Hello and thanks for taking the time to read this post. First I should give a little background. I been on my job for the last 25 years and can retire in 5 more. Last Oct. I injured my back while I was at work. This is the 4th time with in the last 5 years. Well I really did it this time as I crushed one of my disks. I’m on totally disability and up until a month ago I was on Norco three times a time to help deal with the pain. The Norco seemed to work pretty as I could move around without too much pain.
A month or so ago I moved into a new area and it was a bit of a drive to see my Dr so I found another one. I still have to see my old Dr until I have my surgery and get released to go back to work.
Anyway my new Dr talked me and my wife into switch my meds to suboxone. His promised was that it would take away the pain and that I would feel normal again. I didn’t understand his statement, feel normal again?
I wasn’t abusing my meds and didn’t take them all the time. But the promise of not being in pain anymore sounded like a good thing.
I have been on the suboxone for a month now and am in just as much pain as before. I call my Dr and all he said was for me to take more. He moved my dose to 8mgs pills three times a day. Still it didn’t work, so a few weeks ago I went in and demanded he take me off them. Right now I haven’t taken any sense yesterday. And that was 2mg.
My question is how long do I have to wait until I can go back to my old medicine. How long does this suboxone stay in your system?
My neuro surgeon tells me not to worry about becoming addicted to the meds as he will take me off slowly.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
WD

I heard that methadone was excellent for pain, but I dont know too much about sub. I think your Dr should put you back on the pills that worked for you and you werent abusing them. You deserve to live your life in comfort and not be in pain all the time. I would have done the same thing and demanded them too sounds like your Dr's arent all on the same page huh? Well I wish you luck. Kim

Thanks for the reply Kim. Its been over 40 hrs or so sense I last took the suboxone. The only real problem is not getting a full nights sleep. I have about 3 or 4 bottles of my other medicine and am affraid to take it because of the terrible stories I've read. But that's just me I guess. Prior to getting hurt my drug of choise was aspirin :)

hi wingdriver, welcome! i though that suboxone was still only being used to help w/addiction and not necesarrily for pain management. i also hear really good things about methadone. i cant help but wonder if your doctor receives some sort of incentive to write suboxone scripts. i have learned in my business where drug representatives are a big customer of mine how pills are peddled so aggresively. the primary job of these drug reps. is to buy off doctors and nurse practitioners. they show up at their offices several times a week to give them free samples of drugs to pass out to patients. they also bring the nurses and doctors lunch and they host networking parties. they have this rediculous expense account specifically for the purpose of buying people out. do you have to option to change docs again? i hope you find a way to manage your pain soon.
hang in there

I don't know about that Marie. But he did sell me out of his office a health food suplement. He also said that he was the only one that could write scripts for suboxone between Dallas and Houston. I still have my injury Dr. and will have to keep her until after the disk gets removed and I recover so she can release me back to work. As fas as pain management goes he told me that he has given suboxone to his patients who have broken arms. Said he would put them on for 3 days or so. Until meeting this Dr., I never had heard of suboxone before.