I am calling the doc tomorrow for an appt. to start suboxone and have a bazzillion question!! My Docs first visit will be 250.00 (some were up around 500.00!!) But how much does the pills actually cost, how will they make me feel...anyone with experience that can share with me would be so helpful..good and bad, just experience and knowledge would be awesome!! Thanks in advance to everyone here...for just being here!!
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Hi Vickyc,
It all depends on what you've been taking, and for how long. Suboxone is a partial opiate agonist (buprenorphine) combined with nalaxone, an antagonist. When taken sublingually, the only active component is the buprenorphine. It will basically block w/d and will also prevent other opiates from having an effect. Your doctor will probably start you on 2-4mg, then titrate the dosage up over the next few hours. Again, it depends on what you were taking and for how long. If you don't already know, you MUST be in withdrawal before starting the medication, or it will throw you into withdrawal. You should ask your doctor for the details before starting.
As far as what to expect, when I took it I first felt nausea. But I had not been taking enough opiates to really warrant sub (I had been on vicodin ES, about 5/day for maybe 6-7 months, and with hindsight should never have been prescribed sub!) I was so scared of withdrawal that I researched and found suboxone, paid a bundle for it, and ended up taking what is really a much stronger opiate (sub!). However, if you're taking significant amounts of an opiate for a long period of time, suboxone can be a good idea. You need to discuss openly with your doctor - and you might want to talk with your primary physician before starting as well. As much as the docs prescribing suboxone do provide a valuable service, the fact is many charge way more than they should and prey on people's desperation.
The medication itself is very expensive - for Subutex (buprenorphine without the nalaxone), the retail cost is about $1-1.50/mg. I'm not sure about the Suboxone. Whatever you do, make sure you take the minimum dose that works! Withdrawal from sub, while not as intense, lasts much longer than wd/ from oxycodone for example.
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Iv'e Been Using Sub For Over Three Years Now. It Is A Miracle Drug To Me. Depending On What And How Much You Have Been Using,will Determine Your Daily Dosage. Everyone Is Different. They Come In 2mg And 8mg. I Need Two 8mg Tablets Every Day. One After Being Up A Couple Hours And One Around 11:00 A.m.. My Ins. Covers This For Me. They Cost $8.00 Each 8mg Tablet. If You Have A Prescription Plan They May Cover The Cost For You. You Won't Beleive How Good You Feel. Back To Normal. How Long And What Were You Using?
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Thank you both for great advice!! I have been on about 16-20 mg dilaudid daily for the past 3 months, if I couldnt get dilaudid any opiate to take the edge off is what I would take. That really is expesive! Because of my profession, I will and want to pay everything out of pocket, that may also be a bigger reason to get off sub faster Have to be honest...3 years?!?! That scares me a bit, why so long Jerry..that of course is a respectful question. Am I looking about the same time frame? Thanks for your imput..still hungry for more information!! Peace!
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
hello, I'm new and have a problem with fioricet. I've been on it for about 6 years. Will suboxone help me? I tried it before and boy did it help!! I'm in N.C. just moved here and don't have a clue where to find a doctor to get it!! and, will medicaid cover it? Where or who should I go too to ask about it? I've heard it is very hard to get?. Can anyone suggest anything?? Thank you!
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Hi dar, ahhhh...fioricet, that was the pill that began my world of abuse, been off of fioricets for over 6 years! Fioricet is a barbituate. Suboxone is for opiate withdrawls...so from what very little I know about Sub, it is the wrong med for barbituates. You need to search physicians who prescribe Suboxone and it will take you a list of Dr's in your area.
Did you say you did use Sub for fioricet and it worked, or was your doc opiates prior to fioricet? The Sub site is a wealth of information. As a matter of fact, I am going to find out in about 10 min how and if I can get started on Sub for opiate withdrawals..
Please keep posting, this message board is so leading me down the path of recovery!! I relapsed about 7 or so months ago after 6.5 years clean time....I tryed to quit cold turkey on the 10th but relapsed in just a few short days..grrrrr..... Good luck and peace!!
Last edited by moderator2; 04-21-2008 at 04:47 PM.
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Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
I guess I dont know alot about it,but 3 years seems really long to me,also.
IF I was going to go the sub route to come off of opiates, and I really wanted to be clean I would start the taper asap.But again,I dont know enough about it, and everyone is different.
I guess the bottom line is to get off of whatever narcotics you are using if you have a problem,(like me!) and to do whatever it takes to achieve that.
Good luck to all of you. I guess I'm not the guy to say much because I dont know enuff about it.
Vicky,mornin',hun.
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by vickyc
Thank you both for great advice!! I have been on about 16-20 mg dilaudid daily for the past 3 months, if I couldnt get dilaudid any opiate to take the edge off is what I would take. That really is expesive! Because of my profession, I will and want to pay everything out of pocket, that may also be a bigger reason to get off sub faster Have to be honest...3 years?!?! That scares me a bit, why so long Jerry..that of course is a respectful question. Am I looking about the same time frame? Thanks for your imput..still hungry for more information!! Peace!
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Over The Three Years I've Tried Tappering But It Made For A Really Tough Situation. After Speaking With My Doc. And Trying Different Ways To Tapper. It Became Aparent To He And I, Based On Prior Abuse, I May Be On Sub For Life. The Alternative Is Not Pretty. Iv'e Tryed. I Was Consuming 150mg To 250mg Daily Of Hydrocodone For Over Two Years And Lots Of Money. So To Me You Can't Put A Price On Feeling Normal Again.
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Hi--
I too started my "addiction history" with fioricet...it's a really bad drug...many pharmacists warned me about it, but I just shook my head, because the doctors say that it's a good drug for headaches. Anyway...I'm posting to let you know that it's very, very dangerous to stop this drug cold turkey!! The drug butalbitol is a barbituate, and if you stop it suddenly you will have a seizure, especially if you've been on the drug for a while. I was given phenobarbitol as I was detoxing from fioricet...the doctor quickly tapered me off of that, and I was fine...physically anyway...like any other addictive med you have to be ready to detox psychologically too. It took time to learn to live without this substance...but it's so worth it.
I'm not sure about the whole suboxone question, as I've never used it...but many others here can help you with that. This board's been a Godsend to me...I wish you luck on your journey...
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Yuu got that right sister, friend!! Horrible, plain and simple. May I ask how your recovery is going? I have met so many wonderful people here who has kept my sanity....well...sain! Vicky
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Hi there VickyC
How're you doing today? I hope that you were able to have a restful night? The nights seem to be the hardest, right?
You asked me how my recovery is...it's been going well...as I get more clean time under my belt i'm having fewer and fewer cravings. When do I do get a craving it always comes under a stressful situation...and boy am I glad that I just ride it out when the next day or even next hour rolls around! I don't have any drugs left, and I refuse to ask the doctor for any more, so it's a pretty safe situation when a craving does rear it's ugly head...
I've been feeling really well...very happy to be through with the nightmare of addiction...yet always on my guard for triggers. This is the best time to come off of drugs, Vicky...the weather's gorgeous, and you're not couped up in the house!! I know that you're going to be ok, and do amazingly well!!
God's helped me through all of this...and brought me through to the other side...I've asked him to help me so many times and he hasn't failed me! I don't know if you're a religious person...I for one don't believe in organized religion, but I know that God is there...and he loves us and wants us all to be happy....If you don't mind, I'll say a prayer for you? Right now i'm going to put the screen in my window, cool off the room and try and get some sleep... I hate to toss and turn whether it's from w/d's or a too hot room! LOL!
peace, love and understanding
Dream
__________________
Dream up the world you want to live in...dream out loud!!!
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
I used sub for two months for norco abuse, 400 mg/day. It was amazing and I felt great. Energetic, no more behavorial problems, no running from dr to dr to get a script, no more finding money in places where my husband wouldn't notice, etc. I felt NORMAL. I thought a quick taper from 16 mg to 2 mg and then off would be fine. It wasn't. Taper fast, but go down to .5 if possible before going off. I am in full blown withdrawal and hurting bad, but hoping it won't be much longer. I don't want to go back. I have little kids and a husband who loves me, even though he doesn't really know me. I want to be the person he thinks I am.
