Bupe Suboxone/Buprenorphine Mega Thread and FAQ v17.0 + v18.0

[Eveleivibe]

I wasn't on 12 mg at first. For the first four months I was on 8 mg suboxone but I felt flat n empty, still had huge cravings so started drinking heavily per evening. Finally increased to 12 mg suboxone per day n things were better. I stopped drinking every night, started exercising... for a bit anyway. Need to get back into exercising again.
My key worker says that in April/May I can reduce the suboxone if I want to so I may do as well gotta do it sometime....

In defense of evey

Bupe has a very varied pharmacological effect at a variety of receptors.

Just because 12mg would last me a long time doesn't mean Evey doesn't need that much. Some people are fast metabolizers. Other people are insensitive to Bentley compounds like buprenorphine. Other people (yours truly) is hypersensitive (and am glad to be 95 days off it)

I know for me 12mg even sublingual is aversive - feels dysphoric as hell. Evey wouldn't be taking 12mg if it put her into dysphoria.

Only just seen this. Thanks. When people say 12 mg last time a long time I thought they were just saying it to and get me wound up. Does it really last people a long time then?

 

[Flaga121]

I can promise you none of us are messing with you, rather giving our experiences with a little too much confidence about them being the norm.

 

[Eveleivibe]

I can promise you none of us are messing with you, rather giving our experiences with a little too much confidence about them being the norm.

Thanks - I really appreciate that xxxx

 

[jakonindenver]

Plugged 2mg of bupe last night, how and warm and fuzzy and quick acting that was :D

Stuck a quarter 8mg pill up there, then squirted water with a bacteriostatic tube up there after... XD

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

Plugged 2mg of bupe last night, how and warm and fuzzy and quick acting that was :D

Stuck a quarter 8mg pill up there, then squirted water with a bacteriostatic tube up there after... XD

Ha. That is not a very efficient way to plug man.. why would you shove an actual pill up your ass when you could just break it down into a solution and squirt it up there like normal..?

 

[Ziggy stardust]

I was thinking the same thing...
Just get a liquid measuring syringe from the drugstore, crush the pill, add H20 and enjoy

 

[Zwanya]

I was a social worker for awhile too! Much preferred that job actually. Decided to go back and become a licensed CBT and honestly, kinda regret that. The increase in salary has not put much of a dent in the debt from two extra years of school (on top of 4 undergrad and 2 for my MSW). I've always considered going the addiction counseling route, but figure I'd have to move somewhere with a different attitude. New York is not a wonderful place to be an addict in recovery trying to work in a professional field. More or less you keep it to yourself or find a consulting job (at least in the Psych world).

I can't say Cannabis is a medicine for me, but it makes me a bit more functional. For me it hides the social anxiety that comes with being on the autism spectrum for many. I didn't want to give up smoking, which is why I got all my Bupe from the streets during my 4 years taking it. Helped me keep my dose low which was nice. Good luck getting your treatment license, I truly believe (former) addicts make the best recovery counselors.

I lived in New York for 7 years. Did my undergrad there and then worked as a writer/journalist for a few years. You are absolutely right--for an addicted professional, nyc can be heartbreaking unless you have unlimited means. I made it work, living in a tiny apartment in the east village. It's the cultural mecca with the titans of all industres, but my quality of life just doesn't compare to my lifestyle in CA. Those student loans are just going to be something I live with; I'm frankly not in a rush to pay the government back. I have a 5 figure amount of debt from undergrad that I chip away at sometimes. I was blessed to have my entire Master's degree funded, which almost unheard of. I remain grateful for that gift.

Thanks for the supportive words. The license itself is just a formality, to be honest. I have actually been doing that work for years with the clients I serve in my current position. It's tough work every single day; I balance it out the best I can through art, yoga, being in nature, and surrounding myself with people who support my recovery. Bupe has been a vital part of maintaining this balance as well.

 

[Ziggy stardust]

I lived in New York for 7 years. Did my undergrad there and then worked as a writer/journalist for a few years. You are absolutely right--for an addicted professional, nyc can be heartbreaking unless you have unlimited means. I made it work, living in a tiny apartment in the east village. It's the cultural mecca with the titans of all industres, but my quality of life just doesn't compare to my lifestyle in CA. Those student loans are just going to be something I live with; I'm frankly not in a rush to pay the government back. I have a 5 figure amount of debt from undergrad that I chip away at sometimes. I was blessed to have my entire Master's degree funded, which almost unheard of. I remain grateful for that gift.

