Opiate Withdrawal

[kallily]

My husband has used opiates for about 10 yrs because of health issues (heart attack, stroke, etc.). The last 3 yrs he was prescribed Methodone because of back surgery and 2 knee replacements which created a lot of pain. He is on Subuonex since he quit taking the opiates which is now day 15. He lays around in bed, has chronic neck pain, with pain moving throughout his body. I attribute this to withdrawal symtoms. When he stopped taking the opiates he was down to 3.5 mil. of Methodone and 3 Darvocet, at this time he also stopped taking 5- 5mil of Dexedrine, 2 Valium, 1 Tamazepam. Now is taking 3 halves of Subuonex and 1 -5mil Valium. All other drugs are gone and out of the house. My question is: Can anyone tell me how long he will have withdrawal like this?

[LADYDI4185]

Hi! Is your husband only taking Subuonex?  If that is the case, he should be feeling better.  Maybe he is taking too much of the Subuonex.  Is he under the care of a pysician for the Sub?  You may want to contact the dr and let him/her know how your husband is feeling, they may adjust his dose.  I am not an expert on this, just the posts I have read.  Good luck!  I am here if you need to talk.  Ladydi4185

[TrayCee]

if hes taking Suboxone he is not in withdrawal, at all.  Period.

[theeagle]

Tracy is dead on here ..... he is not having opiate withdrawal if he is taking sub. Why the dexedrine and for how long? If you are thinking drug withdrawal you probably should look at the benzodiazepines and the amphetamine. From my experience sub was worthless as a pain medication. So he may really be in pain. Does he have an organic reason for pain?

[kallily]

My husband has been taking the Dexedrine since he had his stroke in 95. His drug of choice are stimulants. In the early years he took speed (mini whites) they called them back then. So he has used stimulants probably for as long as I can remember. Except there were about 8 yrs where he was really health conscience and worked out at a gym. We both went. Good times.
The pain killers came when he had a stroke,back pain and knee pain which resulted in surgeries. He doesn't really know where he's at in the way of pain....is it the meds or does he really have pain, neither of us knows.
As far as Subuonex goes, it is prescribed through a Dr at a facility where he begins group therapy tomorrow.
The thing that bothers me is he hasnt' gotten hardly out of bed for the last 5 days because of neck and back pain. Now I have read that withdrawal from opiates mimicks past injury pain. I have also read that Subuonex doesn't get rid of withdrawal symptoms it just makes them more tolerable.

[TrayCee]

suboxone immediately stops withdrawls

[ChronicPain1]

He's in pain because he's in pain, not because of addiction or withdrawals.

[kallily]

I appreciate your stance on chronic pain. It's no laughing matter and I take pain very seriously. There's nothing worse. Unfortunately after taking pain meds for a very long time, the pain, and where it comes from is uncertain. My husband and I discussed this and wondered if after surgeries that were to eliminate his pain, just where was his pain coming from? We are hoping that if he still has some pain that it will be manageable by taking other forms of pain meds. He wants to stay away from opiates and I'm in agreement and supporting him.

I hope your situation will improve with time and prayer. Don't loose hope. You are a young man and some injuries just take a long time to heal. My husband got a knee injury in high school that kept him from getting a scholarship for football, so through his suffering in the loss of a dream, I have the utmost compassion for you, friend. Take care of yourself.

[dianecarbo]

my son suffers from a chronic pain condition known as RSD or CPRS. He has a neuro stimulator implanted in his back. It helps him keep his pain at a manageable level, but the cold will set him off into uncontrollable pain. he has had to be resuscitated 2 times while in the hospital because the IV dilaudid and morphine did not relieve his pain and he stopped breathing.  he refuses to take any kind of pain medication at this time, first because it did not help and he has gone through withdrawal twice, on his own because the doctors kept telling him the pain was all in his head. when he finally got to a proper specialist ( I had to fight for this as he was injured in the Army) he has one of the worst cases of his condition that his specialist had seen.

surgery does always relieve pain.some have a better response than others. Pain relief is a right. The problem, is those that become addicted to the pain medications give pain management a bad rap. Studies show that only 1% of those with chronic pain become addicted to their pain medication. they need that medication to function and their body will utilize it to provide relief.

There are many alternative treatments  for pain relief. Keep trying and have faith that something will work.    
Chronic pain is no laughing matter and everyone has the right to pain relief.    

Diane carbo        

[nick30]

Hi there,
assuming that your husband is not in withdrawals(because of being 15 days clean and now on sub) i think it's fair to say that he may well be in pain and the sub may not be providing enough relief.
I know that's probably not why he's taking it but nethertheless it is a reasonable pain killer for some people.
has he considered raising his sub dose to get pain relief?
I know many people will be outraged at that suggestion but it may be worth it in the short term to help him get up and moving because spending days on end in bed is a bad thing and will lead to more pain.
obviously the decision to change his dose is between him and his dr.
but has he considered it?
good luck to you both.

