 
Last edited:
^yup, Subs are not my friend anymore. Like they may take away my sweats and chills, but I was left feeling so listless and depressed (except I sleep most of the day and thru the night) that it didnt seem worth it. I got soooo fucking desperate like I wanted to die, so I took 4meoPCP and methoxetamine and was finally able to stop my physical addiction to opiates (including suboxone). I'm not 100% but this method of getting shit crazy on dissociatives (to dissociate me from my habit) feels soo much better for my mental stability and happiness than subooxne. I still crave like once a week and give in, but at least I can complete a few tangible goals each day.
 
DooMMooD said:
I see sub as nothing short of a "miracle drug" in my opinion. Much the way people on MMT see it in the same light. When I was on sub, i would take 2-4 mg a day (less is more with sub), every single day. I stayed on it daily for 5 weeks+ at this dosage, and then tapered and stopped...not in a better position let me tell you.

On sub? I am evened out, as most addicts seek to be. I am level, balanced, and feel (more) like my old self. I do not experience any cravings, and I just feel normal.

It doesn't fuck me up (probably because of its effects only being prominent on 2 of the 3 opioid receptors in ya brain, though the chemistry is a discussion for another thread), I don't feel "high", I just feel normal, not depressed, not anxious, not out figuring out how to get my next fix.

The trick is (imo) to take it as SOON as you wake up, your morning dose, whatever it may be. That way you are not tempted later on to go out and score, thinking to yourself "well, i didnt take sub this morning, so maybeeeee i could do one blue/bag of dope/whatever your poison may be". This was the key in my experience: take my morning dose as SOON as i woke up, without even thinking about it, so that I would have 0 cravings and not be tempted later.

Though despite all of the good things sub did for me, it was not without a few negatives. On sub daily, i experienced a head fog in much the same way that being stoned all day does. I t took getting off the sub to notice this (although since stopping the sub, i have relapsed greatly), but it is definitely a fact. Also sub also has some negative effects on my stomach (opioid constipation) as well as my ability to urinate (when i first started sub or take too much, it is almost impossible for me to piss. Sad but true. Christ, i almost went to the hospital to get a catheter, thats how bad it was).

Also, sub withdrawals are NO WALK IN THE PARK! While I would agree that they are less "intense" than withdrawal from full agonists, they are not easy...they last much longer than regular agonists, and just left me feeling worse and shittier for longer than i could handle...regular dope sick i can handle...i can handle the intense sickness for a few days....the overall feeling of malaise that persisted for well over a week on sub was more...unpleasant that I was expecting. Don't expect to just stop taking sub, it doesn't work that way....taper yourself people, please.

So, has/did suboxone help me? Yes, a great deal. Did it have some trade offs? Yes, a few, but they were much more worth it than the usual tradeoffs, and highs and lows of opioid addiction.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with the "less intense than withdrawal from full agaonists" part. I was on Suboxone for about 6 months. The clinic started me off on 4mgs a day but I dosed myself at about 1mg for about 2 months, gradually going down to about .5mgs-.25mgs the last 2 months. My habit before I started subs were damn near 300mgs of oxy a day + whatever else I can get my hands on. I am a firm believer of the paradoxal effect when it comes to suboxone (less is more); but when it came time to go from .25mgs to 0...man...I've CT'd off Oxy, Hydrocodone, H, you name it, and it was just as bad...if not worse. Not only that, but the duration was at least 3 times as long. The "chills" didn't go away for about a month and a half. The runs didn't go away for about 2 months. I've experienced withdrawals many times in my short life, and if I could do it all over again, I would have rather just CT'd off the full agonists and gotten it out of it out of the way. Suboxone if anything, set me back in the long run. If anything, I would recommend taking it no longer than 2 months. Be very careful with mmt and suboxone.
 
I just wanted to ask some questions: being totally honest with yourself, the last times you withdrew from other opioids, how long did you honestly last w/o redosing? everyone says that its the "worst" but generally speaking

1) your most recent/current withdrawal is always considered the "worst" because well, youre in it
2) everyone says its terrible at day 7, 14, 20, etc and maybe, but the last time you got off of that huge habit, did you even make it to these points? and if so do you honestly remember what state you were in? did you make it to the 2 week, 1 month, 2 month point to see if you still had the runs/chills/etc? personally the longest i made it, before sub, was 3 months, and i was still having shit problems

3) the fact that people actually can DO THINGS during suboxone withdrawals should be a huge indicator as to how less intense they are... generally speaking, withdrawing from full agonists leaves one unable to do anything at all. Last time you were in that state, where you able to go to work? were you able to get up from your cold sweat in your bed to even make a post on your computer about how much withdrawals suck?

idk about you but last time i went hardcore withdrawal from a pretty heavy morphine habit, i pretty much did not move from my bed for a solid 48 hours, and even at that point it was a struggle. waking up DRENCHED in sweat, fever, crazy dreams to name a few of the more pleasant aspects....sub withdrawals? mentally they blow but im able to go to work, go to school. its not easy but im able. as i said, morphine/oc withdrawal? not doin much of anything (again, me personally)

Everyone says to be wary of MMT and bupe treatments, but honestly....staying on them for life MIGHT be the best choice. Peoples brain pathways are totally changed, often permanently, by opiate abuse in the first place. Think of the bupe/mmt as a "cast" for your damaged brain: using it helps, whereas leaving it "castless" just leaves you open for heavier injury (in this case, relapse). And honestly, which is worse: the "cast", or back to the ups/downs, highs/lows of addiction?

