Have any non-daily opioid users gone on buprenorphine here?

[What was it?]

Hi there, I have been using opioids on and off for 2.5 years. My frequency is anywhere from a minimum once a forthnight up to 5 times a week. As of most recent it is 1-2 times a week (in 2012) with mild to no physical withdrawals in between. I am not sure but the mental cravings are shit....I have written over my predicament several times on BL. I am not sure if i should consider going on low-dose bupe for a while so I can just get on with life and have less mental cravings?

Has anybody with a similar usage patter above gone on bupe? Anybody else have an opinion on this?

The stuff I use recently is mostly hydromorphone, morphine, oxycodone (10s, 20s IR and 80s ER) and PST.

In the early days it was mostly DHC (a LOT of it), codeine, tramadol (yuck), buprenorphine and endone (Oxycodone 5mgs)

I use all ROAs except for injecting.

 

[spacejunk]

I don't have experience in this, but i do have an opinion - don't!

you want to go from non-dependant use, to being addicted to an opioid with a very long halflife - hence a long, drawn-out withdrawal as a way of coping with cravings?
sorry, but as an addict, that sounds like your reasons are all around the wrong way. i don't mean for that to sound dismissive...but i understand bupe is best used to maintain and prevent withdrawals - it won't necessarily give you a buzz on an everyday maintenance dose, so i imagine it would do little to prevent cravings.
it would stop you being able to use...but you'd also be lumbered with a physical dependance - something you don't currently have.

i hope you don't take this the wrong way - but it sounds like a really bad idea dude.
there are other ways to cope with intense cravings, like counselling or distractions. i don't think yielding to your dope cravings is actually a helpful way of getting rid of them.

 

[What was it?]

I don't have experience in this, but i do have an opinion - don't!

you want to go from non-dependant use, to being addicted to an opioid with a very long halflife - hence a long, drawn-out withdrawal as a way of coping with cravings?
sorry, but as an addict, that sounds like your reasons are all around the wrong way. i don't mean for that to sound dismissive...but i understand bupe is best used to maintain and prevent withdrawals - it won't necessarily give you a buzz on an everyday maintenance dose, so i imagine it would do little to prevent cravings.
it would stop you being able to use...but you'd also be lumbered with a physical dependance - something you don't currently have.

i hope you don't take this the wrong way - but it sounds like a really bad idea dude.
there are other ways to cope with intense cravings, like counselling or distractions. i don't think yielding to your dope cravings is actually a helpful way of getting rid of them. e?

Thanks you make a good point. I lost my pharms connection recently and I don't want to go back to physically destructive CWEs, Rikodeine and PST use. My toelrance is too high either way to get a buzz off these after all the morph, HM and oxy. I don't really know how to handle having lost my hard opiate connection - I've never been in this situation.

 

[chugs]

the entire point of opiate replacement therapies is that it allows you to sate your daily urges whilst providing you with a legal alternate. The point though is not long term maintenance (though that's what invariably happens). The patient when on these programs is meant to make an effort to abstain and taper down their daily dose to the extent that they do not require daily dosing.

OP if you want opiates, and want them daily then you have to ask yourself

1) a program will tag you as a user and it will make it almost impossible for you to obtain, legitimately, opiate based painkiller.
2) sure a program will give you a dose but it will hardly be euphoric. Bupe or methadone will make it almost impossible to experience opiates unless your dosing at stupid levels.
3) you will in fact need to do opiates on a daily basis before a doctor who is able to prescribe bupe will prescribe it.
4) yes you will get daily doses but like i've said what's the point. sure you won't be bothered by the need to have opiates but you will gotten yourself into a deep addiction (albeit to prescribed substances).

if you feel like you have a problem with opiates you should talk about it with us or your doctors.

 

[drug_mentor]

I have to say I don't reckon its a good idea man, plenty of people on opioid maintenance continue to use black market opioids and really I doubt you would be satisfied from a maintenance dose for very long. You are just potentially going to skyrocket your tolerance and if you don't even have a physical habit then I think the potential risks outweigh the benefits.

I have known someone who wasn't a daily opioid user to bullshit their way onto opioid maintenance and they have since told me it isn't worth it, they don't get very high even off double dosing and it has made other opioid use extremely cost prohibitive.