Thanks for the supportive words. The license itself is just a formality, to be honest. I have actually been doing that work for years with the clients I serve in my current position. It's tough work every single day; I balance it out the best I can through art, yoga, being in nature, and surrounding myself with people who support my recovery. Bupe has been a vital part of maintaining this balance as well.

I hate to admit I based my profession on the availability of narcotics...it's shocking how many "impaired" medical professionals there are.

 

[ShaunG]

In defense of evey

Bupe has a very varied pharmacological effect at a variety of receptors.

Just because 12mg would last me a long time doesn't mean Evey doesn't need that much. Some people are fast metabolizers. Other people are insensitive to Bentley compounds like buprenorphine. Other people (yours truly) is hypersensitive (and am glad to be 95 days off it)

I know for me 12mg even sublingual is aversive - feels dysphoric as hell. Evey wouldn't be taking 12mg if it put her into dysphoria.

What do you mean by hypersensitive? Like a small amount is way more than enough and you were having dysphoria at prescribed doses? I ask because I have only taken suboxone once and it was the worst "opiate" experience in my life. I know it seems to be subjective as to whether there is a high or not, but my buddy would eat 4mg or 8mg with no tolerance to opiates. I had a mild tolerance at the time with no other opiates in my system. I put 2mg under my tongue and I felt the worst any medicine has ever made me feel. Felt like my brain was boiling...felt stupid...felt dizzy....little nausea...and pretty much a 3 hour panic attack at one point. I had xanax but didn't want to mix it seeing how strong bupe is. i ended up just breaking a 1mg pill into a quarter to take the edge off, but wow...what a horrible experience. Wish I knew what people like about bupe...or could feel it even. I just use lope, kratom, and benzos for WDs.

 

[Ziggy stardust]

What do you mean by hypersensitive? Like a small amount is way more than enough and you were having dysphoria at prescribed doses? I ask because I have only taken suboxone once and it was the worst "opiate" experience in my life. I know it seems to be subjective as to whether there is a high or not,but my buddy would eat 4mg or 8mg with no tolerance to opiates. I had a mild tolerance at the time with no other opiates in my system. I put 2mg under my tongue and I felt the worst any medicine has ever made me feel. Felt like my brain was boiling...felt stupid...felt dizzy....little nausea...and pretty much a 3 hour panic attack at one point. I had xanax but didn't want to mix it seeing how strong bupe is. i ended up just breaking a 1mg pill into a quarter to take the edge off, but wow...what a horrible experience. Wish I knew what people like about bupe...or could feel it even. I just use lope, kratom, and benzos for WDs.

Sub felt crappy to me too Shaun. Gives me a headache and makes me feel speedy and irritated. I used it to get off methadone, but in hindsite, I should have just tapered the meth. I never understood what people saw in Sub. It's the crappiest opiate out there. It made it easy to taper and get off of it though.
Some people claim to love it. Everyone is different..

 

[eteezy915]

I think bupes crapiness is what makes it easy for me to taper and drop too. it took me forever to decide to taper at MMT, but once i was on sub i instantly wanted off, and pretty much tapered it from the get go
I'm gonna start a new quick taper seeings how I got bent last nite. First time in a while that i was nodding out of control, saved a bit for work this morn n I'm gonna try n leave it at that, for a while. Ran out of rigs too. So it might work out this time. I'll just subL the bupe after rinsing or swabbing with high proof alcohol
Prolly take minimal sub, just enough to kill the chills, hate that shit, n ease the mind w herb n prolly kratom. Have rx kpins too but they don't do shit or i don't notice it

 

[RTrain]

^Hmm, I don't "love it", but its just one of those better than nothing situations. Its possible that people are very sensitive to either the naloxone or the buprenorphine. There are many instances of people who can take say, hydrocodone with no problems, but if they take hydromorphone they have very any side effects. Each opioid has its little intricacies as to how and which receptors it stimulates. For some people the wrong ones mess with receptors that cause a lot of dysphoria. Also a lot of those problems seem to be similar complaints to things people who are intolerant to naloxone ave described. Trying Bupe w/o naloxone wold be a good idea, unfortunately doctors are pains in the ass and won't Rx it to anyone but pregnant women. I think as long as after sublingual administration you spit out the saliva with the medicine mixed in it, you are less likely to absorb any naloxone. It has virtually no bucal bioavailability, but around 2% for orally.

