Does Suboxone work?

[Jester2005]

I would like to know what your opinions are on Suboxone for treating pain killer pills?
Did it work for you? How did it make you feel?
I've heard that this is the easiest, quickest, and best way to detox.
If you tried Suboxone, do you agree or disagree?

Any comments would be appreciated, too... THX!!

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20%

 (4) 

Suboxone worked for me and I'm clean

50%

 (10) 

it worked for me but I'm still on Suboxone

10%

 (2) 

it didn't worked for me but it wasn't that bad

20%

 (4) 

it was a horrible experience

20 Members voted

[Kova]

Hi.  i will say that i have used Sub to detox, but not in the amounts or length of time that the doctors prescribe.  i used LITTLE PIECES of it, like 2-3 mgs., for a FEW DAYS only!  i still had to suffer through some withdrawal (this was to get off of methadone), but there was no way i was just going to Sub-stitute (ha ha) one drug WD for another so i was really careful about how much Sub i used.  i only took it on the days that were simply unbearable, and believe me there were many days that i felt like total cr*p and wanted to take it, but just stuck it out.  i had heard too many horror stories of sub WD, and i was not about to go down that road.  i think these drugs, methadone and Sub, do have some value to help get clean, but i think that they are way overused and overprescribed.  what people have to understand is that, no matter how you slice it, there is going to be some pain kicking drugs and you just have to go through it.  so many of us want a simple and pain free detox, and to my knowledge, there is no such thing.

Kova

[james1393]

trade off is an endless cycle. i went inpaitent for treatment and spoke to the staff about the treatment before i even got there. 8-20days with a tappering off slowly. it helped alot not perfect but i was not trying to be a hero and do it myself. the worst side effect was the last 2-3 days my mind was a crazy, to be expected, why not i used for years and to think all was going to be ok.
my body and mind ganged up on me because it wanted its comfot food..DRUG Of Choise
All suboxon is,, an option i had a good expiriance with it, thats me story and im sticking to it.
i still needed a 12 step program

[james1393]

sorry not to you
for Jester

[liscamdave]

It works for some and for some it does not. Everyone is different and usage and previous drug of choice play a part in what sub will do for someone. Also, how your specific sub treatment is will also determine what the outcome will be. I did a sub treatment and did it for about 27days. My w.d, when I stopped the sub, was there but not as bad as I have experienced before. It was not easy by any means though. People are often misled and tricked into thinking sub is a way out of w.d. and it is not. There is NO WAY to bybass w.d, except with a strict and completely legit taper. If tapered properly, you can greatly diminish w.d. However, I have heard of some people who said they detoxed with sub and completely by-passed w.d with only headaches. I cannot say whether or not they were telling the truth. I don't personally believe in sub for long term treatment as it is then trading one addiction for another. I do think Sub is beneficial if taken properly. It all depends on the person.

[refusingbondage]

I cant click a button above cause its really not that simple.  Does suboxone work - yes for most people it does WHILE YOUR ON IT.  When taking suboxone I did not crave or worry too much about relapse.  I had some side effects (headaches every day, dizziness and nausea for the first two weeks) and yes it took any and all withdrawal pain away instantly.  Eventually though I became desperately addicted to suboxone, loved suboxone, and needed it the same way I needed percocet/oxy/vicodin (whatever) until I began hating it (just like my drug(s) of choice).  When I quit suboxone after being on it for 2 1/2 years, I experienced severe withdrawal.. Which I was told would never happen.  For me, it was worse than any other detox I had gone through, physically and mentally (and there were many many many in my years as an addict).  Not to mention that soon after the withdrawal ended and the 'detox' ended, I went right back to craving and wanting pills (not suboxone pills, but any other pills).. It was like the whole 2 1/2 years of being 'clean on sub' never happened.  All in all, if I could do it over, I would not have ever used suboxone.  Just my experience though.  Many others have had positive experiences with it and I do agree whole-heartedly that it can be beneficial if used properly.  

