At the suggestion of our friend at the Suboxone taper site, I played around today and made a video on YouTube. I was assured that a video would bring in hundreds of thousands of opiate addicts, all hungry for knowledge about addiction and Suboxone. I will let you all know how it works out!
Last night I noticed the search phrase ‘help, my son is addicted to Suboxone’. It got me thinking… are there people out there getting addicted to Suboxone? To clarify, I am NOT talking about opiate addicts who go on Suboxone, and then start complaining that they are ‘addicted to Suboxone’– those folks were opiate addicts before they met Suboxone, and now continue to have a physical dependence to opiates– namely Suboxone. That is not a big deal; as I have said a number of times, the safest place for an opiate addict to be is on Suboxone!
One of my patients today mentioned that her mother told her “don’t let him put you on anything else!” I am not a ‘med person’; I enjoy taking people off medication much more than I like putting people on medication! Do I sound a bit defensive? Anyway… I am sure that an outsider has a distorted view– a parent doesn’t know the extent of their child’s addiction to oxycodone, for example, so when the child is taking Suboxone, it seems like a very big thing– and the parent thinks that the Suboxone is the problem. To me, knowing how horrible life was for the person when the person was using, I see Suboxone as a minor thing.
But what about people who AREN’T already addicted to opiates– are some of THEM becoming addicted to Suboxone as their ‘first exposure’ to opiates? Are there now people walking around at parties with little orange tabs of Suboxone, handing them out to innocents and turning them on to opiates?
I tell you what– if anyone was started on opiates in this way, or if anyone is aware first-hand of this type of activity going on ‘out there’, please leave a comment and let me know. I’m just curious. Man, that would really be a shame.
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6 Comments
kara · December 20, 2008 at 10:50 am
I don’t know about anyone starting to abuse Sub, but I can tell you this story. Because Sub helps with my migraines, my boyfriend thought he would just take one of my pills – BAD MISTAKE. I have never seen anyone get so sick. He couldn’t stop dry heaving, couldn’t stand because he was so dizzy, and was half-unconscious. I had to take him to the ER, where they didn’t know anything about Sub. I had to explain what it was – geez! They kept him a few hours, giving Naloxone through an IV. It didn’t help much, really. They let us go home eventually and he slept many hours. He didn’t feel well for a couple more days. I don’t know if this is a normal reaction to someone taking Sub that isn’t an opiate user or not. It’s hard for me to imagine someone using Sub as their opiate and getting addicted.
scottfcroteau · December 20, 2008 at 11:07 am
Yes Doc, Gayla and I have a friend who has been doing suboxone now for about 2 years. He started with another friend just eating a half at a time and said it gave him a boost. He suffers from depression and the suboxone also took that away. Now he takes up to 3 8mg suboxone a day. He buys them off the street for $5 apiece, much cheaper than they are in the pharmacy around here. In fact 20 miles up the road in New Hampshire they are going for as much as $20 a 8mg pill. Anyways getting back to Ricky, he always is hunting for this medication, and has never experienced anything with opiates. He seems to think it is a miracle what the suboxone does for his deppresion. Do they prescribe suboxone for deppresion, and have you ever heard of anyone else saying it works well for their deppresion? It is so sad to see him scrambling around seeking his drug. My significant other (Gayla) are both on 8mg a day, we both started at 16 mg each morning but found we didn’t need that much and we believe the less is the better. Niether one of us plan on getting off the medication anytime soon, it works for us. Gayla has been addicted to opiates since 1981 when she got shot in the head and recieved opiates for her never ending headaches. They couldn’t remove the bullet, too close to the main artery in the brain, so she suffers from severe headaches everyday. Of course she then couldn’t get as much medication as she needed and eventually graduated to over 50 bags of herion a day. She got busted for dealing to suppoet her habit and spent many years in prison where she was clean for those years but suffered terribly, once she hit the streets she was off and running. What a battle. I only became addicted a few years ago upon trying a small bag of her herion and that was the end for me, I couldn’t stop. I had been a alcoholic all my life, I just replased the alcohol with the dope. So suboxone for us is literally a miracle, she still has her headaches but funny as it may sound, with the suboxone she takes 3 800 mg of motrin a day and she stays pretty much headache free. For Ricky, we have suggested going to his doctor and telling him what is going on, he won’t, Suboxone up here on the boarder of Massachusetts and New Hampshire are hard to find on the streets for Ricky and it is just about impossible for anyone to find a Dr. to prescribe it. -I don’t know if you remeber me writing you about our Dr. Herding people in and that we could only fill our scripts at one certain pharmacy? You got offended and thought I was writing about you. You figured it out and apologized.- Gayla has still not been able to get in to talk to the Dr. about her hot flashes or anything else. She only got to see him once, the day he priscribed the meds and that’s it. Dr’s around here don’t know that much about it, that’s why we rely so much on your Talk Zone and we thank you. God, I went on and on, Sorry. Ricky is still struggling and we are trying to get him to go to a Dr. but it doesn’t look promising. We DON’T sell him ours but he gets them when he looks hard enough. Do you have any suggestions? Anything will help. Thank You for letting me burn your ear off and I am half way through listening to the tape I won on your Trivia Contest. I burned it and have it in my car. Haven’t been out the last few days, we are getting blasted by a devastating Ice Storm last week and a massive snow storm last nite with another on it’s way tomorrow. That’s what we get for living in New England. Talk to you Soon!