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Oh Norco! I missed this thread and have questions for anyone who was on is on Subs! Today is day 4 and I am tapering myself (started today) was on 24 mg a day and I know that was way to much, cant sleep and feel more "buzzed" then when I was using! I want to be off the Subs ASAP, can you tell?! How should I taper, any words of advice..I am basically just listing to what my body is telling me. I know you posted several days ago and hope your feeling alright. Are you? You are every bit of the woman he thinks you are...after all he is still there ..Hope to hear back from you soon!
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Hi, I just joined this message board because I wanted to respond to jerry43 and to vicky. I am currently taking sub and have been for about 1 year. I may need to be on it for the rest of my life because of my prior abuse. I was taking about 240 mg. of morphine, 30 norcos, 4 somas, klonopin (I can't remember the dosage), and xanax (about 4 mgs.). Sometimes I would also add a few vicodin, vicodin es, and ultram. I was taking this much for about 2 years without much variation in dosage or mix. Towards the end, I was also drinking about 750 ml. (a fifth) of vodka a day. My weight had fallen dramatically and people around me thought I was going to die. I tried going completely "clean" but I was severly depressed and emotionally flat. I couldn't feel anything in my life, good or bad. My psychiatrist was worried that I would relapse or worse commit suicide. He then prescribed sub and it was amazing. I started feeling normal again, not high. I currently take 14 mgs. of sub a day. My doctor is planning on weaning me but is being careful because he also thinks that my abuse may have permanently damaged my nerves, brain chemistry and opiate receptors. My profession doesn't allow me to be "high" and I am in a voluntary diversion program. The program is supportive of my sub use and actually recommended it. I consider myself to be clean and don't view sub any differently than taking an antidepressant. I have heard of people in my AA home group who have died because their sponsor believed that they weren't sober unless they were off of all medication. I believe that sub is no different from the SSRI antidepressants because in my brain it produces the same results. I would do whatever your doctor recommends but I think that each person is different and needs to follow a respectable doctor's recommendations about their medication. I say "respectable" because there are doctors out there who are just legitimate pushers. I think there isn't one solution for everyone and if jerry43 is being honest with himself and not just replacing one addiction for another, he is just as sober as someone who is completely "clean". Just my opinion. Good luck and best wishes on your treatment.
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
I have been on Sub for almost 2 months now. I abused Ultram for 2 years and Vicodin and Percocet for 1 year prior to my taking Sub. Doc started me on 2 mgs/day after being in full blown wd's for 3 days. Within 20 minutes I felt normal again. I don't know if I felt buzzed but I felt it evened me out immediately if you know what I mean. I honestly thought it was a magic pill.
The doc prescribed only 2 mg's a day and wanted me to be tapered off within a couple of months. For 2 weeks I did what doc told me to do. He wanted me to then alternate days of taking it and I tried to do it but I told myself that I couldn't. That should have been my warning sign. So anyway, here I am 2 months later and no closer to stopping. For the past month, I have been taking anywhere from 6 - 12 mg's a day depending on how I feel.
I went back to doc today and came clean about what I have been doing. I am now going back to 2 mg's a day and hoping to be done within the next month.
I don't know if the Sub route was what I should have done. I was in full blown panic when I started and it got me through the percocet wd's. I have made the decision today that I am going to listen and follow doc's orders to the letter. I don't want to be dependent on medication for the rest of my life. This is what is right for me and I am not judging anyone who chooses differently.
It is very easy to get caught up in abuse and you need to be very careful and thoroughly aware of your behavior. My taking more Sub than prescribed was me slipping back into that same kind of behavior that I associate with my abuse of pain meds. I am going to take the next month and try to change that behavior. Addicts can abuse anything so just be sure that you trust your doctor and ask him/her what the long term plan is. If you want to eventually stop taking Sub then you need to have a plan in place and be completely honest with your doctor.