[xru11]

Suboxone/Subutex certainly worked for me in terms of getting me off Lortabs and the like but that wasn't the problem for me.  Getting off subs was extremely difficult.  An absolute hellish experience so what category out of those you've provided would I check????  I am 128 days off subs but my God!!!!! Quite an ordeal!

[worried878]

i have used sub for a week or so at a time..being a hydro user it didnt take much..like 1-2 mgs and i had a buzz from it..used it when i was out of pills..did not use it to detox cos i liked it too much..it is stronger than my DOC and for me i could definitely feel that..so to me it woulda been like switching to oxycontin to get off of hydrocodone/i realize sub is a partial agonist so it is really not the same but i did not want a new drug of choice/i was not that deep in this craziness yet/...granted i would had no wd but unless u get off quick u will be addicted to it..most will anyway as some use it long term, taper down slowly and r ok..unless u do the work like meetings and aftercare...sub is simply a way to skip feeling bad for many..and a dangerous choice to skip wds as it could grab them too if not careful..if used under a doctors care with meetings and aftercare..i think sub can be a great tool to get clean..if the person is truly ready to be clean...the sub can not do the work for you

[TysonRed]

In my opinion suboxone should be more of a last line of defense after the person has tried other means of detox/recovery. People need to realize that there is no easy way around withdrawals, besides the w/d part, staying clean is far harder than getting clean. I do agree that suboxone can be great tool when its utilized correctly, its just theres no clear cut way for everyone to take it. We are all so very different, our bodies, types of drugs, amount taken and our will to get clean. My hope is that in the years to come with more research, more first hand experiences that we can all learn more about this drug. Best wishes to everyone!

[kitten246]

How long do you think it takes to get hooked on Sub?  I've been taking it for 5 days now (this time).  I've heard all these horror storeis and don't understand because sev yrs back I was on it for 2 yrs and had no trouble when it came time to get off, and same with getting off benzos too - so now why?  I don't understand.

[steveo30]

consider yourself very lucky

[wannabefree330]

let me start by saying Sub is not a cure all- fix all drug.  If you think you will get sober by taking sub alone, you are seriously mistaken!!

I take sub.  I started at 32mg a day.  8mg tabs, 4 times a day.
When I went to detox I was eating 60-70 Lortab 10's a day, had been taking that much for 5 months.
Within 1month of discharge from detox, I weaned down to 16mg a day.  8mg tabs, twice a day.
I continue to take that amount due to chronic pain issues I have, and will always have.

Sub does not make me high.  I don't fantasize about Sub like I did with my DOC.  I never have the urge to take more than prescribed, and have not had any cravings for opiates, or to even get high.
I do not plan on going off sub anytime soon.  One of the reasons I went on it, besides my insane addiction to lortab, was needing something that controlled my pain without making me high.  For ME sub does this.  does not work for everyone though.

When I do finally quit, it will be under a physicians supervision, and will be extremely slow taper.

Now, am I a cured addict??? HELLL NO.  I will always be an addict.  I attend one AA meeting and one NA meeting a week, and I also go to 4 aftercare meetings a month (provided by my treatment center).  I have learned that once I start slacking on mymeetings/ aftercare.....my addictive thoughts return and a relapse is waiting around the corner.

If you're serious about quitting, sub is a great drug to HELP you get through the physical detox.  But addiction is 10%physical and 90% mental.  remember that

[mtgoat911]

you can use sub. to get off pills or herion but then what are you going to use to get off the sub.
because sub detox is in my experience tougher than most opiates,
if your serious about quiting opiates sub is not for you because sub is an opiate
but if you want to maintain your addiction sub is for you
it all depends on what you want

[worried878]

remembering u have to do the work to get clean is a very important thing..this so called miracle drug will not do any work for u..only u can..and hopefully the sub will keep u away from drugs long enuf to do this much needed work

[LateAugust]

