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Suboxone or Methadone?

ladyhlove

ladyhlove

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Nov 9, 2017
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The land of Oz. Can't seem to make it past this da
Hello there BL.

I'm fairly new to this forum as a poster...long time lurker.

As I've stated in a previous post, I'm ready to get off of opiates for good. A recreational pill habit turned into a costly, yet fairly in control, pill habit which has recently (in the last 7 months) turned into a very out of control heroin habit. I haven't switched to IV, but I know its only a matter of time and its time to stop. Deep down, I've known that my life was about to fall apart because of drugs one of these days and it has truly begun. I have lost the love of my life after he discovered my drug habit a few days ago and I know its only a matter of time before I lose my job, home, friends, dog, what have you. I know the phrase, you have to hit rock bottom to really change, but I can't. I already see it happening and I need to stop this before its too late and I have nothing left to live for.

I am starting an outpatient treatment program near my home tomorrow morning. This program involves group therapy sessions, one on one visits with a mental health counselor once a week, and the use of methadone or suboxone over a long term period, eventually weening down off of the drugs once significant progress has been made mentally. I feel like this approach is the best for me because I suffer from extreme depression and anxiety and I think going CT will probably result in me killing myself. I've heard terrible things about coming off of methadone (or methadone use in general) and I would really like to avoid going that route. My question is...will suboxone be enough? I'm using roughly a gram-2 grams of EC powder H snorted each day and my tolerance is high right now. I know suboxone wont be a cure all for it, but will it even help at all?

TLDR: 2 years on opiates...1 1/2 on pills last 1/2 on h (snorted). Fairly high tolerance. Will suboxone even touch my WDs?
 
I think suboxone would be better for you, I am in the same boat as you wanting to get clean off a codeine habit. Methadone has potential for abuse, and as you know you only need one bad day or experience to need some opis to calm you down...go with subs.
 
I think both are viable options and you should discuss about both options with some professional.

I have experience on Suboxone aided ORT and I see methadone as some evil monster that turns people into mindless bloated zombies but this isn't professional opinion and ToothPasteDog will disagree as he has got quite a good track record getting sober with methadone aided ORT.

No matter which you choose you should also know that it isn't a magic bullet that cures the addiction but instead a crutch that you'll use until you know how to walk your life again without opiates.

I did 250-500mg oxycodone a day and was on 8-12mgs of Suboxone for the most of the ORT time and now I have been without opiates a bit more than a month.
 
Yes, subs are definitely the route I want to go. I've heard horror stories about trying to get off of methadone and the goal here is for me to eventually stop using opiates all together.

I'm just curious, what severity of WDs will I experience once I start the subs? I know it won't be a magical cure-all, but will I still be able to function enough to go to work and carry on a fairly normal life? I have a good job and I'm a closet user and can't let the boss know what's going on. I'm just worried that my tolerance is so high the subs will do nothing for me. I guess I just kind of want to know what to expect once I start the sub program tomorrow morning.
 
Right dose will keep the withdrawals at bay if it is induced the right way so that there are no precipitated withdrawals.

You might have a day or two of uncomfortability with minor withdrawals such as yawning.
 
The dosage will be tailored to suit your prior usage and it may vary during your ORT time.

Nice that you get Subutex as naloxone is known to cause headaches and is know to be teratogenic.
 
Actually it is the buprenorphine that will prevent you to feel other opioids (except fentany? and such).
 
I agree sub is the way to go but the dosage is important. You don't need much to keep the Wds at bay and I find the 8 mgs they usually start people on are way way to strong and you will get worse addiction symptoms from the sub then you ever did to the opiates ( stronger wds for sure)..
Use the sub as a tool to get free and use it when you are really really jonesing ..start out with a tiny piece 2 mg will work..if it doesn't then try another 2 mg...this will only work if you are sick sick ..like 24-48 hours since last opiate dose..to start with 8 mg is over kill and the doctors what you to come back not be free...so many people struggle to get off subs due to the high doseage and the doctors are riding the cash cow to the bank..
 
Well bolt, the program I'm using doesn't exactly just allow me to use when I'm jonesing and not if not. It's a regular, every day thing where they watch me take my meds. I don't know if 8mg is where they're going to start me. I'll know for sure tomorrow and keep this updated.
 
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