damage3907 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Is there anyone that has been on suboxone long term? I am a recovering drug addict ( opiate/cocaine addiction ) and I was abusing oxycontin, hydrocodone, oxycodone along with cocaine daily for around 5 years. As a result of my abuse, I have been suffering from acute depression that is sometimes accompanied with social anxiety! I used to be very energetic and outgoing, but that has all changed! I recently started taking a low dose of suboxone ( 2 milligrams daily ) and it seemed to improve my mood substantially! However after a couple of weeks of daily use the results and effects seemed to subside. I am curious as to the long term results anyone who reads this post may have experienced from taking this medication! Does anyone feel that this is a good medicine to take long term or is better and more effective for short term use? I started taking wellbutrin last week along with the low does suboxone, but so far I can't tell if it is helping! Any input based on experience would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to respond! Link to comment
damage3907 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 I haven't recieved any replies as of yet! I'm still hoping someone out there may know something about this! Any advice/experiences on this medication that anyone has to share is greatly appreciated! Link to comment
damage3907 Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 Anyone - Anything? Link to comment
damage3907 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 I'm not giving up just yet! I'm still holding out hope that someone will come accross this thread who has some experience and knowledge about this medication! Link to comment
dragon lady Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I used to work at vet's office and we would use Buprenorphine (active ingredient in suboxone) on an animals in severe pain. It is an opioid like cocaine and heroin and similarly it produces that good feeling. Basically you've just switched from one drug to another similar, but legal drug to help relieve the symptoms of the withdrawal. It is addictive and has its own side effects, so I would be VERY wary of taking it long-term, especially if you are an addict. You also shouldn't shake it with antidepressants from what I've read about it. Has your doctor prescribed the Suboxone or did you get it somewhere else? Link to comment
dragon lady Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Sorry, I've just read that Suboxone contains an extra ingredient and not just the buprenorphine. Apparently this helps protect from dependence. I didn't even know this existed. It's probably better to ask your doctor these questions. Link to comment
damage3907 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 I'm not sure whether or not you can become dependant on it, but it does has withdrawls symptoms associated with long term use from what I understand! I take only 1/4 of a pill a day and I feel good all day! It's not like I come down and have to re-dose a couple of hours later. The therapeutic effect that I receive from this has been very beneficial to me! Link to comment
indierockgrl Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 congratulations on getting help for your disease.. i am also a recovering addict and its been a long journey... i was not addicted to opiates so im not sure what the affect of suboxone... alot of people in my treatment program were on it and i heard wonderful things about it.... stay strong!!! Link to comment
damage3907 Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 Thanks Indierockgrl and congratulations to you as well! Recovery is a long journey, but it's a journey well worth taking! There is no quality of life living in active addiction and it's our children and loved ones that pay the price not just ourselves! I wish you the best of luck in your recovery and if you're ever feeling down, always know that you are more than welcome to message me if you feel you need some support! Link to comment
saintdeer Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Hey! I have been on suboxone for almost 3 years now. I was on fentenyl patches from breaking my hip, almost 2 years, also on a ton of pain killers....never did street drugs but I think I was an alcoholic for a long time.(from new Orleans, everybody i know is an alcoholic, but when I got on pain killers I didn't and still don't drink!) anyway, I went all the way down to 1mg a day, now back up to 4mg a day. seems to work GREAT for me. I have absolutely no side effects. It helps my pain to be bearable enough to work long hours and raise my 4 kids. I have had surgery on my knee since I started, and worked with my docs on meds to keep pain ;evels down. I had barely any pain and surgery was un-eventful. My insurance pays for the suboxone, so it only costs me 30 bucks every 2 months. My last insurance would not pay for it at first, but my doc called and fixed it for me. i will tell you, NOBODY in the med field knows anything about this med. My knee dotor looked at me like I was some kind of freak, I do not look like a typical drug addict, if there is such a thing! I look in the mirror and look just like one if you ask me! anyway, if you still have questions, send me a message and you can call me anytime. This med changed my life. I went through Hurricane Katrina in detox with 3 kids and being a single dad. That is when I decided to get on suboxone, and I will probably just stay on it forever. 2-4mg a day is nothing. In my opinion the preservatives you put in your body, all the fillers and fats...(I am a Chef) is much much worse for you! good luck- and never ever give up! Link to comment
damage3907 Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 My insurance pays for the suboxone, so it only costs me 30 bucks every 2 months. My last insurance would not pay for it at first, but my doc called and fixed it for me. Yeah I have no insurance so that is the only downside! This medication is very expensive and paying for the dr's visit and the medication is kinda taking a toll financially! I tried to message you, but it said you do not accept private messages! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond! Link to comment
Opedout66 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 The way you describe your situation makes one phrase pop into my mind, "DONT PLAY WITH FIRE" I had a situation like yours too, in fact, reading your entry made me think maybe I wake up and do things in the middle of the night I'm not aware of and typed this. but here is the truest truth anyone can give you. As a short term med, for weening off one of the harder opiates (the oxy definitely not the hydro), then suboxone can be a wonderful tool. Stay on it for 6 months, and it wont be easy getting back off. Stay on it for years, then you'll have one of the methadone horror stories on your hands. I'm on suboxone right now, because i tried to quit taking it a couple years ago. The withdrawals were very intense. Maybe not a gram a day of Heroin intense, but the fatigue and the light-headedness and the total physical and psychological weakness were no picnic. Maybe, it would have been fine if those symptoms went away after two weeks, even a month, but; no. no. no. I made it to 59 days of absolute sobriety before realizing, "there isnt a light at the end of the tunnel... I'm not getting any stronger, any healthier, any more of the young man I should be! My sex drive makes me feel 50, what the hell is going to happen to me?" To cut it short, since this post is so old and nobody will read it, suboxone is on the same level of danger as methadone or heroin. It will alter your personality, and eventually drain any semblance of your natural human spirituality, your soul. TAKE IT FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THROUGH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: when you are offered an opiate, no matter how strong you think you are, politely refuse. Link to comment
Theprocess Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Are you prescribed it? I think it can have it's benefits if you can get yourself to take a set amount of medication regularly, and if you ween off you ween off with a prescribed plan. Otherwise, playing teeter-toter with your medication will leave you feeling no better than if you were sick/well with non-legal opiates. It can do a lot for the addictions power over the brain as in, if you take enough the drugs cannot have power over you as you are well/can't get high. In terms of mood affect, I think it can approve mood in decent sized doses. Too high of dose and you'll just be lethargic and tired. But like I said, from watching someone in this medication-consistency is key. Let me know if you have any questions myself or the persons I know on the medication may be able to answer. Link to comment
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