Bupe withdrawal while already on vivitrol?

[unclemike]

so i have been on vivitrol once a month for about 2 years now. typically around day 21 i am able to get strong effects from IV bupe (pure) 0.3-0.6mg. i do this for about a week until my next shot and never have any negative effects or WD whatsoever. my most recent shot was yesterday, however it was a week late, so i had 2 weeks of IV bupe use at slightly higher doses, roughly 0.45-0.9mg. i had no immediate discomfort in the hours following the shot last night, however this morning i had very mild WD symptoms; yawning, restless legs, really not much but it was obviously related.

out of curiosity i attempted 1mL bupe IV to see if i could resolve any symptoms, and within minutes all my discomfort was gone and i 100% got the full effects that i was getting when i’d use as the shot was wearing off.. my face got itchy, my mood instantly elevated, restless legs went away and i just feel overall better. this is concerning to me as it seems i could potentially do this whenever i want now, though i really don’t want to. i’m really hoping this is a fluke because it’s so soon after the shot. the vivitrol has been a life saver. and yes i know using while on vivitrol defeats the purpose, but it allows me a short period of time to get the urges out out of my system in a safe way and it helps me keep my life together. without it i’d be in bad shape.

my question is this: considering that i’m only a day into this shot and had very, very mild WD this morning, i’m assuming that if i were to continue with the IV bupe for a few days, i would just be prolonging and potentially exacerbating the eventual WD that would come when i stop? i’m not sure how it would work with naltrexone constantly in my blood stream and bupe’s long half-life. can anyone help shed some light on what i could expect if i were to continue for a short amount of time? thanks!

 

[axe battler]

You'd likely end up addicted to the bupe again. Iirc buprenorphine has a very high affinity for your opiate receptors, which is why it causes precipitated withdrawal so readily. If it has a higher affinity than naltrexone then it will probably work at any time. I'm glad you're in a better place than you were though, just keep your bupe use down to a minimum, and use proper micron filters if you're injecting pills or film.

 

[Serhat]

As Axe Battler said, If you continue to use IV bupe while on Vivitrol, you might be delaying the inevitable withdrawal symptoms, and it could potentially make them worse when you stop. The interaction between bupe, Vivitrol, and your body's chemistry can be unpredictable, and there's a risk of building up a tolerance or experiencing more severe withdrawal symptoms down the line.

 

[abefourth]

I've noticed that the vivitrol isn't helping me with alcohol cravings. I'd be interested in seeing how it effects opiate use but I don't have access to opiates. I've been drinking alcohol almost nonstop since I first started on it about 2 months ago until about 1.5 weeks ago. I stopped drinking because I'm having trouble getting access to it, not because I want to stop drinking. I have no idea if it's effecting my cravings because I still drink immensely, and "cravings" to me seems dumbass. I loved being asked while at a psych ward about my "cravings", and if I was having them. Maybe I'm the dumbass, but I have no clue what they're talking about "cravings" and if I was having them. I've stopped drinking numerous times over the 14 years I've been a drinker, but never had withdrawals, and never had a problem when stopping drinking. I drink because I want to. So because of those things I had no idea to answer that question about "cravings". And I still have no idea after 2 months on vivitrol. So now I'm on 2 depot injections (the other is depot injection risperidone) that don't appear to be helping anyone in my life, and wasting taxpayer's dollars (on Medicaid).