sub for chronic pain

[funma]

Good day to everybody who is reading this post. I am fairly new here and I wanted to post a new thread about subs for chronic pain.
I have a condition called trigeminal neuralgia that leaves me with 24/7 boring, shooting pain in the left side of my face. I had been on oxy, norco, etc. for about two years when I took too many of my pain pills and my doc kicked me as a patient because I broke the pain contract. I was off of oxy for a month in a half still faced with my 24/7 pain when I went to see a new doc and she rx'ed me suboxone. I have been taking it for three weeks and it helps my pain a lot! It helps as much as the oxy did.
SO, what im wondering is if anybody else out there takes it for pain?? Please tell me your experiences and how it helps/dosent help your pain.
Thanks,
laura

[seelivemusic]

I know that a few of the guys in my suboxone program are rx'd tramadol for pain in addition to suboxone. Its a tricky slope as you know, and most docs are hesitant to rx pain meds to suboxone main patient.

I tooled around the web for you and you are right that there are not many resources related to this topic and I would think that it would come up often. Many people I've met on suboxone treatment deal with chronic pain on a daily basis and became dependent on opioids because of it.

I will ask around at my next group session, good luck and hang in there!

[christin1225]

funma,
I take Suboxone for treatment of my addiction. Therefore, I take it in much higher dosages than you do when taking it for pain. That's a peculiar thing about Suboxone. When it comes to using it for pain management, less is better. 2mg is effective when 8mg will do nothing for pain.

Many people do not find good pain management with Suboxone. The fact that you have, is wonderful. From what I've read, unlike other opiates, Suboxone is not likely to require you to take more and more as your tolerance builds because you won't build a tolerance exactly as you would with other opiates.

Also, the potential for abuse is less because it's only a partial agonist and, therefore, the euphoric properities aren't the same as your full agonists, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, methadone, etc. It also helps that you won't benefit from taking other opiates while on Suboxone. The Bupe will block the effects of the other opiates (that's why some docs try Tramadol on patients taking Suboxone. Tramadol is a bit different chemically.)

Suboxone is a win-win situation for an addict who has pain issues that require medication.

[funma]

Hi,
I have read the few comments I have got and I wanted to let you know I take 16 mg a day for my chronic pain and that's ordered by my doctor. It does help for the pain but only at 50-75%, the same as what oxy or vicodin did for me.
I have found it hard to find chronic pain ppl out there on subs...At one point my doctor (different one) offered me methadone about a year ago to treat my chronic pain as well so if your on methadone for chronic pain this pertains to you as well.
Thanks,
Laura

[funma]

I was on vics for a year and then I built a tolerence to them so then went up to oxy's and built a tolerence to them as well. I was UA'ed and they found marijuana and my doctor dropped me as a pt. so I had to w/d from oxy's cold turkey. I just moved and found a new doc and told her about my pain and she rx'ed my subs. I was at the point of raTHER BEING 6 FEET UNDER THAN LIVING WITH THE PAIN. i DID BECOME DEPENDANT ON THE OXY, VICS, but not sure if I became an addict...

[barb dwyer]

hi funma-

I'm not on the stuff you mentioned - but maybe you can find some information on the 'recovery pain management' forum? perhaps there's a line there that can help you?