Need insight regarding Soboxone and Benzos PLEASE HELP!!!

I have a major issue here.  I recently heard about...and even began a few days of dosing on SOBOXONE (sp?) before doing a bit of research, had me in a mighty scared place.
I am (and have been for nearly a year) some medications that, sadly...I must remain on, at this time.
Including the following:

Lamictal 400 mg
Prozac 40 mg
Tarazadone 150 mg
Lunesta 3 mg
Adivan (as needed - and take very very rarely)
....The dose that I was using of the Soboxone was about 1/4 of one tablet.
I am really discouraged to learn that it is unsafe to take Soboxone with Benzos...as it seems to be the make up of nearly everything I am on.  However, I was NOT taking the 2 tablets of soboxone (which seems to me, to be the "norm" dosage for most...??)
Can anyone help to shed some light on this for me?

[avisg]

This is something U need to talk about with your doctor there are not any doctors here.

[GA Guy]

I agree with Avisg, you need to talk to your Doctor about this. Are you taking Suboxone under a Doctor's care? If not, you're playing with fire. Also, you state that Benzos make up of "nearly everything I am on". The Lunesta (which is a "Z" drug that's closely related to Benzos and act like them, bust are chemically different) and the Ativan arethe only two Benzos (or Benzo "like" drugs) you're taking. This shows me that you're leaving the Doctor without a clear understanding of your drug therapy. You need to discuss this with your Doctor and don't leave until you know what types of drugs you're taking, as well as their addictive properties. This is important for "normals", but a requirement for addicts. Trading one addiction for another is a classic problem in early recovery.

[salsinator]

I agree with the others, definitely talk with your doctor.  I know from working with my doc that typically the issue with benzo's is typically in high doses and I was also told more of an issue with IV type dosages.  Be up front with your doc, you should be OK.  The sub dose you are taking is fairly low, but still very powerful.

[postgradpremed]

Hey Lava,

First and foremost, obviously you should always listen to you doctor and take you medicines as they are prescribed. I can personally say that I was prescribed 8 mgs of Suboxone and 2 mgs of Klonopin per day. I had been on the Klonopin for a while before I started the Suboxone. And I was very eager to get off the Suboxone, so I always kept my dose at the threshold of withdrawal...not taking amounts that would get me high.

For me, the Klonopin was actually a very helpful tool in tapering down my Suboxone. The biggest problem I and many have is dealing with the anxiety that creeps in when you decrease your dose. Having the Klonopin allowed me to go from 8mgs to 2mgs of Suboxone per day over the span of 2 weeks.

One of the biggest problems with quitting Suboxone or Methadone or any opiate for that matter is that people think they are going to be just fine if they taper down and quit. The reality is that there are mental health issues underlying their addiction, and if these are treated in conjunction with the opiate addiction; then getting off the opiates is a real feat. I know that I never would have been able to completely wean off Suboxone if I didnt have my Klonopin. I have a panic disorder. I can't help it, and I need medication to treat it.

Suboxone and other opiates mask just about any mild to moderate mental health disorder. Thats why a large chunk of people end out abusing pain killers.

In my treatment, the goal was to find the lowest effective dose of each medication. That went from 16 mgs of Suboxone alone down to about 4 mgs, at which point my anxiety and panic kicked into overdrive. We discussed low doses of Klonopin because I was familiar with the drug and went forward with that. Like I said, my taper and ultimate discontinuation of Suboxone went much more smoothly once the proper medication to treat my panic disorder was being used. Eventually, I ended out at 1mg of Suboxone with 2 mgs of Klonopin per day. When I went off the Suboxone, I went up to 3 mgs to Klonopin a day for about 3 weeks. Since then I have scaled back the Klonopin to no more than 1 mg per day...usually less.

There is a definite risk associated with mixed any opiate with benzos. However, for me it was the key to my success in getting opiates out of my life. Luckily, I have always been incredibly afraid of becoming physical dependent on benzos and the WDs that they bring. I always took my medicine correctly.

I kind of rambled a bit...but to sum up...basically-what everyone above me said...take you medication as directed by your physcian...and make sure that doctor knows about every med you are taking. Recovery is all about taking a responsible approach to life and making the right decisions. This sounds like and opportunity for you to take a step in that direction.

Good luck.