 

[Eveleivibe]

I lived in New York for 7 years. Did my undergrad there and then worked as a writer/journalist for a few years. You are absolutely right--for an addicted professional, nyc can be heartbreaking unless you have unlimited means. I made it work, living in a tiny apartment in the east village. It's the cultural mecca with the titans of all industres, but my quality of life just doesn't compare to my lifestyle in CA. Those student loans are just going to be something I live with; I'm frankly not in a rush to pay the government back. I have a 5 figure amount of debt from undergrad that I chip away at sometimes. I was blessed to have my entire Master's degree funded, which almost unheard of. I remain grateful for that gift.

Thanks for the supportive words. The license itself is just a formality, to be honest. I have actually been doing that work for years with the clients I serve in my current position. It's tough work every single day; I balance it out the best I can through art, yoga, being in nature, and surrounding myself with people who support my recovery. Bupe has been a vital part of maintaining this balance as well.

You're very lucky. My masters is costing me under £6,000. I've now got 5 modules and need another module and a dissertation. Maybe have to get a postgrad diploma instead as can't really afford it anymore due to codeine addiction.
Another reason for suboxone as well as harm reduction was financial. I now get my suboxone script completely free n it's one way of helping me try and get back on my feet.

 

[eteezy915]

It def has it's places if properly used, I've used it, just not recreational at all

 

[Captain.Heroin]

What do you mean by hypersensitive? Like a small amount is way more than enough and you were having dysphoria at prescribed doses? I ask because I have only taken suboxone once and it was the worst "opiate" experience in my life. I know it seems to be subjective as to whether there is a high or not, but my buddy would eat 4mg or 8mg with no tolerance to opiates. I had a mild tolerance at the time with no other opiates in my system. I put 2mg under my tongue and I felt the worst any medicine has ever made me feel. Felt like my brain was boiling...felt stupid...felt dizzy....little nausea...and pretty much a 3 hour panic attack at one point. I had xanax but didn't want to mix it seeing how strong bupe is. i ended up just breaking a 1mg pill into a quarter to take the edge off, but wow...what a horrible experience. Wish I knew what people like about bupe...or could feel it even. I just use lope, kratom, and benzos for WDs.

Oh yes 1mg would last me 2 + days minimum IV ROA.

I was fairly happy with 0.1mg shots but I am glad not to be using now.

 

[HdoubleODeezy]

^ i was using .25mg shots 2x day for the final year i was on bupe and that held me fine also.. but ever since getting off it i haven't felt quite right.. i blame it on PAWS but someone said to me that people are too quick to blame them on their other problems in life. It may be true, but am i seriously this fucked in the head without opiates? If this is right.. i kinda wanna be wrong.

 

[THE_REAL_OBLIVION]

Hey that's ok. You have the right to your opinion n most agree with you. I usually react like a pit ball terrier whenever anyone mentions this but hayho I've been on suboxone for 10 months now n what's done is done eh?!
I was on 900 mg codeine but it was the psychological stuff that got me, not the physical. I see where you're coming from though so all's good
Evey xxxx

The doctor(s) who agreed to put you on suboxone for a CODEINE habit has to have their licensed removed. Same thing for somebody who would have a low dose oral morphine habit, hydrocodone habit, even low dose oxycodone habit.

High doses of oxycodone (no matter how taken) and anyone who's using the needle, may it be for heroin, morphine, dilaudid, opana, demerol, talwin etc. is warranted to be on maintenance, especially if one has pain issues in the background that led them to the dark pits of hell.

I could go on about how long I've used CodeineContins 200mg and CWE'd Empracets 30mg/300mg, it never made me feel so bad physically that it compares to torture without anyone but my own system doing the harming like from the Dilaudid IV habit I got years later, after having stopped all opiate taking, I'd try to CWE loads of tylenol #1's and 222's to taper myself from that and it was just impossible. I'd feel great from one CWE extraction, but since codeine works only once a day....i'd get a 3 hour stop to my hell, taking more just gave me terrible stomach discomfort (the caffeine from the OTC pills).

You've made a mistake of such magnitudes...Get it through your head, I'm lamenting my own condition because 12mg of suboxone acts on your opiate receptor system (explained in very laymen terms here) equally to 39mg of hydromorphone IV! A DAY! Trying to equal that in codeine intake would require amounts that would probably cause liver failure, even if pure codeine, heh.