Scott C. Worcester Mass
kara · December 20, 2008 at 5:23 pm
So I guess that means not everyone reacts so badly. I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. I know all about the horrors of addiction. As for the depression – YES, it helps with mine immensely. I have BP2 and use both Lamictal & Seroquel, but before I was diagnosed with BP2 and started those, I started the Sub. It helped so much with my depression – it was amazing. If I had “normal” depression as opposed to bi-polar, I might not have needed anything else. Though my doctor doesn’t really tell me what he does with other patients, I have gathered that he DOES prescribe it for depression. I don’t know if that is good, bad, or indifferent – but it is done (at least by him).
tj · December 21, 2008 at 6:12 am
SuboxDoc,
SORRY not to high-jack this discussion, but…Site was difficult to navigate and how to find registration…was not so easy.
I recently got on the program and he has started me off at 8mg’s 3 times a day.After the first few days of the recommended dose,I cut back to 6gm’s 3x’s per day.I was wondering have you heard of any sexual effects?I had been searching on the internet since I heard a news story about some celebrity getting off opiates with a drug named”suboxone”.After reading many hours of every story imaginable,I decided to find a doctor.I dont have any insurance so it all has to be self pay.After the first 2 days of hell,feeling very sick and dizzy etc. I managed to make it to the next visit,7 days later with my Dr.At the end of the visit I asked him to check to see if I was sick?As I have been an addict/suffering from pain pills for over 20 years and never had I felt so bad at once.He did and came to find out that I had pneumonia! He gave me a free scrip of antibodies and off I went to fill the second script.It was for a almost a months supply 75 of the 8mg tabs.I called around to every pharmacy in a 60 mile radius and found the cheapest at the local Meijer’s! These are not cheap by any means,right at $450 bucks for the 75.BUT worth there weight in GOLD!!! I have never felt better in every aspect of my life in such a short spurt of time.This drug is a GOD SEND!!
Prior to getting in the program if I didn’t have my “MEDS” I was sick as we all know,and would drink etc till the next round of pills came available again.We all know the suffering we have went through and I would suggest Suboxone to any one who is afflicted with this disease from opiate addiction.I just felt I needed to share a little of my story with a board that appears to be a good thing.Now back to the start of my ranting on,I am have sexual side effects from this medication,and was wondering what you have seen in your patients?Thanks in advance for your answer and time.
jt.
SuboxDoc · December 21, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Kara, I am going to respond to you in the main section–
Stace · December 22, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Great Job Doc!!!
This is my first time ever commenting on your blog although I’ve been addicted to your blog for about 3 months now since that one night I decided to change my life..
I’m sorry I haven’t commented before — I guess it took me to be perturbed as I am today not with your blog with my own doc who I’ve grown to trust and love, as of today I only have a half of 2mg to take for tomorrow he was supposed to call the rest of my rx in last Thursday at least that’s what the nurse told me I usually take 2 a day leaving me at 60 well I only had 40 and just found out this a.m. his practice is closed till the 4th… I’m upset not just at him but with myself — I’m at a stage where I’m blaming a lot on myself and along with that comes depression he made a comment last visit maybe I should try tele-psychaitry, no clue what it all means I asked if we could just get thru the rest of this year and we’ll discuss it in 09′ 🙂 Anyway, I’m at a really crappy point at this moment I’m scared really really scared I don’t wanna go thru withdrawals this early in the game and right before Christmas? that’s what I meant when I said I’m blaming myself my poor kids are going to have there mommy sick for Christmas.. just not fair to them, sorry this is kinda everywhere I’ve never commented on any of this ever, no one knows my story besides my doc, his nurse and my pharmacy so it’s like I’m de-viginizing myself with talking on here 🙂
anyway just wanted to say I look forward to seeing more of your videos you did an awesome job.. I’d give ya a gold star if I was near ya 😉
and seriously thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing what you do every single day, there should be more like you out there in this crazy world but unfortunatly there isn’t so you get to be that shining star in my world the one thing I look forward to reading on a daily basis!!!
Stace