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Wow..very interesting for both Diamond and Aloha. I think my Dr started me out way to much. I was using about 16-20 mg of dilaudid (SQ) a day and he started me out on 24 mgs a day!! No wonder I feel buzzed compaired to your 2 mg Diamond! I am cutting the dose in half today and hope to be off in uh...lets say a month?! I agree with you about the using one med for another. I have the tendancy for certain to do exactly that. But my determination is really intense this time around.
Aloha: As you know we cant state our profession here, so I will keep it at that, but I think I do know what diversion program you are in (?) In florida it is called IPN. (hope I can say that?) I was involved in that for 5 years (contract length) and had sobriety for 6 years. My group would NOT approve Sub as acceptable, nor would the diversion program itself. I am in the "old school" of a drug is a drug..as my sponsors have also explained to me. As you know, Buprenorphine is one of the medication is Suboxone which is an opiate, as well as the antagonist, Naloxone. Knowing this I cant compare it to an SSRI.. However, I say respectfully of course, we do what we can as an individual to seek what works for us. And I am so grateful, it is working for you!! *hugs* Thank you for posting and I hope to share with each other what ever we can to pull us through our recovery!! Welcome!
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
That Was Going To Be My Exact Responce. Alohajoel17 Said It Right. Sub Is The Same As Using Anti-depresants. Sub Simply Protects The Receptors So You Can Feel Normal. In The Three Years Of Taking Sub I Have Never Felt High. Just O.k. Or Normal. Opiate Addiction Is Recognized As A Medical Condition. After Years Of Abuse The Addiction Can Be Ireversable. The First Time I Was Given Sub @ The Doc's Office I Was In Total Withdrawl And Imediatly I Felt Like I Did Five Years Ago Just Normal. Your Life Comes Back And In My Case No Disire To Abuse Anymore. I Feel So Fortunate That This Treatment Was Available. It Is Truley A Lifsaver. I Beleive As Well As My Doc, That Sub Will Soon Be A Normal Script That Any Doc Will Be Able To Write. Not Knowing How The First Time Will Be Is Scary. I Was Scared Also. I Know You Will Be Very Happy With The Results.
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!!
Great to hear that you are doing well Vicky. I do agree with Diamondgirl. Self honesty is the key. We need to be sure that we really need the medication and that we need the dosage given to us. Vicky, I realize that SSRIs hit different receptors and that Sub is an opiate. That was my concern and my resistance to starting sub. I didn't want an opiate period. However, my doc explained the possibility of permanent damage to my opiate receptors and that my body may never produce the amount that my receptors require even if some of my receptors quiet down and my body's production increases. The comparison of the two drugs was merely that both could have the same effect. Their mechanism of action is entirely different. A lack or shortage of endorphin production can create a depression which is similar to the depression that an SSRI could treate. I was given an SSRI to treat that endorphin depression and it didn't work. My body needed the opiate. Sub does work differently than your typical opiate such as Vicodin and thus the reduced potential for abuse. It has a ceiling effect. It also binds very tightly to the receptors and that is the reason it displaces other opiates. If you aren't in withdrawal, it will throw you into withdrawal. I tried methadone because I was having major surgery and needed to get off sub and methadone could definitely be abused. The bummer was that after taking oxy for the post surgery pain, I had to go through withdrawals before going back on sub. I have no idea what the future holds regarding my continued use of sub. My ultimate goal is to get off of it if it is possible. I do believe that there needs to be a shift in philosophy so that people are more tolerant of sub use and availability because it will ease the suffering of those who truly want to get off the other opiates. I read the posts on this board and can see the suffering. We are the lucky ones, but we still need to be honest. Take care and enjoy life again.
Re: Suboxone..how much and what to expect please!! 
Have to be honest...3 years?!?! That scares me a bit, why so long Jerry..that of course is a respectful question. Am I looking about the same time frame? Thanks for your imput..still hungry for more information!! Peace!
..Hope to hear back from you soon!
