anad

Hi Everyone,
Im looking for some advise if anyone can help. I have been a H addict for the last 5 years and am starting suboxone literally any time now. I have never suffered any major withdrawls and am scared as to what to expect, please if anyone can tell me what i will be going through as i was told not to even anitipate taking subs until at least 24 hours from my last smoke, by the way i am into the first few hours.....

Lyoness

Hi anad! Congrats for deciding to get off the opiate merry-go-round! Are you taking the subs from a doctor or clinic? Can they give you advice about this?

We aren't allowed to give any medical advice here but I can say that in my own experience my subs doc said I needed to be off the oxy (short acting opiates) for 12 hours before going on the subs and off fentanyl (long acting opiates) for 48 hours before trying subs. You are supposed to be in a moderate level of withdrawals before starting the subs.

Hope this helps!

anad

thank u lyoness, im bein prescribed the subs by a clinic, i live in spain and we have a free doc 4 addicts. I havent yet taken the first sub coz im so scared of withdrawls big time but im literally crawling now so gona have it in a minute. Thanks again and wil let u know my outcome. Whats yr current situation, do u stil take them?

Lyoness

HI, you're welcome. Yes, I'm still on the subs. I'm doing a 6 month taper with the only subs doc in my town. I'm about 2/3 of the way through. It has definitely been a lifesaver because there was no way I could taper off the oxy and I could not face going c/t.

I've had some slips while on it but still feel like I have really come a long way. I was snorting and injecting the oxy and now I'm fairly steady on the subs, except for the slips like I said. But I've had slips and not full blown relapse and that is a very good thing.

I'm also doing counseling along with the subs, it was a prerequisite for being able to do the subs treatment. Are you doing any counseling or groups or have any other support to help with quitting?

anad

hey lyoness, thanx 4 the response and may i first say congrats 2 u, u seem 2 b doin very well im pleased 4 u. To b honest aside from chattin 2 ppl on sites like this i have no othes form of support, my family r far from me beside7 the fact that they no nothing about my addiction which is hard. My husband is in the same situation as i am so we try 2 stick together. In case u wanted 2 no i took the sub last night and another when woke this morn and im feelin pretty good, i just cant believe we havent had a smoke 4 nearly 2 days! Sad i know, i just never thought i cud do it. I hear a lot of ppl take oxy, what is this? Is it similar 2 meth? I took meth for 5 yrs

AngelBabe

Where I live oxy's are referred to as "hillbilly heroin".

Lyoness

Hi anad! Congrats on 2 days! Opiates are so hard to kick, we gotta celebrate every victory big and small. I think those first days are big victories.

Oxy is oxycodone, a drug prescribed for pain relief that works incredibly for pain but that is also highly addictive. It's probably the most abused opiate there is. I hear a lot of people compare it to heroin, I haven't used heroin but I think it's probably a valid comparison, at least in how addictive it is.

I'm assuming when you say meth, you mean methadone? "Meth" often refers to methamphetamine here so just checking. If so, did you find the methadone helpful? I've been debating about switching to it because I have a lot of pain issues and I've had a few slips and used because of them. I've heard that methadone can be very helpful for treating pain but I've also heard it can be hard to get off of.

I'm glad you found SR. I go to counseling and come here whenever I have computer access. I find SR is a real lifesaver. You should post on some of the other forums here, too. You'll meet lots of folks who can relate and give you lots of support.

anad

thank u so much u alone r helping me greatly but i wil post on other forums i havent got quiet used the site but wil check around. I personaly dont like the methadone and wudnt advise it 2 any1 but of course what didnt do wel 4 me doesnt mean it wudnt 4 others, i greatly believe that the reason i was so bad with withdrawls was due 2 the meths more than the heroin and this was not a nice experience! Wel im on day 3 and not missing the drug 1 little bit but i know its early days.

mialicious

Congratulations anad! 3 days is really something to celebrate! It's true what Lyoness wrote, we must celebrate victories, big and small. They are all successes. It's a war against physical, psychological and mental enslavement by dope. Are you having minor or severe cravings for dope at this point? My husband and I also suck together on this path. It was hard at first learning not to enable and creating new healthy habits. He's currently detoxing methadone (@16mgs) after just over a year on it and 6 years of heroin use. I'm currently clean 2 weeks off methadone after a year on it and 4 years of heroin.

anad

well done 2 u mialicious, now thats defo something c b proud of, i hope that i get 2 b in yr position and b able 2 say the word clean, i truely long 2 reach that point. Im so surprised that im not at all craving so weird or just its the suboxone thats doin wonders. I must say tho that wiv the methodone i smoked all the time during the 5 yr treatment.

mialicious

When I tried to get high while first starting methadone, it made me sleepy. Once I got to a dose to match my high tolerance, I couldn't get high. I was pissed because I was shooting enough to kill a few horses. It took from February 1 - April 29 (for me) to actually stop heroin. Methadone never got me high. The clinic I was at made alot of changes, they will boot you as a patient if you continuously produce dirty ua's. They wean down you fast. Now they even serve your water, they stopped giving out cups and rinse your bottle out for you. Mmt clinics get heaps and piles of federal money for producing opioid free patients. They are highly bureaucratic and regulated. But they offer nothing for quitting. No incentives, either. It could take years to detox after more years of dosing. It ain't pretty by any stretch. I love/hate it. But it was my best option at the time. Eventually with suboxone or methadone, you will have to fight and conquer. But they both offer an end if used properly.

