I need help (long)

[Sjoggie]

Long story short.  I rapid detoxed off of oxycontin and percocet in Dec. 09.

I had been on it for back surgery and couldn't get off of it.  When I came home I was still in detox and wound up on clonidine and neurontin.  Well, I couldn't take the neurontin.

After quitting the neurontin in late January I still had major back pain.

First my doc put me on tramadol, which I only took a couple of, after reading what it could be like getting off of from others on this site.

I am now on Tylenol 4, which I wish to stay on until I can try a variety of options to see if I can find a fix for my back.  I had a pain management appointment set for last month which would have involved having a steroid shot for one of the dx tests.  I got thrush for 3 weeks and that took care of that appointment as thrush loves steroids.

I'm doing PT but have to be careful because I am so out of alignment that my PT says if I do too much I will really do myself in.  I cannot take NSAID's.

So, here is my dilemma.  My doc wants me to go on suboxone and I don't want to.  Why would I take that when I can use the tylenol with codeine, which will be no treat to withdraw from, but not the type of misery I assume the suboxone would.

Does anybody have any articles that a doctor would consider legitimate so I can show her that suboxone would not be a good choice at this point.  She is thinking I have chronic pain and that if I use suboxone I won't get any tolerance to the drug.  I don't buy it.  I think I can get tolerance and I think the disk above the one that was fused is having trouble and so does the pain management person.

I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer.  My doctor has been convinced by a suboxone doctor that this is the way to go.

I want time to see if I can fix this without going up on narcotics.

Thank you to anyone who can help.

[Hatenot]

Suboxone is for getting off opiates. Not for pain management.
If your not addicted to opiates I wouldn't take it.
As for the last with a husband in rehab… Suboxone would do him wonders.
But ONLY if he takes it the way he's supposed to.
Stay on him about doing it right. For his life and your marriage.

[vicki595]

Sjoggie~  Please continue to post so others can give you their feedback re: sub. vs
Tylenol 4.   I,personally,understand your situation and think you were wise to post. There are many here who have sub. experience and can offer their opinions.

All the best~
Vicki

[Sjoggie]

To broknback,

Thank you for being kind.  That was good you made it off the hydrocodone.  I'm not looking to stay on any pain med.  I'm trying to buy some time to try to get my back fixed and/or under enough control that I can manage without pain meds and have been told this is a good possibility.

I also gather I need to stay off this site, which I will.  I don't have the option of moving to Phoenix but I do live in a dry state and the weather changes do cause me trouble.


Lovely, Calamity and rusty,

I'm looking for some help to stay off the suboxone so I can buy time to get my pain fixed and not need any pain meds which, guess what?, that means I will be detoxing off the codeine.  Obviously I will need to stay off this site for any help on that.

For crying out loud, if you are looking to be mean I'm sure you can take your hostility out on someone else.  

I came to this site, as generally, I figured I would get more information on the drugs.  The pain site is a good site and if I was looking to stay on the meds I would be there and maybe I should because at least they are extremely nice.

So since it pains you so, to try to help someone, I will stay off "your" site.

[rusty2112]

Well said!!

[Calamity2]

This is a forum for those of us that want to get clean from narcotic pain meds. It saved my life so I feel protective of it. Please seek your how can I convince the doctor to give me my pain med question to the pain mgt. site .  

If you ever want to get clean I would love to help

[broknbck]

i have chronic back pain too. got hooked on hydrocodone for 4 years. kicked it 2 years ago.

this is how i looked at it.
there is no miracle pill to make it all better. so the sooner we accept that , the better.

the doctors are a bunch of useless information they have had crammed down their throats.

i researched and climate and humidity can really affect pain. i moved to the desert. phoenix and it has helped my pain tremendously. if they can operate on you, than that is something. otherwise we have to come up with a way to deal with it on our own.

you know you shouldn't get on suboxone, so don't. best to you. and hope so good ideas come your way

[salsinator]

Hi there - it's been a while since I have seen you on here, I was wondering how you were doing.  

You are in a tough spot.  The opiate in Suboxone is very strong - Buprenorphine.  It was originally used as a pain killer - I believe in what is called Talwin.  Anyway, Suboxone is not approved for treatment of pain, but buprenorphine is.  The halflife is much longer than codeine or oxycontin, but it is much harder to stop taking once you are dependent.  I don't know why your doctor would think that you won't get tolerance to suboxone, if you take it long enough, you will.  I know that it's not easy, but this one may be time for a second opinion.  Being that you already have the "history" of dependency - no matter if you were addicted or not - this might be your docs thinking.  Sometimes there is ambient pain with opiate users - but in your case, you did detox and still had pain, but it also sounds like you have some legit reasons for it.  I have a long history with suboxone and if I was in your shoes, I would not go down that road, but I am not a doctor either.  All I can tell you is that it will be much easier to withdrawal from T4 vs. suboxone.

[barbie1415000]

my husband is in rehab as i speak, day one for him..  i have been through hell and back many times,  he spent his paycheck, stole my pain pills that i need for my back surgery,  he even gets his hands on aderall and takes the whole bottle.

is there hope for him?  i love him very much but i can't take another week of pillen it
has anyone been in our shoes and is there a light at the end of the tunnell?  god i pray there is