Boku_
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2008
- Messages
- 935
I have a good friend who has been on methadone for many years and she is thinking of switching from methadone to Suboxone or and she is a little confused on the best way to do the switch. She told me she was thinking of stopping her daily dose of methadone and going through 3-4 days of withdrawals with only small doses of valium to ease the withdrawal symptoms before she then switches to Subs.
She believes you need to be really hanging out hard for methadone and going through opiate withdrawals in full earnest in order for Suboxone to work.
She hasn't used proper heroin for years but had a proper habit back in the day so much so all the veins in her arms are collapsed and even for a simple blood test she needs to go to a hospital to have a ultra sound in order to find a working vein to draw blood from. My friend has had a hard life but she is a strong woman and reckons she is over using needles. She also tells me she has no desire or cravings for heroin anymore she now hangs out for her daily methadone dose which in her experience keeps her level and functioning but on the days she missed her methadone dose she goes through withdrawals severely with the pains and cramps in her body that terrible she can't sleep that night.
One thing though she has never told me she wants to go clean she just wants to quit methadone and thinks subs are the best way. She smokes crystal meth once or twice a week but never shoots it, She also takes half a Valium tablet in the morning and the other half before bed in the evening. She also smokes the occasional bong cone of marijuana as she says that helps relieve her anxiety.
I wouldn't say she has a problem with meth or marijuana as she doesn't seem to have any predispositions for mental illness and she knows her limits when it comes to using meth. Surprisingly for a ex-junkie who once lived the smackie lifestyle of hustling and rorting to pay for a daily habit she is rather mentally stable with no signs of PTSD. Despite my friend being on welfare payments she has her parents support and her family home is available to crash at . Even though my friend is on such a low income she budgets her money well and has her shit together enough to maintain payment to her pharmacist for her methadone.
Being on methadone has meant my friend could get her life together but how determined in all honesty she is to kick methadone once and for all is anyone's guess. After all opiate withdrawals are tough and even when tapering off methadone good and proper a addict still gets dope sick.
So how good is starting Suboxone to go opiate free with the least amount of withdrawal pain after using methadone for such a long period of time?
Should my friend avoid smoking crystal meth when dope sick and first starting to take the subs?
When switching from methadone to Suboxone when does the peak of dope sickness happen and when about do you begin to detox with the withdrawal symptoms easing to the point you no longer feel sick and all the pains and cramps disappear?
Keep in mind my friend has been taking methadone for such a long period of time she can't remember what it's like to be normal and not wake up needing a dose of methadone to feel normal.
Thanks in advance for any advice
She believes you need to be really hanging out hard for methadone and going through opiate withdrawals in full earnest in order for Suboxone to work.
She hasn't used proper heroin for years but had a proper habit back in the day so much so all the veins in her arms are collapsed and even for a simple blood test she needs to go to a hospital to have a ultra sound in order to find a working vein to draw blood from. My friend has had a hard life but she is a strong woman and reckons she is over using needles. She also tells me she has no desire or cravings for heroin anymore she now hangs out for her daily methadone dose which in her experience keeps her level and functioning but on the days she missed her methadone dose she goes through withdrawals severely with the pains and cramps in her body that terrible she can't sleep that night.
One thing though she has never told me she wants to go clean she just wants to quit methadone and thinks subs are the best way. She smokes crystal meth once or twice a week but never shoots it, She also takes half a Valium tablet in the morning and the other half before bed in the evening. She also smokes the occasional bong cone of marijuana as she says that helps relieve her anxiety.
I wouldn't say she has a problem with meth or marijuana as she doesn't seem to have any predispositions for mental illness and she knows her limits when it comes to using meth. Surprisingly for a ex-junkie who once lived the smackie lifestyle of hustling and rorting to pay for a daily habit she is rather mentally stable with no signs of PTSD. Despite my friend being on welfare payments she has her parents support and her family home is available to crash at . Even though my friend is on such a low income she budgets her money well and has her shit together enough to maintain payment to her pharmacist for her methadone.
Being on methadone has meant my friend could get her life together but how determined in all honesty she is to kick methadone once and for all is anyone's guess. After all opiate withdrawals are tough and even when tapering off methadone good and proper a addict still gets dope sick.
So how good is starting Suboxone to go opiate free with the least amount of withdrawal pain after using methadone for such a long period of time?
Should my friend avoid smoking crystal meth when dope sick and first starting to take the subs?
When switching from methadone to Suboxone when does the peak of dope sickness happen and when about do you begin to detox with the withdrawal symptoms easing to the point you no longer feel sick and all the pains and cramps disappear?
Keep in mind my friend has been taking methadone for such a long period of time she can't remember what it's like to be normal and not wake up needing a dose of methadone to feel normal.
Thanks in advance for any advice
