Suboxone for life?

[powerpsi]

I've been on subs for about 8 months and I'm starting to wonder what the best course of action is moving forward. Buprenorphine completely gets rid of all cravings for drugs AND alcohol. It lifts my mood and I am generally content and happy and productive. I don't know whether I am still an addict who is now just addicted to a different opiate and I should try to slowly stop using it, or if I am taking a medication that stabilizes my life and I should continue taking it maybe even for the rest of my life.

I read a study that was conducted in Israel that showed how buprenorphine was effective at treating depression and I can certainly attest to that effect - I feel energized and happy when on subs. I've been sober from opiates for stretches of time before (months) but always end up drinking too much alcohol or just generally being anxious/low energy/depressed.... and I think to myself should I suffer through that just to be able to claim I am 100% sober when subs are easy and cheap to get with insurance and doctors hand them out like candy? Maybe I'm just a sick boy and need to take this medicine for the rest of my life.

So how do you all feel about suboxone use long term and whether that constitutes being clean (taking a medicine) or still being a junkie.

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Definitely doesn’t constitute being clean imo but we all have to make our own decisions on that. The fact it is a medicine is somewhat irrelevant, so is heroin so is fentanyl etc etc. For me the idea of claiming that I’m clean if I was taking strong opiates daily is totally absurd though.

Whether it’s the right thing for you is a different question entirely. For me it definitely wouldn’t be for various different reasons. The life I can lead drug free is definitely better than the one I would lead addicted to bupe, it just requires putting some work in.

 

[negrogesic]

Well said.

I suppose the question is what are you losing by being on it, and is the gain worth the loss? The answer is based on your circumstances/individual situation.

Personally, I find maintenance opioids make me feel not like my full self, leaving me blunted and distant. Also kills ambition. Worst of all, they reduce creativity, which is important to me as a musician. The last one being the real nail in the coffin, since they impair my ability to do something that I love. Opioids turn down the volume in a sense, making music seem sort of far away, distant.

But if none of this applies to you then I don't see a big issue. Especially if you stops you from drinking alcohol (considering how toxic alcohol is, especially if you were a heavy drinker). But just be aware there is a price tag in there somewhere, everything comes with a price.

 

[cdin]

the problem i had with it was decreased efficacy over time, mounting gut issues, being walled off from emotions -- people act like opioids are harm free if properly managed long term -- that simply is not the case. The long term impacts on hormones, gut function and emotional stunting are very real and get worse over time as the primary effects wane. see -- me, mathew perry, rush limbaugh, elvis. the guts maintain mental and immune health, if you slow them down for decades it changes the whole biome in there. not for the better, ime.

 

[Man67]

I've been on subs for about 8 months and I'm starting to wonder what the best course of action is moving forward. Buprenorphine completely gets rid of all cravings for drugs AND alcohol. It lifts my mood and I am generally content and happy and productive. I don't know whether I am still an addict who is now just addicted to a different opiate and I should try to slowly stop using it, or if I am taking a medication that stabilizes my life and I should continue taking it maybe even for the rest of my life.

I read a study that was conducted in Israel that showed how buprenorphine was effective at treating depression and I can certainly attest to that effect - I feel energized and happy when on subs. I've been sober from opiates for stretches of time before (months) but always end up drinking too much alcohol or just generally being anxious/low energy/depressed.... and I think to myself should I suffer through that just to be able to claim I am 100% sober when subs are easy and cheap to get with insurance and doctors hand them out like candy? Maybe I'm just a sick boy and need to take this medicine for the rest of my life.

So how do you all feel about suboxone use long term and whether that constitutes being clean (taking a medicine) or still being a junkie.

I get you 100%. And your dilemma is not something trivial. It's a choice between life and death. I got similar history of abuse (alcohol, painkillers) and at one point I had enough. I developed tolerance and started to feel deeply depressed. Tried all kinds of antidepressants and every single one takes time to kick in (horrible side effects) work for some time and then stops. Besides feeling like a zombie you have no reason to live. A year ago that happened to me. Luckily I decided to give it a one more try. Went to my Dr. and told him everything. Got home with a weekly supply of Suboxone.

Stayed sober and clean for 2 days and started treatment when withdrawal symptoms became unbearable. One year later (today) l am still alive thanks to Suboxone. Currently at the 4mg (2x2) with a goal to tapper it down to 2mg and take it for life. It's not perfect but it's better than ending it all. Addiction? Yes but feel much better than being addicted to antidepressants. The blind man just got his cane. All the best mate and don't give up.

 

[powerpsi]

the problem i had with it was decreased efficacy over time, mounting gut issues, being walled off from emotions -- people act like opioids are harm free if properly managed long term -- that simply is not the case. The long term impacts on hormones, gut function and emotional stunting are very real and get worse over time as the primary effects wane. see -- me, mathew perry, rush limbaugh, elvis. the guts maintain mental and immune health, if you slow them down for decades it changes the whole biome in there. not for the better, ime.

I know you posted this ages ago and I only just recently came back for a question I posted, but your gut comment is so spot on. I actually read a study that the reason animals die from sleep deprivation is an intestinal issue - where the gut gets inflamed with I believe some type of destructive free radical that causes damage to the rest of your body. Gnats that were given antioxidants wouldn't die from sleep deprivation like the control gnats would. So good intestinal health is 100% tied to the rest of your health that you wouldn't really expect including mental and immune. Just had to reply even almost 1 years later to your insightful claim.

 

[powerpsi]

I get you 100%. And your dilemma is not something trivial. It's a choice between life and death. I got similar history of abuse (alcohol, painkillers) and at one point I had enough. I developed tolerance and started to feel deeply depressed. Tried all kinds of antidepressants and every single one takes time to kick in (horrible side effects) work for some time and then stops. Besides feeling like a zombie you have no reason to live. A year ago that happened to me. Luckily I decided to give it a one more try. Went to my Dr. and told him everything. Got home with a weekly supply of Suboxone.

Stayed sober and clean for 2 days and started treatment when withdrawal symptoms became unbearable. One year later (today) l am still alive thanks to Suboxone. Currently at the 4mg (2x2) with a goal to tapper it down to 2mg and take it for life. It's not perfect but it's better than ending it all. Addiction? Yes but feel much better than being addicted to antidepressants. The blind man just got his cane. All the best mate and don't give up.

God bless. Suboxone definitely has some antidepressant properties. Depression is a very complex disease that isn't just a serotonin issue. I think the natural opioid system in our body also plays a key role and Suboxone seems to be effective for people with depression stemming from issues with that. I hope you find this message in good health and that you've been well. Take care!

 

[SpiralusSancti]

Atm I’m too lazy to read this but I think I still make a contribution to this thread. Bupe or whatever drug in question, when question is – should I take if for ever – if subject lives long enough becomes – I should have not decided to stay on this for good. When it’s about drugy drugs at least.

 

[somnilicious]

It's best not to think of such things in absolutes at just 8mths. The drugs effects, self awareness, life circumstances and values change over time. We are living the human experience through to the end and change with growth are inevitable. Probably better to slow down and focus on how to make today work.

With methadone Ive found i get to an apathetic wall where I feel dead inside and know I can't continue robing myself of living a full life so I give sobriety(no MMT) another go. I truly believe it will stick this time.