Nick.

[dianecarbo]

Nick,

i am in total agreement with you and feel the same way.

Diane Carbo  

[ChronicPain1]

I'm sorry to hear about your son, that's awful. Pain management should be a right, but it's not...and many doctors lobby constantly for it to be taken as seriously as it should be. So many doctors refuse to prescribe opiates to people in horrible pain because of the "war on drugs", the DEA and the people that abuse them.

I have chondromalacia in my knees, degenerating discs and significant lower back pain. I'd give anything for these to be fixed and be able to live a normal life again, I'm only 23 and love hiking and sports and have been unable to do these things because of it. The opiates help me to do things I love by making the pain manageable, but it took over 2 years for doctors to take it seriously. I was treated, and told I was making it up, many figured I was a drug seeker as well.

Something needs to change here, our entire healthcare (and taking care of military veterans as well) needs a serious revamping. A "developed" country shouldn't be this fearful and let people languish in angony because person B may have abused the drugs.

[ascendmeaway]

he takes 2 valium are they 10mg does it knock him out I am considering taking it to knock me out to sleep because I have a hard time getting it

[dianecarbo]

Chronic pain 1,
yes it is sad the we are a civilized culture and yet we allow people to languish in pain. I am in total agreement with you, something needs to change. Know one believed that my son was in pain. The doctors told him that they would have to cut off his leg ( no longer and option in this century!) if he did not work through the pain. As a "good soldier" he did what he was told.
The problem was, he worked so hard that his affected leg became stronger than his unaffected leg. Rare for his condition. but he paid a severe price for that. When he attempted suicide, the doctors told him to get it right next time. Yes, the doctors. They continued to see him as a drug seeking individual, even when they gave him so much medication that he stopped breathing. He was given narcan, an antidote for narcotics. he says it burns like fire going through the veins.    
My son was affected at 25 years of age. He is now 30. You are just a babe and you both are too young to experience such gd hardships. I hope that opiates continue to work and you experience continued pain relief.

The medical delivery system continues to use pain measurement as the fifth vital sign, yet, when you tell them what you are experiencing you are viewed as drug seeking.
hang in there. Continue to battle with the doctors until someone hears you.

Diane Carbo                

[kallily]

It all depends on why you are not sleeping. I'd try my best to deal with whatever it is that is keeping you from getting a good nights sleep before I would take any kind of medication. In answer to your question they were 5mg. and no they did not knock him out because of all the other withdrawal symptoms he is in. Sometimes they don't help at all. His dr told him that taking Valium with opiates is very dangerous and he is working to get him off of the Valium also. A little at a time. It does help with his anxiety levels in the evening. That's when it's the worst for some reason. Hope all works out well for you and you can sleep. That's no fun being up all night. :D

[kallily]

My husband is a chronic project maniac. That's when he's happiest. He was in pain because of obsessive compulsive behaviors that enable him to finish the job at all costs. He can't do something for an hour and pick it up the next day, he has to finish it. And yet the funny thing is we have so many unfinished projects around the house because of that problem also...he has trouble getting things done. I think it's selective and if it's something new he has a problem with committing to it but can't admit he can't do it. He drives me crazy!
Yesterday he trimmed trees, bushes, put in an arbor for me. The day before that he dug up a hole in the back yard because I tripped and almost twisted my ankle in the hole. He wanted to see what was causing the problem and dug up a huge tree trunk. So go figure.....you guys tell me why he has pain?????? Some of it is real (without doing anything) but there again some of it is self induced. Gotta love him though.

[kallily]

He was spending time in bed because his body is trying to function without mehtamphetamine and withdrawal. He's doing better now. Read what I posted above.
Thanks for commenting.

[dianecarbo]

kallily,
Tell you why he has pain? Girl! at any age one should do things in moderation.it sounds as if he goes from one extreme to the other. Neither are good. To much activity can cause pain and bedrest is not good either. pain is definitely worse at night because all the outside stimulation is gone and we are able to listen to our bodies.  
You are right it is definitely self induced. You do not go through back and knee surgery
and abuse your body like that.  
It sounds as if your husband is a very active man. As we age, we need to learn to be gentler on our bodies. The consequences we pay are severe, such as pain.

I was in a car accident recently and have just been diagnosed with cervical myelomaliacia. It is the softening of the spinal cord due to trauma. If I do too much, I am in severe pain. If I sit or lay around I am in too much pain. your husband is not in withdrawal any more. He is in pain and it is legitimate. He has made some bad choices and until he changes his ways there is little anyone can do for him.

hang in there. he seems to be an individaul that may have to learn the hard way.
As far as his anxiety, the doc made need to put him an paxil of some other medication to assist with that.

Diane carbo