Hi All,
This is my first thread and I've rarely posted but I have been using BL for years and thank everyone in advance that reads this. My question is about the interactions between buprenorphine and naltrexone and if you would become physically dependent to bupe if you took both together and stopped them together. I know that you can take them together but cannot find any information about if you would become dependent on the buprenophine like when taking it on maintenance. I have been addicted to opiates for 6 years with my doc being any pill form opiates for 4 years and then 2 years of abusing buprenorphine. In a final attempt to get extended sobriety my parents and I resorted to the Vivitrol shot. After being on the Vivitrol shot for 7 months, I caved in after 4 months and now have I have been seeing a separate doctor to get generic Subutex (Buprenorphine) because it has helped me function better and also improves my mood and energy during the limited days I can take it each month. I take it for usually 10-12 days during the month before running out as it requires a large amount to get an noticeable effects when you take it the first 3-4 days after the naltrexone injection. If I were to time it better I probably could take it for a longer time each month but I am always feeling like shit the first couple days after the shot (this has happened every month I've gotten the shot so its not related to taking the bupe) and want relief so I run through my script fast.
There is research that shows taking buprenophine and naltrexone can be more effective and provide therapeutic effects on the recovering patient such as reducing anhedonia, dysphoria, lethargy, and other post acute withdrawal related symptoms (PAWS) than just naltrexone alone, which from my own experience does nothing except act as an blocker for opiates and alcohol (though not its primary use).
The theory behind the science is that the Kappa opiod receptor goes into hyperdrive upon stopping opiates and plays a big role in regulating mood, which is part of the reason a person experiences a long drawn out period of depression, anhedonia, dysphoria, and lethargy. Since buprenorphine is a partial mu-agonist / full kappa antagonist and has a high affinity for both receptors and naltrexone is a high affinity mu-antagonist but has low affinity to the kappa receptor, the studies and research show that this combination of drugs specifically 50mg oral naltrexone and 4mg sublingual buprenorphine would still keep the mu receptor inactive while also causing the kappa receptor activity to be blocked by the Bupe. Below is the link to the research study done in 2006.
Literature states naltrexone can be stopped on its own at anytime with no negative effects. Link on the benefits of taking buprenorphine and naltrexone together vs. just naltrexone alone. http://www.gacguidelines.ca/site/GAC_Guidelines/assets/pdf/44_Gerra_2006.pdf
After 4 months and avid exercise primarily running for 2-3 miles a day doing high interval training to make sure I was activating the endogenous endorphin system through anaerobic cardio, there was barely any change in my mood, which was primarily flat or depressed, or a increase in energy levels. I had also undergone 6 consecutive ketamine infusions on the first day out of rehab. The ketamine helped tremendously at first with my energy levels being extremely high during the treatment period and for probably 2-3 weeks after. Having been used to laying around doing nothing all day I found that I had lost interest in watching tv for hours and so I would go to the gym for 2 hours or more a day sometimes 2x a day as I couldn't relax at night. I continued to get a infusion once a month as they cost $600 for an hour infusion with the highest dosage being 1.30 grams which was effective. I'll note that I had used ketamine on and off for several months before going to rehab to try to help me quit subutex and treat my depression. My tolerance was around needing .4-.8 / gram to get the trip related effects.
I am desperately wanting to take bupe with the vivitrol shot and believe it would be much more effective in helping me get back to living life instead of barely functioning and feeling lifeless like I do while on just naltrexone. My parents want me to keep getting the shot for 3 or 4 more months and give my brain more time to heal before resorting to seeing if I need to be on a buprenorphine maintenance treatment, which for me would be getting the new 6 month implant Porbuphine due to me snorting my bupe and not able to trust myself to take the medication as prescribed.
If I can show my parents any research about buprenorphine not being physically addictive if used with naltrexone they would be all for trying it and it would help me stop having to live like an addict still by going behind there backs and self medicating.
