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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

too much suboxone?

dumbdrunk

dumbdrunk

Bluelighter
Joined
Dec 26, 2008
Messages
52
Location
upstate ny
hey brother bluelighters, i just registered the other day but have been coming to bluelight for the past year and a half. a little history about me and then i'll throw out a couple ?'s. i've been using and abusing pain pills for about the last 8 yrs. steady (everyday). i love oxy's, fetanyl pops, but have used every type of pain med thats out there. now i hope i'm not breakin bluelight rules and d^%# sizin but i would snort 8-10 oc 80"s a day so i have a helluva habit i would think. now i decided the other day that enoughs enough and went to the drs. and was completly honest w/him. he put me on 8mg 3x a day. i'm into my fifth day on sub just startin to feel normal again. no withdrawls at all besides all the mental shit (boy i miss my oc's). my question is does he have me on too high a dose i'm at the ceiling limit about. i'm thinkin about cuttin myself down to 2 a day and squrrillin the xtra 4 a rainy day, chime in guys with any advice or opinions. thank, dumbdrunk
 
Well, yeah that is a lot. You'll see a lot of people on BL saying that more than 8 mg a day is a waste but you can technically go as high as 32 mg.

Just remember that Suboxone will still give you wd symptoms when you get off, so you might want to keep on a lower dose for that reason too.
 
The ceiling dose is said to be somewhere between 32-40mg. I was prescribed 32mg/day and took 40mg most days. I had the same problem, cravings never went away (not just psychological cravings, but the physical symptoms of craving Heroin).

Why would you lower your dose if it is working for you?
 
If you feel like tapering down you SHOULD!
This shows that you truly want to sever your dependence on drugs which is very good.
You should lower your dose because the goal of Suboxone is to slowly wean yourself off dependency, not just replace your old habbits for the rest of your life. More and more research is being conducted and finding that buprenorphine is very addictive, possibly even more addictive than the opiates/opioids it's designed to taper you off. Don't rely on pills the rest of your life, you'll have to get clean one day, might as well make it easy and now.
 
lot of people on BL saying that more than 8 mg a day is a waste but you can technically go as high as 32 mg.
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amen.

Its said after 4mgs+ it begins to block out its own euphoria so i generally feel that 2-4mg every 12hours is more then enough for anyone, theirs little chance the 2-4mg gets fully utilized so shuving 40MG down one's throat is retarded based on the effects i've seen on many a full fledged heroin addict.
 
FrostyMcFailure said:
amen.

Its said after 4mgs+ it begins to block out its own euphoria so i generally feel that 2-4mg every 12hours is more then enough for anyone, theirs little chance the 2-4mg gets fully utilized so shuving 40MG down one's throat is retarded based on the effects i've seen on many a full fledged heroin addict.
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Yeah, I don't know why it happens, but in my experience it is true that 2 mg or sometimes 4 gives me a way better buzz than 8 everytime. Well, I mean when I am looking for a buzz and not just taking it as prescribed.
 
hey now i dont think taking a lower dosage is abusing or "high seeking" since its prescribed on those dosages & some folks need an extended taper.

Just remember that Suboxone will still give you wd symptoms when you get off, so you might want to keep on a lower dose for that reason too.
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Seriously, this is one of the most painful aspects of the whole experience!

If your down for the long term(years) be prepared 2 deal with something a kin to a 14day H withdraw *shudders*. Theirs not much like missing a dose due to sleep or what not & regaining consciousness hours later to find your physical shell experiencing that sickness.

Suboxone/Subutex treatment does have its trade off's but definitely has great medical potential for those in situations which call for drastic measures.
 
AK911dog said:
If you feel like tapering down you SHOULD!
This shows that you truly want to sever your dependence on drugs which is very good.
You should lower your dose because the goal of Suboxone is to slowly wean yourself off dependency, not just replace your old habbits for the rest of your life. More and more research is being conducted and finding that buprenorphine is very addictive, possibly even more addictive than the opiates/opioids it's designed to taper you off. Don't rely on pills the rest of your life, you'll have to get clean one day, might as well make it easy and now.
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False.

Not everyone has the goal of being opioid abstinent as a final stage. For a lot of people this is simply not possible. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease.

Maintenance on any opioid is not simply substituting one 'habit' for another. The entire purpose of ORT is to remove the addict from the criminality, disease, risks, and up-down cycle of addiction by providing a clean, safe, reliable dose and source for an opioid that allows them to do what they will with life without having to worry about the law, disease, money, etc.

Why is using medication for a disease so abhorrent? Maintenance serves a vital function, patients on BMT or MMT (or Diamorphine Rx, DHC maintenance, etc) generally relish the oppertunity to lead a productive life without the above mentioned risks and dangers. Abstinence is not a treatment or cure for addiction.

It works for very few people in the short or long term, but for those it works for thats great. I am happy for anyone who is able to find a treatment that works positively for them. Unfortunately, for the vast majority of opioid addicts, non-opioid medications and abstinence oriented treatments do not produce satisfactory results. Methadone and Buprenorphine are not for everyone either; there should be more medications available and more services available- but we have to make do with what is out there now.
 
thanks for all the input guys it helps to know i'm not alone in dealing w/opiate addiction. for some reason i feel as good on 16 mg a day as i do on 24 and the extra pill a day left over i'm gonna save just incase i need it. but i will always miss oxy's that part of it i'm just gonna have to mentally deal with. its nice to know i'm not alone w/this problem though
 
Tchort hit a nail on the head but i feel ak911 was on the ball as well, both made valid points.

below i've typed the reasoning behind treatment in my eyes at the beginning.
not just replace your old habbits for the rest of your life
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This is no way to live a normal life, i feel as though i didnt have that when i got on so a life just a little more stable & a tad less fucked up then previously is a trade off just short of a miracle. I agree with the taper concept but in reality i consciously stopped tapering once my dose got to 2mg X 2 a day.. about 3 years ago. When i would help others taper(& a rare occasion of self) i would always recommend 1/4th of one 2mg removed & that dosing is kept for a minimum of 2 weeks before moving on

Its not that i physically cant but im unsure as to if id make it out in the long run if i did.