 

[ShaunG]

^Hmm, I don't "love it", but its just one of those better than nothing situations. Its possible that people are very sensitive to either the naloxone or the buprenorphine. There are many instances of people who can take say, hydrocodone with no problems, but if they take hydromorphone they have very any side effects. Each opioid has its little intricacies as to how and which receptors it stimulates. For some people the wrong ones mess with receptors that cause a lot of dysphoria. Also a lot of those problems seem to be similar complaints to things people who are intolerant to naloxone ave described. Trying Bupe w/o naloxone wold be a good idea, unfortunately doctors are pains in the ass and won't Rx it to anyone but pregnant women. I think as long as after sublingual administration you spit out the saliva with the medicine mixed in it, you are less likely to absorb any naloxone. It has virtually no bucal bioavailability, but around 2% for orally.

I read somewhere naloxone wasn't even active in doses less than 2mg...hence why some people say less is more with bupe. Is this even true?

@Ziggy...thats pretty much how I felt...racey...super stimulated...irritated...anxious...and dizzy from 2mg with a lot less of a tolerance than I have now. I have 4mg sitting around...not even sure it would stay good not being in the wrapper, but have it just in case. I have never needed more than kratom extract, kratom leaf, lope, aleve, and benzos to walk pretty much right off with just some PAWS and some sore muscles. The bupe was a back up plan as I dabbled quite hard the past 4 months and ended with a bang. Surprisingly I have very little WDs. Very surprisingly actually.

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

I read somewhere naloxone wasn't even active in doses less than 2mg...hence why some people say less is more with bupe. Is this even true?

That's true that it isn't active in small doses, but in the case of suboxone, naloxone isn't active at all because bupe has a much higher binding affinity. The naloxone can not get past it.

When people say "less is more" with bupe, it has to do with the buprenorphine itself. However the naloxone, though not actually able to attach to your receptors because of its lower affinity, can still cause side effects in some people like head aches, etc.

 

[Eveleivibe]

The doctor(s) who agreed to put you on suboxone for a CODEINE habit has to have their licensed removed. Same thing for somebody who would have a low dose oral morphine habit, hydrocodone habit, even low dose oxycodone habit.

High doses of oxycodone (no matter how taken) and anyone who's using the needle, may it be for heroin, morphine, dilaudid, opana, demerol, talwin etc. is warranted to be on maintenance, especially if one has pain issues in the background that led them to the dark pits of hell.

I could go on about how long I've used CodeineContins 200mg and CWE'd Empracets 30mg/300mg, it never made me feel so bad physically that it compares to torture without anyone but my own system doing the harming like from the Dilaudid IV habit I got years later, after having stopped all opiate taking, I'd try to CWE loads of tylenol #1's and 222's to taper myself from that and it was just impossible. I'd feel great from one CWE extraction, but since codeine works only once a day....i'd get a 3 hour stop to my hell, taking more just gave me terrible stomach discomfort (the caffeine from the OTC pills).

You've made a mistake of such magnitudes...Get it through your head, I'm lamenting my own condition because 12mg of suboxone acts on your opiate receptor system (explained in very laymen terms here) equally to 39mg of hydromorphone IV! A DAY! Trying to equal that in codeine intake would require amounts that would probably cause liver failure, even if pure codeine, heh.

I've only read the first paragraph of this n I burst out laughing (sorry I have to rush out to take my little girl for her weekly swimming lesson). I'll leave you with a question. Is it best me being on suboxone or damaging, possibly killing my liver / kidneys with paracetamol / ibuprofen? Before anyone mention CWE, as I hate stated many times, in many posts over BL, my addiction was so strong that I didn't do CWE as I was frightened of losing codeine and not getting enough in me in time. So in the name of harm reduction do you really think the doctors who put me on suboxone should have their licence revoked?
Also - no disrespect to you or offence but my doctors are aware of my whole situation as opposed to who, is who is not.

Nonetheless I'm improving in some ways---I used to get really wound up when people mentioned this to me. Now I just laugh and calmly explain the situation.

Could I please ask that before anyone remarks on another's experience please try to keep an open mind and find out more, before doing so.

Now I really best be off. Please take care everyone and keep safe.

Evey xxxx