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Kinda need advice

A

Alias137

Greenlighter
Joined
Sep 28, 2019
Messages
8
Hello from California!
So I’ve just admitted to my girl and myself that I have an opiate problem. Took my last norco on Saturday 9/21. Same dopesick problems everyone already knows about. I’ve been doing pretty good and feeling pretty well with what the doc gave me (clonidine .1mg every 8 hours, Librium 25mg every 6-8 hours, and also some lomotil for the diarrhea- I’m laughing typing that). Anyway, my habit was as follows....up to 40 10/325 norcos daily and also morphine sulfate 30mg pills about 30ish a day (although not together with the norco- always one of not the other). Not sure if that’s a big habit or not. Doesn’t really matter I suppose. I checked myself into the addiction clinic and had my dr appt (primary care doc gave me initial meds). So it was explained to me that I have choices for treatment and I would LOVE some advice. I don’t think I qualify for methadone (don’t really wanna go that route anyway) but that was option #1. Option #2 was suboxone, option #3 was (I KNOW I’m not gonna get the name correct) naxoprene? Naxalone? I can’t remember. It began with an N though. So after reading my long ass post (thanks by the way), does anyone thing suboxone is the best course? I would love some insight on this.
Thanks for reading and I sincerely thank you for your replies.
 
Oh...I forgot to mention I’m 6 days clean and they won’t give any meds until 7 days clean at least.
 
You should get your liver checked out if you were taking 40 10/325's because that's a shit load of paracetamol. If you're already 6 days clean why not just stick it out instead of going back on something? Can you get kratom where you live?
 
I can get that yes. I’m scheduled for a full panel test coming up. Yea the liver thing worries me. As for liver failure symptoms, I’m good (moms a nurse and she told me to STILL get the alt test, but I could be lucky and ok). I have taken kratom before when I tried to quit on my own. That stuff made me sooo sick. I couldn’t even get it down after two or three.
 
My main fear is relapse to be honest. Yea I’m 6 days clean and feeling good.....but my pops is an addict (whole family except mom and sister really) and I’m just REALLY REALLY not wanting to take ANY FU*KING chance of going down this road again. I pulled some really really shady shit and I’m working my way outta that right now. I just know I never ever ever wanna be in this place again. I loved motocross.....but man did it get me. All started from one wreck with a broken neck, back and arm.
 
well done on getting help and getting 6 days in!

if you're through the worst, opioid replacement isn't required to stop you clucking, but may help prevent relapse. naloxone is used to bring people round from ODs, could it have been naltrexone? that's an implant that blocks the effect- i'd be wary of that as i've heard horror stories- if you aren't working on the psychological reasons why you use (drugs are doing something for you, you need to work out what and how to address the underlying issue) you'll cross addict onto something else. then when the implant runs out, you can go back to opiates and have two addictions to manage.

is the clinic offering you therapy? get all the help you can get from as many angles, go to a mutual support group like NA or SMART in addition to getting professional help. if you have mental health problems in addition to addiction, get separate help for them.
 
Chinup,
Thanks for the support. Yea, I was offered inpatient therapy, but chose outpatient. I am required to attend meetings and they’ll write me off work for up to a month. It’s a pretty comprehensive clinic. First day I went I saw an RN and she took vitals and talked to me. Since my primary doc already gave me some meds they didn’t really do much more but book me an appt with the director of addiction medicine. So I saw him, and he laid out the plans and answered most of my questions and then they made me an appt with an RN again and an addiction counselor to go over the expectations I guess? (I guess because my appt is 01OCT). The clinic will write me off of work for up to one full month too. I am EXTREMELY lucky for these benefits- from what I have read about some on here. It breaks my heart that some can’t receive the help they need. Because I sought help before it became a “problem” I won’t lose my job either. Thank God for unions lol. Not to get political.....
 
What I’m wondering is if going on suboxone is a good choice to make. Idk what mg I’ll be put on (depending on my previous habit I assume?). I just would really like to know the pros and cons of it and if it is helpful or not for relapse. I’m assuming the clinic starts you off at X mg and gives you a slow taper to zero? I really have no idea. Never been here before with this.
 
that's really good they've written you off work. use this time wisely, a month isn't so long. get as much help as you can in this time. throw yourself into meetings- you'll need the support when you go back to work.

i don't have personal experience of suboxone, so can't really advise i'm afraid. what i will say is that regardless of other peoples experience, your decision will depend on where you're at right now. if you'd go on it, having already done your cluck, then taper immediately, i can't see the point. if you feel at risk of relapse, having something tickling your opioid receptors a bit that you can't use with could be useful. that may help you while you're doing therapy. or it may block too much of the underlying issue. listen carefully to the advice of your care providers, as they have experience and know your case in detail.
 
Chinup,
Yea, cluck is pretty much over and done with. I don’t think I have any underlying mental health issues (never any self harm thoughts or hearing voices or anything like that), but I think all of that will be gone through when I see the addiction counselor. The clonidine and the Librium REALLY got me through. They also put me on gabapentin which doesn’t seem to do much of anything but whatever. I’m now thinking that I don’t need anything but a stronger will haha. I’ll go over all of it with the addiction team, but I’m just afraid of relapse. I think that’s where meetings and hobbies and a support network all come into play. This site has been helpful (extremely so), and I’m happy to have found it. Going on suboxone is worrisome to me cause of starting a new addiction. I’m gonna have to walk this line the rest of my life I realize. So much respect for those of you with months and years of clean/sobriety under your belts. Now if I could only get some energy and motivation...I’d be doing better lol
 
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