Daily regulated dosing along with the slight stimulation & euphoria accompanied by it is among the only things enabling me to be a semi functional part of society. To give it away for a slim chance of total recovery but a very high chance of relapsing back into the life style i've grown to despise(love/hate) seems a little illogical.

.
You should lower your dose because the goal of Suboxone is to slowly wean yourself off dependency, not just replace your old habbits for the rest of your life. More and more research is being conducted and finding that buprenorphine is very addictive, possibly even more addictive than the opiates/opioids it's designed to taper you off. Don't rely on pills the rest of your life, you'll have to get clean one day, might as well make it easy and now.
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i feel this is usually true, i've nothing to argue on that note except for the clean one day..

Ive come to except this is not always the case & for some that "one day" comes upon death, relieving id imagine to be free after so long.
Not everyone has the goal of being opioid abstinent as a final stage.
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It seemed the only real motivation(besides for court, probation, PTI, drug court & "sobriety") for users to get on suboxone is the option of guaranteed regulated doses daily which would potentially produce slight stimulation & euphoria similar to all other opiates when used right, this was my initial reasoning for getting on it.

When that is taken into account many an addict will consider treatment pending how long they've been walking that path. Initially i utilized suboxone maintenance for that reason as well.
 
I have had a steady habit of pain pills, and yesterday my doctor precribed me buprex (Buprenorfine), the version of subutex in my country. The box has 20 pills but each one is 0.2 mg. That´s right, 0.2mg. She told me to start with one pill and go up to 2 pills 3x a day. Isn´t that an extremely low dose? Then again, why would the only dose of Buprex be 0.2mg?

Also, My last dose of opiodes, which if you must know has been 450mg of codeine every day for the last 3 months (yeah weak I know, but that comes out to a respectable 40mg of morphine, does it not?) was abouy 20 hours ago. So when is it safe to take the Buprex without that presipitated withdrawl?
 
Ufotofu9 said:
I have had a steady habit of pain pills, and yesterday my doctor precribed me buprex (Buprenorfine), the version of subutex in my country. The box has 20 pills but each one is 0.2 mg. That´s right, 0.2mg. She told me to start with one pill and go up to 2 pills 3x a day. Isn´t that an extremely low dose? Then again, why would the only dose of Buprex be 0.2mg?

Also, My last dose of opiodes, which if you must know has been 450mg of codeine every day for the last 3 months (yeah weak I know, but that comes out to a respectable 40mg of morphine, does it not?) was abouy 20 hours ago. So when is it safe to take the Buprex without that presipitated withdrawl?
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1) The doses you have been using are extremely small compared to even the average Heroin addict. You do not need much Buprenorphine as a maintenance dose.

2) A rough guide to compare Buprenorphine to Morphine: 0.2mg Buprenorphine about equals 6mg-10mg Morphine. It is a very potent opioid.

3) 0.2mg is the unit dose for pain relief (analgesia). One to two 0.2mg Buprenorphine tablets given every 6-8 hours is the usual dose when used for pain.

4) The reason higher doses are used in addicts on Buprenorphine maintenance is that they need at least an equipotent dose compared to their dependancy to prevent withdrawals, a higher dose is needed to block other opioids from causing an effect.

5) Keep in mind the pills are for sublingual use. You put the pill(s) under your tongue and let them dissolve. You do not swallow the pills. They are meant to be taken under the tongue.
 
Ufotofu9 said:
I have had a steady habit of pain pills, and yesterday my doctor precribed me buprex (Buprenorfine), the version of subutex in my country. The box has 20 pills but each one is 0.2 mg. That´s right, 0.2mg. She told me to start with one pill and go up to 2 pills 3x a day. Isn´t that an extremely low dose? Then again, why would the only dose of Buprex be 0.2mg?

Also, My last dose of opiodes, which if you must know has been 450mg of codeine every day for the last 3 months (yeah weak I know, but that comes out to a respectable 40mg of morphine, does it not?) was abouy 20 hours ago. So when is it safe to take the Buprex without that presipitated withdrawl?
Click to expand...

While it isn't always true, I like to think that doctor's who are willing to do bupe-maintenance are more open-minded when it comes to helping addicts. They are less likely to blow you off as a "junkie" and let you fend for yourself, and they understand difficult getting sober can be.

For this reason, I think it is wise to listen to your doctor and do it his/her way first (considering they also have more experience with bupe dosing). If they way the want you to do it doesn't end up working, talk to them about it and see what else can be done to help you.

You were on a relatively low dose of opis compared to the average bupe user so you are going to need a lower dose. I was heavy into heroin for a year and a half and I was prescribed 2 mg 1x daily, but I can get by on 1 mg usually.
 
Thank you for the explanaition of why the Buprex comes in 0.2 mg doses. It´s an analgesic dose.

I have looked it up and buprenorphine doesn´t come in 8mg pills in my country. So I´m thinking that perhaps Buprenorphine isn´t OKed for withdrawl help in my country, only for paun relief.

I ´m glad that you pointed out how realitivly small my habit is compared to the average use. Before that I had no idea where I compared to others. Thanks.
 
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