Suboxone - Is it right for you

[whattodo10325]

Suboxone............................is it right for you???? I think the answer to that questions in most cases, should be no. For me it was an absolute YES. I was taking between 60-70 of the Norco 10/325 every day. Not 60-70mg, but 60-70 pills. I had a dealer (and a few doctors) that I was getting them from on a regualr basis. After several failed attempts to quit both cold turkey and tapering, I decided that Suboxone was right for me (as I am sure it is for some others. After visiting my doctor and having several test ran, he told me that it was a matter of life and death and that A. I would either end up dead or B. I would have severe liver and kidney damage that would last the rest of my life. Well, I thought about the Sub for a while and after ending up the the E.R. for an overdose of the Norco's, I decided to get on the Sub train and I am glad I did. I ahve a beautiful wife and 3 kids that all rely on me to be there for them. Not just now, but for years to come. Even though I believe Sub was the right choice for me, I do not believe that it is the right choice for everyone and I think a lot of people are getting on it to take the easy way out (only you know that). Well, I am here to tell you that it is not the easy way out. It is "a" way to help you get off your D.O.C., but it comes with a price. Not only do I pay about $125 a month for each doctor visit, I also pay an additional $220 a month (cash) for the actual pills and thta is only the financial cost. Now on tot he physical aspect of Sub. I ahve been on Sub for over 6 months now (which in my opinion) is way to long. There are extremely addictive and they are difficult to cut back on. I cut back on my 3rd day of using them, which went well, but now I seem to have allowed myself to stay (stuck) at the current dosage I have been at for the last 5 months. When I do try to cut back, I can feel that "something" is missing and that something is the extra mg of Sub that my body (and mind) want. The Sub curbed my craving for Norco's better then I thought it would, but at the same time they are more addictive then I thought they were. I personally do not believe (my opinion) that I am truly "sober" unitl I get off the Sub. When will that be, I do not know. When I try to cut down (around the 3rd day) I start to feel extremely slugish and irritated, which inturn causes me to want to take more so I can feel "normal" again. My goal is to get off of these things and quickly. Given my track record with addiction, it is going to be a long hard road. Bottom line though is that I decide how long and how hard the road is. I could do it fast and painful, or slow and somewhat comfortable. I would jsut encourage anyone out there who is not on a "life & death" dosage of your D.O.C. to strongly consider trying to quit c/t or tapering before you even consider the Sub route. Sub definitely has it place in recovery, but it is not for everyone. Take the time to talk with a doctor, read about it on line and talk to others who have not only beeon on Sub, but also talk with others who have been on it and quit (and for sometime). They will have some good insight into the entire Sub process. For me, I am still glad I decided to take the Sub to help me quit Norco's. Now I am battling the Sub. My only regret is that I did not listen to those people on this site that told me to get on the Sub and off, all within a month or so, because I must admit, it wasn't that hard to cut back the first time with Suboxone......................Now it is. I wish eveyone here good health and a great thanks for all of your help/advice.

[worried878]

When speaking of sub...i guess 1 month or less is short term/the cut-off to try and avoid sub wd/21 days being the typical usage time to avoid sub wd
I would imagine that whattodo is doing some form of aftercare as it is most often "included" along with the sub scrip with any reputable dr...but i do know there r some out there who will rx it without proof of aftercare...but not the majority

true..if u stay on sub or methadone  for life ur chances or relapse go way down//then u would relapse purely to feel the "high" cos the cravings r put down next to nuttin if u r on either of these drugs at the correct dose/but there is a large part of the addict population who dont want to be tied to a maintenence drug like sub or methadone for life to avoid relapse...and I can c how it could be painful to have to dread another drug taper etc..it is just not any fun//aftercare or no aftercare//even if u r mentally clean it is not something to look forward to doing..both sub and methadone are very addicting and wds can be tough even if mentally u r ready to be clean...and I hear whattodo saying he is ready to be done but is looking back wishing he/she woulda just done it when he/she got off their DOC..and it would all be over now..instead of beginning a wd process...we all know it taint no picnic/wds that is

I heard this one time and it stuck with me/in fact as of late due to a serious life mistake I made....
Hind sight is 20/20...u cant judge urself on how u reacted to a situation before u had all the information u have when u look back...now information and things one may not have known at the time, are now very apparent..judging urself for decisions u made when u had less or no info on the topic/and that now u do have the info on.is not the same...people dowhat they feel is best at the time they do it...looking back after things are learned doesnt help nuttin...u made decisions based on the info u had at the time...and beating urself up over things u coulda/woulda/shoulda/make absolutely no difference now...all u can do is take what u have and move forward

it sounds like ur decision u made at the time was probably the right one at the time u made this decision..u were on a very high dose of hydro.  U r not whre u were when u started tho..ur time on sub was not wasted..I would suspect u learned alot during ur time on sub

Is ur dr helping u with a slow taper? I dont remember reading ur current sub dose?  many taper to a crumb...let us know where u r at with all of this..keep posting

[GA Guy]

My only question is "What have you done to treat the addiction"? I mean, you seem very determined to get off of Sub. And, I commend that. But, the addiction is still there unless you've done some therapy and work on the mental aspect. It surprises people to know that the relapse rate after a short Sub detox is near 97 percent. That's the same rate as rapid detox. That's why I've always said that any detox method is worthless without some sort of aftercare.