need help to stop taking oxy's

ok, where do I start. First of all, im here for help with my boyfriend. He has been in and out of rehabs 3 times and still went back to oxy's. Then he went to his doctor and she put him on suboxone's. He was taking them for one year and he told me that he was addicted to them. I am so confused about this. He stopped taking them and had very bad withdraws. He couldnt take to pain from the withdraws and started using again(oxy's). I need help trying to understand it, was he just abusing the suboxone that he was taking or do you really have withdraws for them??? He came to me and asked for help but I just dont know where to start again. Please HELP!!!

[No name22]

Has he gone to meetings?

[ACG]

he works out of town and has no time to go to meeting. He is so out of control that he is taking 3 80's and really needs help. