Want to go back to Sub Doc - I just dissapeared

[allecw]

I first went to go see my sub doc about 2 years ago. My problem is OXY. 60-80 mg 4 x a day. I went, had a 2-3 hour appointment, and got a prescription for 8mg Subutex pills to be taken 4 times a day. 30 day supply. I didnt like how the Subutex made me feel. So I just didnt go to the followup with the Sub doc. Didnt call or anything. They called me but I never returned their calls.

So about 8 months later I decide to give Subs another try. I call the same doc, and after leaving a couple of messages I get a call back from the same Sub doc I saw the first time. I was worried they wouldnt accept me back because I just dissapeared the first time. So I start seeing my Sub doc again for about 8-9 months. Things are going ok but it is very expensive to pay for. Between the Sub doc, and Sub pills it is around 300.00 a month. After 8-9 months I just dont show up for my monthly followup. I never called or anything. I just dissapeared. For the second time with the same Sub doc. I didnt know what to say to them so I just stopped going.

So here I am 11-12 months later, and I need to go back to the same Sub doc again. He was pretty nice, and the cheapest priced around. Is it likely that I will be accepted again? After dissapearing twice? Once after one visit, and the next time after 9-10 visits. Im not sure what to say when I call. I would imagine that relapses are pretty common in their buisness right? I would imagine they deal with a few patients that just dissapear.

So is it likely that the same Sub doc will see me again? Also I havent been prescribed Subs in over a year. Is it still common to get Subutex instead of Suboxone? The price difference is insane. I cant afford the actual Suboxone. When I called the pharmacy they told me a one month supply would be around 1000.00. I cant get any kind of assistance paying for the Suboxone either. I have tried. Who can afford 1000.00 a month? The Sub doc I went to supposedly only prescribed Suboxone but made an exception for me because he knew I couldnt afford it. I got Subutex.

Money is a HUGE issue with me right now. I cant really afford to see a Sub doc money wise but I have to. Even if I do get back into the program I dont knwo how I will pay for it again a month later. I just dont know quite how to go about it considering how I just totally up and dissapeared the first couple of times. I feel pretty bad about how I left actually. They were pretty nice people there.

 

[Bruce Haze]

use 1 months supply for multiple months

you really only need 8 if that but if your habit actually is huge and you require that much then you could easily taper down man. One sub holds me fine for 4 days switching off 30 Mg of methaone. Everybodys different but my point is that you can taper down from sub and be comfortable the whole time.
But yeah I'm sure they'll take you back that's money in their pockets

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Yeah, relapses/missed appointments are common, we can't know what your particular doctor will do but in general they are likely to take you back. Certainly can't hurt to try right?

Subutex is not as commonly prescribed as Suboxone because doctors are told it's more abusable (which is actually not true but perception is everything), but tell your doctor about your financial situation.

8mg x 4 times a day sounds like way too much, maybe that's one of reasons you didn't like the Subs. It also takes a little while for your body to get used to them. It's extremely important to work on your mental addiction to oxy and the reasons why you use it in the first place while you are on the Subs. And next time if you feel like stopping, are getting side effects, or are having trouble affording your meds, try talking to the doctor about your concerns instead of just no-showing them.

I'm assuming you live in the US? If so:
There are coupons that will pay for a significant portion of the Suboxone costs, just Google it and look for the best one (and of course check to make sure you are eligible and check with your pharmacy to make sure they accept it). For the one on the Suboxone website you may have to meet certain eligibility requirements, like I'm not sure whether or not they cover people with no insurance at all, but if you have insurance they will pay for your co-pay. But there are other coupons which provide discounts too. You can also check different pharmacies to find the best price. Suboxone prescriptions may also be covered or partly covered under various federal or state assistance programs (such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, and others, find out if you're eligible for any of those) or another Suboxone patient assistance program. There have got to be some options to make it more affordable for you, even if you can't get Subutex.