Suboxone and 1st appointments

[flmagi]

This is for anyone who has their 1 st Suboxone appointment scheduled or is thinking of makeing appointment.
The 1st Sub appointment is usually just for a consultation.
You will need to be in withdrawels at least 36 hours before receiving your 1st dose of Sub.
If you really want to start your Sub. on the 1 st appmnt., you will need to call your doctor and see if they will do this.
Your Sub. doc may have you go fill a Sub script at a pharmacy and go back to his office. Some doctors may have Sub. to start you with (not likely).
Alot of pharmacies do not have Suboxone in stock and have to order it, it takes about 3 days.
SO, if you're gonna start the Sub on 1st appmnt, you need to call pharmacy, ask if they have it in stock, if not your doctor will need to fax your 1st script in at least 3 days before your appmnt.
Do not count on your doctor knowing this.
Luckily, my sister Mary thought ahead and found out about all this and took care of everything ahead of time.
So, hopefully this will help someone avoid alot of frustration on their 1st appointment.

[girlybuff]

I think the most important thing to remember about Sub induction is the notion that less is more, meaning, take the very least amount that you can in order to not feel like total hell.  So instead of starting out at 8mg, which is pretty much the norm, take 4 mg then see how you feel.  If you feel you need more then take more but if you don't need more you're ok.  It's easier obviously to take more if you realy need it but you can't get rid of it if you take too much.  
Headaches and nausea are common when ones dose is too high to begin with.  Sometimes it's trial and error as far as what does is best for you.  
The less you do for the least amount of time is the best way to ensure your withdrawals will be as minimal as possible when jumping off.  It is still not a painless way.  There is no painless way.  You are going to have some level of discomfort no matter what you do.

[wait2long]

i got my first prescription at my consult , and did my 5 days of withdrawals at home then took my sub dose at home...still got put into precipitated wd's...
they all have their different ways of doing it.,..but best to find out before hand...

[krashing_now]

I didn't mention that I was still on methodone when I seen the doc,  I just didn't read anything about the drug before I went on it .
which is why I got so sick   but the next day I was okay

[krashing_now]

when I went to the Dr I was on still on 10 mils of methodone still , and I said I need the stronest does .8 mils he did send me to the waiting room for 45 minutes to see how i was then he asked i said I was fine  I think it was to high a dose for me , I got terrible headaches felt sick like I was gonna throw up , so I still went every week to the dr. but I then had him reduce my perspription, its very expensive I paid so much as my insurance did not cover .
I still have some left I take likkte tiny pices of it , I still think i need something daily , addiction is crazy but coming from a long long history of Heroin , zanaz  and methodone addiction I have come along way ,still have much work ahead. you have come so far
please don't turn back i think the hard part is over for ya

[Coolio Hernendez]

The W/D's from SUB are just as bad as the " ill's " I have W/D from both, they were the same.

I still think SUB is great. It got me through a bad time. And While i was on it I was king of the world. It seems to have  F/X other then get rid of w/d. It made me real creative.

[tommm70]

I was given my first dose of suboxone on my first visit. During the consult I was given an exam and was in full withdrawal. It was about 36 hours past my last vicodin. I was put on subutex for my maintenance.

I was on it for 5 months, and this is day 5 off of Subutex and I feel like hell. I swear it is as bad as hydro withdrawal. I dunno when I'm gonna start to feel better.

[girlybuff]

You do NOT have to be off short acting opiates (vicodin, percocet, lortab, norco etc) for 36 hours.  12-15 hours will do fine.  If you are taking a long acting opiate such as oxycontin then you need at least 20 hours or so, although I know of people who did it within 15 hours.  I don't know about methadone though.
When I was induced with Sub, I was off pills for only 15 hours.
It is a good thing that you posted about finding out exactly what to expect at your Subappt.  My doctor had me go to the pharmacy (the only one in my area that stocked it) and bring the prescription to the office where he watched as I took it to make sure I was on the right dose.  A friend of mine went to her appt and the dr gave her a script for it and she had to find out what pharmacy in her area had it so she had to do a bit of legwork.  She had initially thought that she was going to get it at that appt so she went there in withdrawals and was very disappointed when she found out she needed to go to the pharmacy and wait to get started but she lived through it.

[Penelope14]

Alot of states differ on the suboxone detoxification plan right along with insurance carriers & doctors, I,ve checked into this & learned that some doctors want you to stay on it long term while others have a 6 week detox time frame, my insurance plan for sub goes as follows, you must have 40 hours from opiates of any kind, & maybe longer for methadone, & you must also be under ten mgs of methadone, & you have to stay in their facilitys for 5 days! Needless to say, I wasnt impressed. But their are private doctors who are not this strict, but Im not gonna spend $1800.00s either, geez, thats alot of money for sub.

[flmagi]

Yeah, I think alot of people are under the impression that they will take their 1st dose on their 1st appmnt. Alot of people don't know that they have to be in withdrawels before they can do 1st dose.
You can call your doc and request that you start 1st day. we did and they said ok.

[oxyaddict420]

Thanks for the heads up.. This sux since I was thinking that I would be starting my 1st dose on that appointment.. Now that I remember the conversation with the schedular she said that the 1st appointment was a consultation to see if I am eligible.. Darn, I will just have to see what happens.. Oh well it is right around the corner and I have been in H@ll for many years, so whats 1 more week right to use a tiools amoung others to help get my life straight?!

[flmagi]

P.S. If you are on methadone or any other long lasting drug and switching to Suboxone, you will need to be in withdrawels alot longer. Check with your Sub. doctor for information.