Lyoness

Congrats on three days, that's terrific! One thing I haven't paid enough attention to but am starting to, is that overall my cravings have dropped tremendously. And I am starting to remind myself that it's a big deal, even with a few slips, that I'm on 12mgs subs instead of 500mg oxy!
So, yes, celebrate those victories big and small... Everyday you don't use is helping to change your brain's wiring!

mialicious

How is it going this far? Any developments? I hope you and your man are doing well!

stopaddiction

I was once on this site a couple of years ago trying to quit pain pills cold turkey. It didn't work. I have severe pain in my neck and lower back with several herniated discs in both areas. I was being treated by the same dr for 7 years and she kept upping my lortab per day bc that's as high of pain meds they could prescribe there. When they quit working for me I went seeking better relief. I found it in percs, oxy, methadone..and ate my tabs as well. I lost my dr last yr bc she went to a diff side of the office. Then i lost my NP bc she wanted to urine test me weekly and without insurance..at $300 a pop per UT I couldn't afford it. After knowing i need to quit this merry-go-around of shopping on the streets for relief for the past year..I couldn't do it again cold turkey. I was taking alot of pills a day. Anywhere from 20-30 tab 10s..to 10-15 oxy 20s, to 20 perc 10s..just whatever i could find to buy. Were talking $200-$300 a day. I was told about suboxone last week by a lady selling me meds. I've been needing and wanting to get off the pills for a long time just scared of wds. I've been buying this sub strip and using 8mg a day cut into pieces and it's working well. I have no cravings. I am still in substantial pain, but I'd rather be off the pills than live life day to day panicking if i would find them..and if I was going to have any money. I am not going to clinics. I am buying them like everything else, but using them sparingly. I am hoping to drop off a mg or so at a time within the next few weeks and be clean. I will never use another pain pill again..unless I am dying and know i'll never leave the hospital. Hell at one time after prednisone made me almost die last year...while in hospital they were giving me morephine drip, and having me take my tabs..when discharged they gave me demerol to take between my tabs. Well, if anyone has anything to share that would help me I'd appreciate it. I have no insurance so going to a clinic is not happening. Here in the good ol' state of KY...it's hard getting pain pills strong enough to treat pain anyway. That's why the drs here local keep u on the tabs and up them to six times a day. If you're lucky enough to have insurance to get into a pain clinic for stronger meds to keep u from taking so much or to get the shots, then ur just that...lucky. It's just amazing how many ppl getting the meds don't take them..or I wouldnt have been able to buy so much daily. Sub strips are a Godsend to me...I know I have hope of quitting.

anad

Hey mialicious, thanks so much for askin, we r doin real good in fact today makes it 3 weeks clean cant believe it to b honest but its great and feel good too so subs r really doin the job 4 us thats 4 sure! What about u, how u getin on?

mialicious

Hi stopaddiction. Welcome back! It seems like you've had your share of the pain "management" and medical narcotic scene. May I just pipe in my 2 cents about pain doctors?!
Oh pain! Oh pain doctors! When your dealer is the doctor and the pharmacy is your score spot! It is the "legit" hustle. The worst kind of trap. Trust me I share pain issues big time. In fact that's how my whole mess with heroin started, then methadone. I really would like to reiterate just how much there is pill and heroin epidemic in the past 10 years.
Let us acknowledge good and bad people are making money and losing money on pills and dope. The pharmacies and doctors, street level dealers and users. Afghan or Mexican heroin. It's all addiction guaranteed money gained ...and lost. Lost at what cost? Only the individual can truly answer that one. This opiate issue has ruined lives...ruined generations. I know pain doctors have their place...but what this country has is an abundance of legitimized dealers (doctors) and users paying the price to be awfully numbed, to get off again and again.
When it comes to kicking such a deep mental and physical addiction as opiates and opioids. I truly believe not shocking the body and its functionality is the absolute key to enable the end. Maintenance through suboxone or methadone can do that if they are used right. They both enable you to be craving free while you live your life. Both can be tools to get you of of your opiates/oxy of choice. Have you looked up a local suboxone doctor? unfortunately there are less addiction specialists than there are pain doctors. This is bad. Suboxone doctors aren't as common where I am, and its much more expensive. I did the methadone route to get off the needle and heroin. I'm probably fortunate I didn't know some of the side effects of it when I transitioned. It's also important to remember that there are also other methods of actual pain management. But they do not numb, as we have grown so accustomed to with opiates. You will be tested through each step of this process. But it can absolutely be done without shocking your body. We've loved the life owning awe of being physically and mentally numbed. But endorphins, dopamine and serotonin are true pain killers (and other "happy chemicals" our bodies make naturally) and our chemicals and chemical receptors have been ruined and repeatedly shot through by continual opiate use. It takes our body bit of time and tlc to regain those functions of natural pain relief and happiness. Nature has given us natural anti inflammation and pain management.a
There are herbal and raw foods and supplements that can help with pain management..
Good luck, my friend! Mia

mialicious

@anad - hi there! I'm still hanging on! Today is 4 weeks for me. I'm really proud of you. I must admit, trying to argue with my cravings has become day to day habit. It's a bit annoying. It has become easier than the first week, even second week. But I'm not willing to lose this fight. Much love to you and yours, anad