Please Help With Oxy Addiction!!!

Hello everyone,

I have never posted a medical question online before and am hoping for some advice.  My boyfriend and I have been taking oxycodone for about 5 years now. The past 3 years has been heavier use- about 100mg/day. Today we went to a methadone clinic because it was the only option to treatment that we had heard of. While we were there the doctor said he was legally inclined to provide us with other options. He told us about suboxone treatment and that made me curious to research, so we left the clinic to do some research before starting the methadone maintenance treatment.

Open searching I came across other options- like the Thomas Recipe (cold turkey quitting.)

I do like the sounds of suboxone over methadone, but I am afraid because I have read that you can have bad withdrawals from suboxone too?  Also, suboxone treatment is a LOT harder to find in my city than methadone. I think there is maybe 2 doctors that prescribe it.  Is it true that you can take carry doses home?  We do have jobs and I go to school, so going into a clinic daily to take a dose of methadone would be hard.

We really need to quit, it is too expensive.  I need some guidance. What is better? Methadone? Suboxone? Thomas Recipe? We have tried to quit but the withdrawals are too hard for us to get around.

We live in Ontario, Canada and have a drug plan- so suboxone and methadone is covered.

Please any help would be great. I really want us to start something next week.   Thanks again for your help!

[tomskat]

Hi there and welcome!! Congrats on wanting to quit-that's a huge step.As far as what's best,everyone has their own opinions.I have personal experience with sub and Thomas Recipie...you can always try the Thomas Recipie and have the sub on hand in case it doesn't work how you want/expect it to go?Yes,sub they write you a script and you go fill it.At least here in the States they do.It's expensive down here.It's REALLY important ot follow doctor's orders with the sub though.DO NOT try to cold turkey off it or cut dosage down.Yes,both meth&sub can be addictive.If taken as perscribed you will be fine.Please keep us posted.PM me anythime.Good luck to you both and stay strong!!~Anne

[megan25]

Hey! Thanks so much for your reply!  I have an appointment with a doctor that prescribes suboxone next Saturday. They told me it would be covered under most drug plans, so I am hoping that it is covered under mine.

Any other words of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!

Megan

[worried878]

Everyone is different....but switching to another, stronger narcotic, is often not the right answer for someone with a moderate habit of 100 mgs.  It is not huge in comparison to many users here...but again, we are all different
Methadone and suboxone are both strong narcotics and it doesnt seem to make sense to switch to another narc when your goal is stopping them?  Some with heavy habits need this transition, but the time comes when u have to let go of these narcs as well
The thomas recipe is great!  the health pages are full of great info.  For me it helped alot, along with exercise and meetings,,,also posting here daily.  Picking a quit day worked well for me.  I tried to taper, unsuccessfully...but stuck to my quit day even tho i screwed up my taper.

Good luck to both of u...u r moving in the right direction...forward!

Keep posting

[LeaAnn807]

Hi Megan!  I think that everyone here will be supportive of whatever decision you make, but I really, really think you should try to stop without the sub or methadone first.  The WD from those two drugs make oxy WD look easy!  I don't think, from what you have said, that you would want to trade one bad drug for another.  

So here is another option.....can you ask your family doctor for some clonidine?  It's a BP pill used for WD in detox centers.  I have used it to WD several times, and it works wonders for the bad physical symptoms.  It really makes them bearable.  It is not expensive, and you only have to take it for the first few days and then stop and there is not another drug in you to WD from.

It's not going to be easy no matter what.  If it were, none of us would be here, right?  But you can do it!  

[vicki595]

Hi...I completely agree with "worried". You're not on a huge dose so,to me,Meth or Sub
would be like killing a fly with a gun. That's just me...

If you can pick a date where you'll have time off from school ( Spring Break? ) and can take some time off from work,this could be totally doable. You could suck it up,bite the bullet, and go CT. In the meantime,you could taper down a bit. Just some thoughts...

Also,both Meth and Sub are strong drugs and DO require a taper when it's time to get off
of them,whenever that is. Some people just can't!!

Keep reading and searching out old posts on Medhelp. There's a ton of info in the archives.

Good luck!

[fluffy215]

Good for you and ur boyfriend. I went the methadone route, I have been clean for 1 1/2 yrs. I believe it saved my life, I was an Oxy & heroin addict. All clinics have there own regulations, where I go in the states you get take homes on Sat & Sun. after 3 mo. (with no dirty urine) and after mo. I only have to go to the clinic on Mon,
Wed. & Friday.Most methadone clinics open very early in the morning around 5:30 am. You'll need to check with the clinic about there policys. Everyone is different, I had no luck with suboxone and had terrible withdrawal. Just look at all your options and do what you think is best for you & your boyfreind.It's your choice. Good luck to you both. Feel free to send me a note if you have any questions.

[megan25]

How long do you think it will take if we try cold turkey for the withdrawals to completely go away?

It is SO hard to quit when you have a container just FULL of oxys sitting there!!!

[megan25]

I am just confused because I have been doing a lot of online reading and it seems that people are saying that suboxone and methadone are HARDER to get off of (even with tapering) than oxycodone itself.

So WHY are there these treatments? Why aren't doctors just giving us help with weaning off oxycodone?