addiction treatment or pain management

Question

Long pitiful story short I'm a hydrocodone addict with legitimate pain issues arthritis and stenosis in l4, l5 and s1. I've been self medicating a long time (2 years), and have only recently been entered into a pain management program. I'm not getting much relief under the care of of the doctor he seems way more interested in pushing injections that don't work,  I'm only getting 30 7.5mg Norco a month from him which is no where near what is required to control my pain. He doesn't seem open to increasing my frequency of dosing or dosage itself. I've been considering a suboxone program to not only hopefully treat my pain (off label) but also my addictive tenancies.  My tolerance requires 70mg single doses to get a little high and about 35 for any pain relief. I love the feeling of being high but also need the pain relief, and like any addict I have a hard time convincing myself I really ever want to be clean. But I'm up against a rock and a hard place with hydrocodone being rescheduled all my illicit supplies have dried up. Am I a candidate for suboxone or not.  My research on the subject is fairly inconclusive.

flyforfish · Answer

I'm doing pretty good by most accounts not getting the pain relief I need by any means but I can deal most days.  I clued in my wife a while back and she totally flipped out called my parents and told them I was a junkie and called my dr. With the same message. I was totally willing to go to rehab until it all came down on me like that and a switch just flipped in my head and I got defensive and refused. I'm really at a loss right now I think if my pm doc would step it up beyond what I'm getting I could play by the rules and not buy extras. I feel bad that I'm still lying after all of this but it seems like I don't really have a choice for the time being I'm just hanging out in limbo.

jifmoc · Answer

Oh no, I just re-read your last post: you want to ask your dr. for MORE PILLS so you won't buy off the streets?? Yikes. Triple yikes.

Sorry, you can't "play by the rules" you're an addict...remember? Guess what happens if your dr gives you more; you inhale those, and get more off the street. That is what you'll have to look forward to. 

Do you want this to get worse and worse? You are trying to negotiate w/ your addiction. Addiction doesn't negotiate. It will pulverize you until your dead. Please please look inside yourself and figure out what kind of life you want. Will you tell us? We are here for you!!!!

jifmoc · Answer

Hey fly- I see you're are a repeat customer. Honestly from your posts, I am not sure if you are willing to do ANYTHING to get off this dang rollercoaster. It only gets worse my friend. And worse. Are you willing to do anything? Like go to rehab? Which is a great idea. Why would you NOT go? I mean really, come on!

flyforfish · Answer

I'm doing pretty good by most accounts not getting the pain relief I need by any means but I can deal most days.  I clued in my wife a while back and she totally flipped out called my parents and told them I was a junkie and called my dr. With the same message. I was totally willing to go to rehab until it all came down on me like that and a switch just flipped in my head and I got defensive and refused. I'm really at a loss right now I think if my pm doc would step it up beyond what I'm getting I could play by the rules and not buy extras. I feel bad that I'm still lying after all of this but it seems like I don't really have a choice for the time being I'm just hanging out in limbo.

clean_in_ks · Answer

I messed up the link when I posted it....sorry~

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Addiction-Substance-Abuse/months-and-months-of-lies/show/2242653#post_10770014

clean_in_ks · Answer

Welcome back to the substance abuse forum I'm glad you've returned.

For a 70 mg/day hydro habit, going on suboxone would be WAY overkill.  It is a MUCH STRONGER opioid and much harder to get off of than hydros.  

Would you be comfortable sharing what happened with your plan to go to rehab?
Did you tell your wife and are you still with her now?
Do you have any support from anyone who understands addiction and recovery?

I know you asked about methadone awhile back too, and now are asking about suboxone.....but what about just formulating a plan to get off the hydros now that your street source has dried up?

I know you have been going round and round with anxiety questions in that forum and pain mgmt. questions in that forum but really wish you could find a way to get off the hydros for good and re-evaluate your pain then.  The anxiety is SO common with opiate addiction and our pain levels are SO MUCH different once we give our pain receptors a break.

What do you think?   Have you gone back and read any of your other threads?  The comments you rec'd on this one are REALLY good:

 http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Addiction-Substance-Abuse/months-and-
months-of-lies/show/2242653#post_10770014

You've been looking for an easier, softer way for quite awhile now and there really isn't one....we can't go around it, under it or over it...we truly have to just go through it.  You can do it!  You're young, you have a good heart and so much life ahead of you.

Let us know how you're doing, ok?

addlover · Answer

From my personal experience, you are not going to get pain relief from suboxone. And God forbid you ever need serious pain relief,once you take suboxone you will never get pain relief from hydros or percs or any of the like. Suboxone changes everything