What is she using now?

[Utility]

My girlfriend has been a heroin user for 3 months until she admitted herself to the local hospital. The hospital sent her to a rehab clinic where she stayed for 3 days of detox. The doctors there prescribed suboxone, which seems to have worked great for her as she didn't experience any withdrawals. She started looking totally different (in a great way) and is very proud of her accomplishment to get sober.
However, the past couple of days, she went back close to the city where she used to get her dope and would act very strange when she comes back. She also asks me for money but I have no idea what she goes and buy but I know it's not legit. She would get very upset with me when I question her and I very carefully look at her arms and there are no fresh needle marks. Also, she takes suboxone in front of me. Is there a way that she is already back on heroin or is she using another drug now? If so, what drugs can one use while on suboxone?

[micheleTX]

hang in there, someone who knows about suboxone will reply I am sure.  I know nothing about it.  Sorry you are having these questions about your gf.  :(  I hope she is not using again.  Not sure what else to say, except the best of luck to you in this situation.  Keep us posted okay?

[vicki595]

Hi~  Are you absolutely sure she's taking the Sub.??  Addicts are clever...
Opiates and sub together just don't work. She'd feel sick...
There are other areas to shoot heroin or she could be smoking it. Watch her closely. These are dangerous signs.  
Good luck~
Vicki

[Utility]

I can't vouch for sure that she is taking subs everyday but I know she has them in her purse and that she took them in front of me this morning. You are right, she is very clever and secretive, which cements my suspicions.
Also, not that I would look inside her purse but she takes it everywhere even during bried bathroom visits. She is defintely doing something, I just don't know what or how.

[vicki595]

Yup...I agree.   Do you live together?  You give her money?  That she may be spending on drugs?   She's an addict.  Look in her purse and ask for receipts for the money you give her.  Otherwise this just borders on enabling which I can tell you don't want to do.

And,people can fake taking pills. We know all the tricks...
Sorry about this~
Keep posting~
Vicki

[Utility]

No, we spend the night together twice a week. She lives in the middle of nowhere and has no transportation. She claims she nees the money cause she owes it to her aunt but I told her I am done giving her money.
I do know she took subs this morning cause she did it as soon as she woke up thinking I am still asleep. I would love to find out whats going on so I can make a decision on this relationship but she is too clever to admit anything cause she knows she would lose me.

[vicki595]

Hmmm....Okay,I'm just suspicious knowing how clever,smart,insidious,genious-like an addict can be.  You don't know she thought you were sleeping. You don't know what she took. Not really.  Just be careful with this one...and keep an eye on her. This is tricky.
Does she work?

Vicki

[micheleTX]

Doesn't sound like she works, with no transport, how does she get money?  Would she be able to get any without your help?  Thats one way to find out.  If she is using again, and has no money if you don't give it to her, what will she do then?  Just thinking out loud.  Where did she get it before?  Is it easy for her or hard now to get it??  All questions I just was wondering about.  Sorry if Im being nosey.  Not trying to be :)

[abritt121222]

When u say she takes the subs does she stand infront of u for at least 5 minutes cause the sub has to dissolve and if she is just swallowing it then she could be using other drugs because subs have to be dissolved under the tongue of they will not work the active drug in them has to go starigjt to the bloodstream so if swallowed subs do nothing and she could go get high even tho she said she took it so make sure she is putting it under her tongue and dissolving it
good luck
abritt

[vicki595]

Good point Abritt...also,do you think she may be taking it just to stave off withdrawals if she IS using?

Vicki

[cleanmom]

You may want to really think about how invested you are in this relationship, because she may take you for quite a ride. I seems obvious she is up to something. Nothing is going to change until she is ready for it too. You can only really encourage and support her recovery from this point but do not support her using. No more money from you unless you are with her making purchases for her. I wish you the best and you may want to check out alanon where you can get some support for yourself. This disease has a sneaky way of taking down everyone involved, not just the user.
God Bless.
Luv, Jacky

[abritt121222]

If she is taking the subs the right way she should not be going thru any withdrawals at all and if she is using she wouldnt be getting high.  My best advice is to get her to take it in front of you again and make sure she puts it under her tongue and then make her stand there for 5-10 minutes because that is how long it takes for the sub to dissolve.
But utility she could be getting high on other drugs while on suboxone just not any kind of painkillers because they are opiates and no opiate is strong enough to kick buprenorphine off of the receptors because it binds so strongly to them.  But back to the getting high on other drugs because that could happen because she could be using benzos such as xanax or others like that which suboxone will not stop her from getting high on but if she is doing that and getting high on xanax i cannot stress how dangerous that is because it has caused severe respiratory depression and even death in other users

Good luck and godspeed

Abritt

[stilltrying1965]

I think you should keep a very close eye on her, as the above said sub only work if they are dissolved under the tongue. There are plenty other places that she could shoot the heroin. She could be smoking it also but you would probably smell that but i do think she is up to something. Us addicts can be very good at lying and hiding things but i wish you the very best of luck,,,,,,,James

[Utility]

No michele, you aren't being noisy at all and those are all valid questions. She doesnt have a job and she used to strip for money. She only did it for less than 3 months so her habit was only about $20/day. Now, she really is looking for a job online and a car to get to a job. The strip club consistently calls her but she refuses to go back and she isn't proud of it at all.

