Suboxone [buprenorphine] Is 1 8mg strip as good as it gets?

[Bugkilleralex]

Hello all,
I've been on Suboxone dose of one, 8mg strip for going on 2 years now. It doesn't get me high like an opiate such as heroin would do for me, though in the very beginning it would actually give me a slight nod. Now it really just acts as my mood stabalizer, putting me in a super good mood without a nod. When i take 2 though i notice no difference. I even took more than that once and nothing. I even IV'd it once with no effect. I guess my question is- Does anyone notice any differences between taking one 8mg strip as compared to a higher dose?

 

[Keif' Richards]

Buprenorphine has a well-documented "honeymoon phase" in its own right, that is, a period in which typical Opioid-effects are apparent, experienced and enjoyed. Being that Buprenorphine is both an agonist and antagonist at O-receptor sites, it is more difficult to predict how the course of treatment will actually go. In a really simplified layman's explanation, nor-Buprenorphine as a metabolite is believed to be responsible for the majority of the full-agonist (enjoyable) effects of the drug, but as the dosage escalates, other, less-desirable metabolites begin to compete with the nor-Buprenorphine, making the drug ultimately effective at maintaining abstinence and freedom from withdrawal for long periods of time, but not giving it much creedence as a recreational Opioid well-suited for long-term and potentially escalating abuse/use.

A rule of thumb expressed by most of the learned community both through our research and own personal experiences seem to indicate that the less Buprenorphine you can get by on is better for a plethora of reasons, recreational effects being one of them. I know that for most people, even hardcore users, 8mg daily is typically sufficient to control most symptoms and cravings.

Unlike with say, Methadone, where occasionally you hear folks say, I buped up to x or y dosage and things really came together, it seems that there's much less benefit in prescribing these higher than necessary dosages of Buprenorphine. This is all just my .02c.