Take 2 ..day 3...Subutex?? story and QUESTIONS??

Baseball65 · 10-29-2004, 01:29 PM

Hi everybody.
Here's the update.
Stopped Tuesday night at 9:30(last lortab)...did about 12-14 that day(who counts?)

Drove to the Sub MD. 3 hrs the next AM. At about 3:00 when I saw the MD I was just at the gateway to the lake of fire....cramping,jittery,nausea,crabby,s cared,CRAVING....the standard jones.
But nothing like the last time.Never completely freaked out,puked,anxiety,skyrocketing pulse...None of that.(I took .5mg of xanax twice)

Dr. and staff were like a godsend...caring...patient...inquisitive ....very detailed and professional without that "herd" approach so many Dr.s Have now.

Unlike the inpatient place I went before,he had me take 2 x 8 mgs(16) subutex all at once.The last time I detoxed,they gave me 4 mgs every 4 hours 5 times a day(20 total)....My new Doc says the current CW is that all at once is better.

Went to the hotel,and after a phenergan "the hard way"(LOL!) My stomach settled,and I actually ate the first full meal I'd had in days...slowly just to be careful.Also saw the World series game....WOW!!! I had to make sure the sun still rose in the East the next morning.The red sox WON????

Thursday AM,after a good nights sleep,I woke up a little jonesy,but tolerable....kept pacing and straightening up the Hotel room like an OCD person(which I am/used to be)

Saw the MD again Thursday at 1:30 in the afternoon.Sort of in a little withdrawal again,but much less than the day before.We reviewed the past 24 hours,and he dosed me with 12 mgs but told me to do another 8 (20)when I got my script filled.He said I shouldn't be having any cravings at all,so he upped it 4 mgs.

Well,by the time I got to the RX,I felt pretty good and was a bit hesitant to take the other 8 mgs,but doc had told me that 16 wasn't enough if I had jonesed within 16-18 hours.He said my dose should be 20,and possibly 24 until the cravings subsided.

So...I took the other 8....and boy...out of body experience...kind of scary.So I called him (My Md gives out his personal Phone # to all his patients and takes calls 24/7 !) and he reminded me that the subutex was having a little "battle" for the opioid receptors,and that I was still in withdrawal.I also had forgotten to take the xanax,and after I did,except for feeling like a bubble head,I was AOK.

Woke up today (friday...day 3..today) feeling excellent...zero jones...just a little bubble headed.As the mornings been progressing I felt a little panicky,and remembered that according to the withdrawal clock,I should still be withdrawing from the HYDRO.I just took 1 mg of xanax,and I feel fine again.I was just a little bummed...I felt so good upon awakening I thought I'd just waltz back into the real world....I've always been a little impatient.

NOW for my sub using friends here:
My Doc told me he wants me on subutex rather than suboxone for the first 3-4 weeks.He said he just likes to make sure there is ZERO overlap with the Narcotics in your system. Is this how youse guyses and gals started??

2nd: I'm a bit concerned about taking all 20 mgs at once again today...I don't want to Jones...but that was reeeeeeaaally weird.He said some of his patients split their dose.....what do you guys and gals do??

3rd. I asked him,like the little impatient child that I am,if after a few days I felt super(which I've had substantial stretches of already) if I could start taking less...tapering myself....he said NO way,not until I see him next week.

How fast did you guys taper????

I plan on doing it for months,but I thought we taper to a lower dose fairly quick????

On the whole,though for you people who've inquired,I'd say this stuff is nothing short of miraculous in the symptomatic reduction of cravings.No cramps,no nausea,no puking,no racing mind(planning the next "score")

I actually woke up this morning looking forward to the future for the first time in months.....and I have no particular reason to be happy other than....."anywhere is better than where I was"

sorry for rambling...lots to tell..lots to learn.

ALSO!!! ALERT!!

We are not supposed to be posting our e-mail addresses on the site.It's in the posting rules.I just got a warning for it,and this board is so helpful to all of us I'd hate to lose my,your or any of our posting privileges.I was given a second chance after pleading ignorance (which was true) but I thought I'd also prevent others from being banned by re-iterating what I was told.
No e-mails or personal info,phone #'s etc.

Maybe later we can ask the moderator how to exchange info without breaking the rules,but for the time being its NOT cool!!