[Utility]

Thank you all, those are all valid comments. I know she is up to somethin but I just can't figure out what it is. Also, every time we go out, she always takes extended trips to the women's room. And as soon as she comes back, I request to inspect her arms, legs and neck to make sure there are no fresh marks, which drives her wild. I havent seen anything yet but I really wanna know.
The other issue is that I got a job lined up for her and if she is getting high, she will totally embarass me at some point as I have given her a very good reference.

[vicki595]

I hate to say this but...when she falls asleep,check her purse. You've been investing in this relationship and,I think,you need to know what you'll be up against in the future.
Good luck~
Vicki

[GA Guy]

Have you seen the Suboxone? What does it look like? Does she take it with water and swallow it?

[Utility]

Yes, I did see the suboxone and we even went to the pharmacy to get a refill. She takes it with water and swallows it, which is what the doctor told her to do.

[Utility]

Also, Vicki, I thought about checking her purse but she hardly sleeps all night. She sits there and play with her phone and smoke cigarettes all night. Is sleep deprivation a result of the suboxone or a result of her (i hope) previous heroin use?

[bmdad]

Did you hear the doctor tell her to swallow it or is that what she told you he said? If swallowed it won't work and she could still get high off of opiates. What does the label on the bottle say? It should say to take sublingually which means to let it dissolve. If her doctor is telling her to swallow it I would start looking for a different doctor because he doesn't know what he is doing.
It wouldn't hurt for you to research about sub to learn more about it so you know she is taking it the right way. Check out naabt.org. You will find some knowledge about it there. If not, Ga Guy will be able to fill you in.

[GA Guy]

If she's swallowing it then that's how she's able to use while taking it. Sub is a sublingual tablet meant to be held under the tongue until it dissolves. Taking it by swallowing decreases its effectiveness a great deal. Plus, no Sub doctor would ever tell anyone to swallow the Sub pills. Their are bad Sub doctors, but that's like telling a diabetic to swallow their inject-able insulin.

[vicki595]

She doesn't sound sleep deprived to me...she sounds high.  Smoking to excess,staying awake,playing with her phone DURING THE NIGHT means she's got to keep busy;nervous energy.   Plus, she's defensive all the time.  Plus,she's swallowing the sub.   I'm sorry Sweetie,it doesn't look good...  Has she ever talked about coke?

V.

[Utility]

She is probably still getting high but I wonder how and when? I have carefully inspected her arms, legs and neck and she doesn't have any fresh needle marks. When she was admittedly using, I could tell by the marks. Also, she used to go to the city almost daily then, but the last time she went close to the city was 3 days ago.
If she is still using, she definitely doesn't use as much as she used to, which I am assuming is only a matter of time. Also, why would she refuse to go back to the strip club now since it was easy money for her. When she was openly using, she wouldn't turn down an opporunity to make money to go buy the dope but now, she blatantly refuse to go, which is fine with me.
At this point, it's not even about our relationship but it's whether I should be helping her get back on her feet. If she is really clean (which is doubtful), she's got a car and job waiting for her, which would turn her life around. If she is still using, unfortunately, she will lose the opportunities and me.

[GA Guy]

Heroin addicts are masters at hiding needle marks..but, that is beside the point. There's tons of drugs she can get high from that doesn't take IV administration. She's lying about the Sub, because she's using deceptively..that's more than enough reason to discontinue enabling her lifestyle. Here's a really good way of seeing if she's using opiates..insist on watching her dissolve a Suboxone under her tongue. If she's using opiates, she'll be in withdrawals in a matter of minutes.

[vicki595]

I don' believe any woman likes stripping for a living. That's why they're usually so drugged.  Now,she can pace herself(maybe) because she's got you.  She's an addict;no matter what. So,if she can get some money from you,a job and a car with your help...well,she can have the best of both worlds.  Just a thought.
Ask why she's up all night...also,there are other ways to use heroin besides shooting.

I don't know,of course,but a lot of things don't add up...keep your eyes open a little while longer...
V.