This is my first thread and I've rarely posted but I have been using BL for years and thank everyone in advance that reads this. My question is about the interactions between buprenorphine and naltrexone and if you would become physically dependent to bupe if you took both together and stopped them together. I know that you can take them together but cannot find any information about if you would become dependent on the buprenophine like when taking it on maintenance. I have been addicted to opiates for 6 years with my doc being any pill form opiates for 4 years and then 2 years of abusing buprenorphine. In a final attempt to get extended sobriety my parents and I resorted to the Vivitrol shot. After being on the Vivitrol shot for 7 months, I caved in after 4 months and now have I have been seeing a separate doctor to get generic Subutex (Buprenorphine) because it has helped me function better and also improves my mood and energy during the limited days I can take it each month. I take it for usually 10-12 days during the month before running out as it requires a large amount to get an noticeable effects when you take it the first 3-4 days after the naltrexone injection. If I were to time it better I probably could take it for a longer time each month but I am always feeling like shit the first couple days after the shot (this has happened every month I've gotten the shot so its not related to taking the bupe) and want relief so I run through my script fast.
There is research that shows taking buprenophine and naltrexone can be more effective and provide therapeutic effects on the recovering patient such as reducing anhedonia, dysphoria, lethargy, and other post acute withdrawal related symptoms (PAWS) than just naltrexone alone, which from my own experience does nothing except act as an blocker for opiates and alcohol (though not its primary use).
The theory behind the science is that the Kappa opiod receptor goes into hyperdrive upon stopping opiates and plays a big role in regulating mood, which is part of the reason a person experiences a long drawn out period of depression, anhedonia, dysphoria, and lethargy. Since buprenorphine is a partial mu-agonist / full kappa antagonist and has a high affinity for both receptors and naltrexone is a high affinity mu-antagonist but has low affinity to the kappa receptor, the studies and research show that this combination of drugs specifically 50mg oral naltrexone and 4mg sublingual buprenorphine would still keep the mu receptor inactive while also causing the kappa receptor activity to be blocked by the Bupe. Below is the link to the research study done in 2006.
Literature states naltrexone can be stopped on its own at anytime with no negative effects. Link on the benefits of taking buprenorphine and naltrexone together vs. just naltrexone alone. http://www.gacguidelines.ca/site/GAC_Guidelines/assets/pdf/44_Gerra_2006.pdf
After 4 months and avid exercise primarily running for 2-3 miles a day doing high interval training to make sure I was activating the endogenous endorphin system through anaerobic cardio, there was barely any change in my mood, which was primarily flat or depressed, or a increase in energy levels. I had also undergone 6 consecutive ketamine infusions on the first day out of rehab. The ketamine helped tremendously at first with my energy levels being extremely high during the treatment period and for probably 2-3 weeks after. Having been used to laying around doing nothing all day I found that I had lost interest in watching tv for hours and so I would go to the gym for 2 hours or more a day sometimes 2x a day as I couldn't relax at night. I continued to get a infusion once a month as they cost $600 for an hour infusion with the highest dosage being 1.30 grams which was effective. I'll note that I had used ketamine on and off for several months before going to rehab to try to help me quit subutex and treat my depression. My tolerance was around needing .4-.8 / gram to get the trip related effects.
I am desperately wanting to take bupe with the vivitrol shot and believe it would be much more effective in helping me get back to living life instead of barely functioning and feeling lifeless like I do while on just naltrexone. My parents want me to keep getting the shot for 3 or 4 more months and give my brain more time to heal before resorting to seeing if I need to be on a buprenorphine maintenance treatment, which for me would be getting the new 6 month implant Porbuphine due to me snorting my bupe and not able to trust myself to take the medication as prescribed.
If I can show my parents any research about buprenorphine not being physically addictive if used with naltrexone they would be all for trying it and it would help me stop having to live like an addict still by going behind there backs and self medicating.
