If one is put on Suboxone, can he remain being prescribed controlled substances?

[ReadyToQuitNow]

My friend with ADHD is currently prescribed Desoxyn (Methamphetamine HCl). He is prescribed 2 antidepressants, Ativan for anxiety, and Ambien for insomnia. He does not abuse these medications.

A few months ago, he told me that he started taking Percocet a few times a week. When his tolerance built up, it became too expensive to continue this habit. He never had withdrawal symptoms from this use, aside from cravings, because the use never got that frequent, and the most he ever did in a day was 40mg.

Then, he tried heroin (insufflation only). At first, he would do 2-3 bags every other day for about 2 weeks. Then he stopped. He went through withdrawal for about several days, and stopped use for 2 weeks. But then he started again, and this time was insufflating every day, 2-4 bags. This continued for about 2 weeks again. He decided to stop, and went through awful withdrawal again. He had 3 strips of 2mg suboxone that he acquired from someone. He took a strip for day 2, 3, and 4, after quitting. Day 6, he relapsed because the craving for H was just too high. This is where he is at now.

My friend wants to quit H for good, and get on suboxone legitimately through a doctor.

So, here are my questions:
1) If he admits to the doctor about his use, and is put on suboxone, will his psychiatrist be notified?
2) Does the doctor have access to the information about which medications my friend is currently taking?
3) If either my friend or the doctor tells my friend's psychiatrist about his H use, will he be taken off his other controlled medications?

 

[phactor]

Not sure if any of us can give an actual answer to this. When he goes to the doctor, he will likely be asked what medications he is taking though. If your friend is serious about wanting to stop using, he likely needs to get honest with his doctor.

 

[The Doc.]

It all depends a lot of doctors would never think about telling a patient to mix opiates and benzos due to the risks involved and they try to save their own ass but some don't mind and will let you continue taking them. For instance I take 1mg suboxone a day and my doctor would never let me take a benzo with my sub cause she says I will most certainly die if I mix the two (not exactly true but she doesn't want to risk her job I get it she wants to scare me). But on the other hand my buddy goes to the same methadone/suboxone clinic as I do and he gets 120mgs methadone yet his doctor lets him still get another script of high dose valium from his family doctor while taking methadone and he gets to pop valium like candy and nod out on methadone while his doctor turns a blind eye.

so its all about which doctor you have but for the most part doctors have worked many years to get where they are and don't want to find out a patient of theirs died from taking one to many pills from their script of benzos while on the opiates they prescribed them cause they could get in shit for doing so since its considered irresponsible to prescribe 2 drugs which suppress the respitory system especially to a patient with a history of drug abuse.

 

[nsauce]

1) If he admits to the doctor about his use, and is put on suboxone, will his psychiatrist be notified? << possibly, if the doctor knows about the psychiatrist
2) Does the doctor have access to the information about which medications my friend is currently taking? << did your friend have his medical records faxed/emailed from other doctors?
3) If either my friend or the doctor tells my friend's psychiatrist about his H use, will he be taken off his other controlled medications? << his psychiatrist will do what he/she thinks is best

These answers apply here in Texas, dont know where you live.

That being said, my subutex doctor also prescribed me 4mg daily clonazepam while I was on subutex (suboxone).

 

[Bob Loblaw]

We don't allow threads like these