IMO, bupe does kill all cravings. And that is testament to how well it works, and why it is a good idea to stay on it long term; simply killing the "craving" imho is the best thing a medicine could do for addiction. It is a wonderful tool for fighting addction

I've been intensely studying opiate addiction treatment the past few weeks now. A very helpful, albeit watered down, explanation can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RASNQrfa3ig&feature=channel_video_title

Guy breaks it down pretty good. Hes also a pretty good source, considering his previous fent/opi addiction as well as recovery and transition into psychiatry including treating addicts.

Everyones entitled to their own opinion and choice on how to treat their problem, but maintenance meds do have the highest % of sobriety long term. Not everyone can do it w/o sub, and willpower imo is ineffective (b/c your willpower 1 day can be ironclad, and the next week when something bad happens, eg relative dies, it will be a totally different state); especially since addicts scream all the time help help help! yet cannot stop themselves.

And i do agree less is more with sub. I'm a firm believer that if yorue using it for maintenance you should use 4mg or less (get yourself to that point). As little as possible.

Honestly, were you doing well on the sub? If you were, why did you stop, that is, why did you feel it was your time to stop using a medicine to treat your (possibly) lifelong condition? Why give up an important useful tool against fighting your addiction if you were doing well on it. did you ever consider this question: effectively, why fix what aint broken (and is in fact working)?

Sorry, REALLY long post, i wrote a fucking book lol. just kinda bored and wanted to point out that MMT/bupe treatment is NOT dangerous or something to fear: it saves lives. Many people would be dead (OD, needle issues, etc) without these avenues of escape. Better this option than staying an addict
 
Last edited:
to answer your questions..

yes, suboxone has helped me out tremendously.
i have been on it for 2 years, i think?
i wish i could be on it forever, but i know i should get off it soon.

everyone is different. but for me, suboxone has been a godsend.
 
Quick observation-I took sub the 1st 16 days of opys. Today (17) my wds r about 1/2, if that, of full agonists. I still don't like it but I am doing better right now than I would be this long after opy.
 
How effective is Suboxone in suppressing craving for opiates?

High dose MMT (160mg/day) worked very well for me; for almost a year I had Opium in my house and never used it. Even with the intention to use on a particular day, the methadone reduced the craving to the point that the slightest distraction would "derail" me from using. Now that the methadone dose is falling rapidly, powerful cravings have surged back and I have resumed Opium use.
When I'm stabilized on Suboxone, will it reduce the obsessive desire to use? I know that I must work with the medication to distract/talk myself out of using.
 
The only difference is if you are on 8mg a day of sub or more for any length of time you can almost smoke as much opium as you want and not feel a thing from it. Higher dose suboxone blocks most opiates for most peope but there are some that can break through it but it really defeats the whole purposes because the more you toggle back and forth the less effective subs will be going forward and you may find yourself SOL or on mmt
 
it helps me immensely. today i fucked up and got some dope, but 99/100 times it will drop the cravings down to zero and give me a burst of energy. 1 mg will. the problem is i cant always get them. also theyre SUPER expensive. no pricing, i know but damn they have doubled in price in the last month. for the 8mg pills, not the strips. which when I have gotten those they have been a tiny bit less expensive but not much. HOWEVER, in the end they are worth it and THEY PAY FOR THEMSELVES many times over. i want to save up and grab a bunch and taoer VERY VERY slowly but with no willpower or $$ its difficult.
 
4mgs isn't very much at all.

I had a very light opiate habit compared to many and started off on 16mg, just to put it all into perspective.

Personally I'm quite fond of Suboxone, as it really isn't all that hard to get off if you taper down correctly, but this may take a year or two.

Negatives: I have lowered sex drive, it has also made me very introverted and socially isolated, but in all honestly that's probably a good thing. =D
 
Suboxone helped me put a needle down as I found there was no rush associated with shooting it, maybe I wasn't doing it right but I've been banging drugs for 16 years and whenever I fired the subs I alway felt like I should have just snorted them.
 
How long do you guys think you'll stay on subs ? I'm debating going back on them, i got off before more because i was slipping and thought methadone would give me a better chance - now I am a different person but the thought of being on it for life still fucks with my head. I don't really know why since i can easily see myself always wanting to use opiates.
 
ech0s85 said:
hell yes it helps.

i always think to myself that without sub idk how people ever got off dope.

keep taking it as it builds up in your system youll feel better and not be able to get high.
Click to expand...

Yeah if it wasn't for suboxone then I can only imagine what detoxing was like b4 subs came out... I guess ur only option before suboxone was to go to the methadone clinic which is just as bad as doing heroin or oxy or whatever else you are addicted to.
 
In extraordinary circumstances, MMT can assist an opioid addict in stabilizing or rebuilding her/his life. When I realized that my life had shrunk to work and opiates, I found it much easier to access MMT as an outpatient than to commit to unmedicated w/drawal at a 28 day rehab. I'm also not sure what I could have learned in 28 days that would have broken the bond I feel w/Opium. My life blossomed on MMT; I'm switching to Suboxone due to an upcoming move to a county w/no MMT clinics. Methadone allowed me to repair the damage caused by unrestrained opiate use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top