--Peace
_____---Baseball65 (My team is the Angels,so I know how confused you red sox fans are...how do we celebrate???)

murphy65 · 10-29-2004, 02:30 PM

delete please

goddessgrl65 · 10-30-2004, 12:39 PM

Im so happy-welcome to getting your **** together-w/o an entire freakshow..no white knuckles..jonseing nights...etc.
Suboxone gives you the ability to pick up where you left off-(pre-drug/daze) and give you a chance-to heal and feel-and perspective.
I know this is going to be the chance for you to get some recovery-it worked for me-and i was near hopeless-(iv heroin for yrs)..
peace to you-
GoddessBless
ggrl

Sarandipity · 10-30-2004, 01:02 PM

Baseball, (Hello Goddess grl too!)
In rehab they called sub's: the "makes a dead man walk" drug. It's true, it whipped me outta withdrawls- enough to get in the programs and then tapered me off.
He put me on Phenobarb for the first two days b/c I was taking 20 vics a day and the suboxone would make me ill if I took it so close to the vics.
Anyway- keep it in mind, my experience was I took sub for only 10 days and when I got off I had 7 days of full blown detox- it was pretty bad but I guess not as bad as never taking sub.

Have a good weekend,

Sara

Baseball65 · 10-30-2004, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarandipity

Baseball, (Hello Goddess grl too!)
In rehab they called sub's: the "makes a dead man walk" drug. It's true, it whipped me outta withdrawls- enough to get in the programs and then tapered me off.
He put me on Phenobarb for the first two days b/c I was taking 20 vics a day and the suboxone would make me ill if I took it so close to the vics.
Anyway- keep it in mind, my experience was I took sub for only 10 days and when I got off I had 7 days of full blown detox- it was pretty bad but I guess not as bad as never taking sub.

Have a good weekend,

Sara

Yes Ma'am!
I've already detoxed off sub once before..with the added terror of not being told there was a withdrawal from it.The rehab/detox I went through was one of the most mismanaged,uncompassionate hellholes I'd ever been exposed to.My stay in Van Nuys central Jail was easier.
They had had a fire at their sober living affiliate the night before I entered,so rather than house the sober living people elsewhere,they moved them back into the detox unit(god forbid they lose some of that fat insurance money).I had to sleep on THE FLOOR of the gameroom on a pile of dirty blankets the first night.I asked to take a shower,and they said they were out of towels(the facility was for 26-28 people,but they were housing 40 something)
The next night,I couldn't get a bed until past midnight as they fought over sleeping arrangements(detoxers weren't allowed to sleep on top bunks,and no one wants the top)
The third day I began to projectile vomit,and hadn't slept in 72 hours....my BP went to 200/140 and my resting heart rate was 100-120...full blown panic attack! That's when I found out that there was no qualified medical personel there after 6 PM...the DETOX almost had to call 911...that would have been really funny..........I was already IN a "medical" drug facility!!! Where would the paramedics have taken me??
On the fouth day,having vomited for 2 days without ANY sleep,the "counselour" I'd been assigned told me,before I had uttered a word to her..." I've seen your type before...the tough guys....I know how to break you down".....very professional.
I calmly wrote an articulated evaluation of everything that had happened since I checked in,including her statement(they ended up writing her up and putting her on warning..)
I began to pack my stuff to go home....THAN the staff immediately came rushing to investigate the treatment I had been receiving,the way I'd been condescended to etc.
They noticed that I had skipped meds over the weekend.They asked why.
It seems I was supposed to be getting them myself out of the dispensary(LOL) they asked me why I hadn't notified a nurse....I told them there wasn't one....they asked me why I hadn't notified my counselour....the one who I had just met 4 DAYS into treatment...They assured me it was all a big misunderstanding and that the rest of my stay would be very professional.....so....an hour later I'm waiting for my meds(now I know I'm supposed to get in LINE....) it's time for GROUP...I tell my Counselour I haven't gotten my meds(it takes 40 plus people a LONG time) she tells me "you can get them after group" (2 hours after they are scheduled??)
I defy her and sit there waiting for my meds.....she stops the group every 5 minutes to poke her head out and see if I'm ready for group....one hour and 15 minutes later I get my meds...punchline is...I'm due for the next ones in 45 minutes......I spent the next 4 days in the MED line.........

so...2 days out of the place,my regular doc is trying to contact them to ask what the hell they had me on and why I'm so sick after coming out of a detox....they never even returned his call.....

It'll be a loooooooooooooooong time before I would ever recomend in patient treatment for anybody......unless I really don't like them.

They did officially apologize to me on my checkout date....probably afraid I'd pass this info on to my Insurance co.

anyways....sorry for the irate diatribe.....before I did the outpatient thang this time,I researched the MD extensively.Got feedback from other people...and he was the most caring compassionate man I've ever met.I called him last night at 8:00 PM on a Friday,and he apologized for taking 20 minutes to call me back!!

I'm well aware of the comedown,but my body was not ready for the quickie shock of rapid detox(and the added grief they gave me)
I intend to be on the sub for months and then to taper sloooooow when my Dr. tells me I can.

I'm glad to hear you had such a good time in rehab.I'm certain they are all not like the one I went thru,but sheeeeesh....did I have a nightmarish experience or what?

Love hearing how upbeat you sound
Keep the faith
-Baseball