We can all agree to disagree on Suboxone,      for the people that have been here for a while it has been debated to the ends of the eatth.      I don't think of it as something "you want" rather another alternative to getting off of opiotes.   And please dont tell me it is an opiate,  I can debate you ad naseum on the difference of chemistry, yet it is also habit forming.     Symthetically there is an opiate derivative,  but there are other drugs (blocker)    that will make you sicker than a dog  if you try to abuse oxy or similar drugs while on a suboxone treatment.    When you have tried every treatment that is available and have failed, I think it is irresponsible for anyone to pass on personal experience  or what you have read on  Suboxone treatment as tho they were or are medical facts.   Again, I  may be the miniority but the Sub docs I know, including the one treating my daughter,  are not in it for the money,  rather are weary of what oxy addiction is doing to our children and our community.    Get good medical advise       and if you have tried everything else   Suboxone may work for you... it also can provide you with a bit of "normalcy" to get your life semi-back to normal,  no stealing, working, going to aftercare is paramount..  It too tho can also be abused,  as most drugs,  the primary goal  or attempt,  is that you really want to quit, and all of the other methods i.e. treatment havent been able to keep you clean, including  aftercare.   It is a very personal decision and should be made between you and your doctor that you trust.    

[mtgoat911]

back when i was on the sub clinic, it cost me $200 a month to see the sub doc and $35 a day for the pill, i was stealing to pay for my sub habit, it maybe cheaper now days, not sure

[lovemypillhead]

it didnt "work for me" personally.
it did my bf.  he isnt on it right now because we ran outta money................but he did good on it

[posteman]

i think LateAugust has hit it dead on ...there is no right or wrong way...EVERYBODY will react differently to sub...if somebody has tried and cannot kick an addiction , to tell them not to try sub because THEY had a bad experience is just  outrageous and selfish..and i have to believe that MOST doctors are in it to help and not for the money[ i hope]

[Ga Guy]

There's a ton of misinformation in your post...especially concerning the "getting sick as a dog if trying to abuse oxy's" while on Sub. If your Sub level is above 4, the Oxy will have little to no effect, and will take unusually higher dosages in relation to the amount of Sub over that magic 4mg threshold. the misconceptions come from the naloxone which is placed in with the bupe to seemingly stope people frm making an iv solution and shooting the suboxone directly into the vein. If taken sublingually, the naloxone is destroyed in the gut and has no effect. The primary goal of Sub, and an area many have gotten away from, is that Sub places addiction into remission so that the real work of recovery can be put in place (without a 30 day stay in rehab and the requisite lack of income).

[KLM_81]

Great post, Ga Guy. You've obviously done your homework, as those are the FACTS. Not everyone's experience is identical, but what you just said is true and applies to everyone who takes it (correctly). I was on it for several months, but it got way too expensive to continue, so I swapped to MMT. To change over to Methadone, I had to stop taking the Sub for four days (according to my doc) and I can honestly say that for me, the WD's from Sub were not as bad as when I tried to quit Oxycontin or Dilaudid c/t. Also, I'd like to say that these options are what works for me. And that I learned this by trying just about everything else first. Abstinence can work for some, it just wasn't working for me. There's plenty of options, dont' be afraid to try 'em all.

[KLM_81]

Kitten.......when you think about it, a person is already (in essence) hooked on Sub before they even take it. It's an opiate, and if you take it, that means that you were already addicted to opiates. I promise I'm not trying to be a smart @ss, that's just the best way I could put it. Peace, KLM

[Shelwoy]

I take Sub and work as an advocate for Sub assisted recovery and am in college to be an addictions specialist.
What I know for certain is that there are many doctors out there prescribing Sub that have no clue what they are doing, in turn, patients leave these doctors feeling lied to,cheated, misinformed, etc. It is a shame, but until all people take it upon themselves to get the facts, people will disagree, people will blame sub for all sorts of things.
One fact is that while taking opiates, the brain receptors are messed up.Sub helps get them back in check.If you are not on it long enough, it will do nothing but put off the inevitable.Also, the drug is only part of a plan- you still need to re educate yourself to recover.Many people take Sub and do nothing to change their thinking, and wind up right back where they started.
There will always be drama over sub- and that's OK The people who do well with it should spread the word on how it helped them just like the ones that think it is a bad thing.We can learn from both sides of the argument!