Discussions that mention methadone

I have detoxed from heroin twice with Buprenex. These were after two fairly short (2 -3 month long) relapses. The first time I did not experience much, if any, withdrawal. It was beautiful. The treatment period was about fifteen days. I used 3-4 vials per day the first 3 days, then 2 vials per day for a few days, then one vial per day for a few days, and finally stopped when I was down to less than 1/2 a vial in a day.

A year later when I relapsed again, the Buprenex did not work as well on me. I injected nearly seven of the 5mg vials the first 12 hours alone, until I felt normal, and because I used so much the first day my ninteen vials lasted me only 5-6 days. I figured that was enough but the Buprenex itself had some nasty side effects for over a week which included chills, WEAKNESS, extreme insomnia and night sweats. Of course some of these may have been from the heroin but I think it's unlikely to have chills and sweats ten days after stopping a relatively mild heroin habit (about 1/4 gram a day for 2 months).

So, in short, Buprenex EASES the symptoms of withdrawal but does not necessarily eliminate them. Also, there is no telling how much you may need depending on the severity of your habit.

I hope never to go back to the horrible drug, but if I do I have not found anything better than Buprenex to kick with. I think this is it for me. Before my two relapses I had ten years clean and sober and in between the relapses was clean a year, so I do know how to stay clean. Maybe it is just as well that this Buprenex W/D was NOT painless. It will make me think twice about EVER using again.

Good luck.

And methadone is not the answer either. It's just substituting one form of opiate for another.

I would like to add that the reasons I relapsed were simply -- I was not going to N.A. or "Smart Recovery" meetings regularly and I was not in contact with my N.A. Sponsor. When I work a good program of Recovery I do not relapse. So the fault was mine...we heroin addicts CAN stay clean for good.

cryyellow...i was injecting buprenex for four years to try to maintain...its an opiate just as methadone....i believe you meant .3ml vials...that is what i was on....3 a day to start.....you were experiencing heroin s/effects...buprenex is the parental drug of suboxne/subutex.....i was amused when folks thought that bupenorphine was a miracle drug...there is no such thing period when it comes to opiates.....all opiates bring w/d's and in the end we all deal with the same damm emotioins fightin this disease we all own for the rest of our lifes................the way i look at it...if a person had a pill problem with vicodin..and they were put on oxycontin they would say wow...no w/d's...no kidding......chef

Quote from chefob1:

cryyellow...i was injecting buprenex for four years to try to maintain...its an opiate just as methadone....i believe you meant .3ml vials...that is what i was on....3 a day to start.....you were experiencing heroin s/effects...buprenex is the parental drug of suboxne/subutex.....i was amused when folks thought that bupenorphine was a miracle drug...there is no such thing period when it comes to opiates.....all opiates bring w/d's and in the end we all deal with the same damm emotioins fightin this disease we all own for the rest of our lifes................the way i look at it...if a person had a pill problem with vicodin..and they were put on oxycontin they would say wow...no w/d's...no kidding......chef

But would you not agree, Oxycontin doesnt make you feel as clear headed as the suboxone? And with oxys you have to continuinually go up on your dose, not so with suboxone. As a matter of fact less is more with suboxone AND you do not feel high at all on the suboxone as you would on oxycontin. I dont really think you can compare the two, can you? That statement just thru me a little. Oxycontin is so so dangerously being abused and theres no way you can abuse suboxone. I will still stand strong on the Suboxone for it has saved and totally changed my life! Hope you are doing good also, take care.

ps...banker,you stated you were substituting one drug for another and then in the next sentence your saying your clean...i know wher your comin from cause i still am clean...i take 60 mg of methadone instead of the bupenorphine...when i go to my a/a meetings though,i dont declare my sobriety...not just yet...im still on med to i can clear my head up and beaat this disease after it destroyed my life.....i lost my wife and kids along with my job,so you are blessed my friend...anyways,gettin back to where i was...by the way,im not arguing with ya and i hope your not offended.....but the way i look at it is we are substituting,we are runnin from the enevetable until we can comes to term with our disease and personally i wean off the methadone very slowly,just like youll have to with the suboxone.....and when the time is right and we have weaned down,we stop taking opiates all together....an opiate is still the drug of our choice...that is not going to change....anyways,are here to support you guys,not bicker............but to me,a opiate is a opiate......and there isnt a difference...in the degree of w/d symptoms,ill still have the same,when it comes time...severity varies from person to person..........chef

Chef - I didn't say I was clean... I was talking about the meetings and that in order to stay clean, I felt like one would have to attend meetings. I definitely do NOT think I am clean, by any means. I realize that I'm substituting... that's what I said in my post. I think we are both saying the same thing. I agree with you, that an opiate is an opiate but I still say that being on Suboxone is better than being on 20 lortabs a day. Are you sure that if a NON addict took Bup they would feel a 'high'? Anyway, I know that when I took methadone for a while, it was better than lortabs for me. It 'hid' my problems just like lortabs did and I also felt like I could accomplish anything... but it only took one 10 mg pill instead of 5 lortabs. However, with Suboxone - it does not give me that euphoric feeling at all. I feel every ounce of pain and joy and everything else that comes with every day life.

Anyway, you know we love you and I do think we are saying the same thing. The only difference is, I am by no means taking Suboxone to hold off withdrawals. I'm taking it because I will go back to abusing pain meds if I don't. I'm taking it because it has made me be able to be a better person --- whatever it is doing to my receptors... it is making me make responsible decisions and I have never been as clear minded or 'in tune' with my feelings, my childrens' feelings, etc. Seriously - I absolutely could not not abuse pain meds without it... and I feel like if I got off of it... I would go right back to abusing pain meds. At least I think I would. I'm not taking it because I'm scared of withdrawals. I'm scared of killing myself with lortabs. Anyway, I'll get working on that loan right away --- Just put it in the name of Chef? lol

i beleive if i go back and look at my addiction problem that i would be able to beat it...conquer it...there would be no second guessing....if i didnt have w/d's....i would not keep on usin them if i wasnt in the end just stavin off the w/d's...if i could get over that hump i would/will never touch a pill again unless i had to cause my problem is two fold.....i also have a bad back....and the methadone keeps my pain in check so i can wake up every day and work from 6am till 9pm so i can pay my child support and keep 100 bucks a week after all my payments are said and done....the methadone wont let me take a oxy or lortab...i wouldnt feel it...i dont feel euphoric from the methadone...id have to double my dose...with the buprenex i had alot of energy but i drank to compinsate that...which i dont now...and on the bupe id love to take a benzo..it would feel like i was speedballin...so in a sense my meds now work better for me than the viscious pain pill cycle and the suboxone is keepin your addiction in check...the bupe kept mine in check too but there were more problems as i described...im not sure how long ill stay on the meth...same as you with the bupe...i know in the end what your sayin...goodnight....cheffie

Well, it's easy to say no to drugs when already loaded on buprenorphine (Buprenex, Subutex, Suboxone) anyway. This is why morphine was considered a cure for alcoholism or cocaine for morphine addiction.

Substituting one drug for another still results in addiction -- just to a different substance. Buprenorphine is just another opiate but a legal one like methadone.

Better than using street heroin or other illegal narcotics but the addiction remains as strong as ever. :confused: