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Avatar universal

Suboxone and surgery

I am having surgery today and will be put under so I'm wondering if I should take my suboxone dose today. I have only been on it for a week.  Another question: I took my Suboxone to soon and posted this earlier but didn't really get the answer I was looking for. I'm trying to figure out if i should stop the Suboxone and go into full withdrawal before I start taking it again. How high of dose should I start with? My Dr. told me to start with a 8mg tablet but that just seems to high from everything I am reading. The Suboxone seems to be working even though I started it 5 hours after my last opiate. When I first took it I got really sick and was vomiting and dissy but the next day it got better when I took a lower dose. I lowered the dose even more the fourth day to 2mg twice a day. My Dr. wont return my call for some reason so I'm hoping I can get some answers here. Thanks!
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Avatar universal
Why don't you just stop taking the 2mg Sub now?  I don't get it. All these questions....Just be rid of the thing. It is not a drug that sustains life for goodness sake. Just JUMP off....and have a wonderful drug free life!

Meetings will do so much more for you at this point...
Helpful - 0
271792 tn?1334979657
Glad to hear everything is okay. I've had quite a few of those injections and they do work but you need to follow the doctor's instructions to the letter. It must have changed because it was not surgery when I had it done. It was an outpatient procedure done with local anesthesia. I had back reconstruction years prior and that was an invasive procedure and totally different. Anyway, I am glad it is helping. Good for you that you found something.

Also, glad to hear you are going to attend a meeting/meetings. As many will tell you here, it is not for everyone but you owe it to yourself to go with an open mind and listen. If you find a group that you are comfortable with you will find great support.

Here is the link to finding meetings near you. Use your zip code and follow the instructions to get the list. If you have any questions about the type of meetings, etc. give a shout.

http://portaltools.na.org/portaltools/MeetingLoc/

Best of luck! Stay on the path, you are doing great!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had my back surgery yesterday which was the Epideral injections and everything went great. I talked to the dr. before hand and he actually gave me much more information than the dr that prescribed it. Now that I have had my back surgery I am going to start tapering imediately. My back is supposed to feel better after 48-72 hours but its been less than 24 hours and it already feels better so i am going to get through the New years weekend on 2mg a day and then start tapering over the next week or two. Let me know if I really need to taper over a month like a lot of these posts say. I assume they are talking about for people that have been on it for a long period of time. I have taken a total of 20mg over the last 7-8 days. I want to start going to some NA meetings but not sure how to find out where they are in my area. Any ideas of where I can look? I live in DFW area. Thanks again!!!!
Helpful - 0
932659 tn?1332118704
Short term is always better when it comes to Suboxone.  It's usually a personal preference.  Long term maintenance or short term.  Either way, it's essential to get some professional help while using the Sub.  

It is definitely harder to get off of it the longer you are on it, just like with opiates.  I'm not surprised at all that a lesser amount is working just fine for you.  Suboxone wouldn't probably have such a bad rep if it weren't for the doctors only in it for the money, and of course the people who think it's some miracle drug, because it's not.

I'm glad to see you are already thinking of getting off the Sub altogether, or at least doing a quick taper.  I do hope you are getting aftercare as well :)  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Start tapering immediately.  Don't think you can take it for a while then taper...you'll have a nastier addiction to deal with then.  Just really listen to your body, you will have to go through some pain and discomfort...but you didn't get here overnight....you aren't going to get back to normal overnight.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you both for the advice! I was taking about 10-12 Norco a day before I stopped and got on the Suboxone. It seems that 2mg twice a day works just fine. At least it did yesterday. I will let the Dr know I took my last dose last night and see what he says about surgery today. I know everyone is different but how long do I need to keep taking the suboxone before I start tappering off? Is one week enough? Thanks again!
Helpful - 0
932659 tn?1332118704
Hello,

First of all, definitely tell them when you get to surgery about the Suboxone.  I had minor surgery scheduled back in June and when I wrote down on the pre-op forms that I took Suboxone daily, they would NOT do the surgery that day as they were not prepared to put me fully out, etc.  Believe you me, you don't want to be waking up during any surgery because whatever they give you isn't strong enough over the Sub :)

Regarding your daily dosage of Sub, how many pills were you taking per day?  For example, I was taking about 40 Norco or 50 Vicodin per day when I was inducted at 16 mgs.  Like the above poster said, listen to your own body.  Many Sub doctors will not want you to taper because unfortunately it's a money game to many of these Sub doctors.  I am very, very fortunate to have one that is not in it for the money.  

I'd also try to taper as quickly as possible but the key here is to use the tools you have available to you while on Sub - counseling, meetings, Sober Recovery, whatever you have to do.  The pill alone will not help the addiction, it is supposed to be used hand in hand with some type of recovery program.

I wish you the best with the Sub and with your upcoming surgery.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Doctors make disgusting amounts of money from being able to prescribe suboxone.  People will argue with me and say "listen to your doctor" but let's face it...when there's large amounts of money behind a doctors advice for you to take a drug...unless the doctor is Jesus himself...his opinion will prbably be to take the higher milligram for longer than you need to.

Listen to YOUR OWN BODY.  If you feel fine at a low dose, stay with the low dose.  Suboxone is just a replacement drug...you need to get off of it asap...withdrawals from suboxone/methadone are worse than just quitting whatever your opiate of choice was.  Don't believe me?  Read the stories on here...and do some REAL medical field reaearch.

Hope this helps...as for taking your dose before surgery...ask your doctor on that because they may put you on a narcotic pain med before/after surgery...which can be deadly if you've taken suboxone.  Don't be an ******* and hide something from the people who have you under their knife and your life in their hands.

Good luck...I hate surgury.
Helpful - 0
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