 

[footscrazy]

What is it about CWEs, Rikodeine and PST that you find physically destructive? I was actually going to suggest perhaps using pst as an alternative to bupe. I've recently tapered down to using between 100-300g of pst every morning and it works really well for me. I find it really helps with my cravings for other opiates, and even other drugs. Even though I'm still using that daily, I actually feel like I'm doing better than I have for a long time, because I'm rarely drinking or using anything else, I can function perfectly well at uni, studying and working on it, it's cheap, and since I've tapered down I can even feel that much again. I imagine that the wd off a small amount of pst would be much easier than coming off even a very low dose of bupe too, and you can avoid having maintenance opies on your record and being tied to a pharmacy every morning too.

I don't want to diminish the idea of perhaps working on dealing with your cravings in other ways too, like cbt, meditation or what have you, but if you're not at the point where you're ready to or want to stop, this is just something that works for me.

 

[spacejunk]

I imagine that the wd off a small amount of pst would be much easier than coming off even a very low dose of bupe too, and you can avoid having maintenance opies on your record and being tied to a pharmacy every morning too.

i don't know if i agree with that - i have always heard that they are similar due to the alkaloid profile (hence long half life) of pst. i've been talking with an aussie bluelighter that has spent the last couple of months conquering his pst habit, and it doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun.
i use pst habitually but have never even attempted detox....

the availability of pst has always presented a problem for me, in regard to addiction and compulsion. too easy to score. both a pro and a con, i suppose...yes, it works for me - but i wouldn't say i recommend it. on the contrary i guess :/

i'd really advise the OP to seek some sort of counselling before embarking on any kind of treatment. like, talk to someone who understands addiction.
if you're not physically addicted, any sort of opiate treatment (medical or self administered pst use) is an escalation - and the problem with escalating opiate use is that you quickly reach a point of no return (or no return without a great deal of discomfort).

i mean, cravings are easier to manage than withdrawal.

at least with bupe you can taper accurately and reduce over a period of time with the right reduction plan. the variability of pst strength makes this a lot harder, in my experience anyway.
it's impossible to gauge your dose, so tapering is very hit-and-miss. some days you convince yourself to take more, other days you think you've had an adequate dose, only to go to work and start going into wd.

not completely disagreeing with you footsy, just my experiences, i guess.

 

[Crankinit]

The point though is not long term maintenance (though that's what invariably happens).

That's not true. Most of the research points to longer treatment retention, lower relapse rates, reduced crime, reduced mortality rates and higher quality of life with long term maintenance compared to short term tapers, and doctors here in Australia are encouraged to keep the patient on maintenance for the long term unless they believe the patient has made enough personal/lifestyle changes to jump off opiates successfully without relapsing.

 

[footscrazy]

I haven't looked into buprenorphine vs pst extensively and I'm not suggesting that pst wd's are simple or easy - just that I imagine that even a very small dose of bupe, less than 1mg, would probably increase my tolerance above the 100-300g of seeds I currently use a day. I might be wrong, but I'm happy with how pst works for me, and thought it could be at least something to consider

 

[What was it?]

I'll just try and answer to all above posts combined. I have been quite physically dependant in the past so know what it's like. I guess I am verging on a minor physical problem even now. PST is a good idea but my tolerance is too high to get even a decent buzz off 1.25kgs.....nit sure how you get by on 300g footsy. The ones I use are probably not that great but with proper shaking and plenty of lemon juice it does give a minor, but very long lasting buzz. I usually cannot sleep on it if I dose at let's say 5pm, until about 4am.

I do like the idea of using PST and giving OMT a miss....you guys have convinced me. It's best not to have that label on my record forever and ever.

The main issue with PST is I believe there are good seeds somewhere out there but I have just never found them.

 

[L3inad]

I'll just try and answer to all above posts combined. I have been quite physically dependant in the past so know what it's like. I guess I am verging on a minor physical problem even now. PST is a good idea but my tolerance is too high to get even a decent buzz off 1.25kgs.....nit sure how you get by on 300g footsy. The ones I use which are probably not that great but with proper shaking and plenty of lemon juice it does give a minor, but very long lasting buzz. I usually cannot sleep on it if I dose at let's say 5pm, until about 4am.

I do like the idea of using PST and giving OMT a miss....you guys have convinced me. It's best not to have that label on my record forever and ever.

The main issue with PST is I believe there are good seeds somewhere out there but I have just never found them.

^ Might wanna edit out brand and vendor just now. Dont want every kid in on the fun.

 

[drug_mentor]

Just a reminder that references to brand names of poppy seeds are not allowed. Cheers guys.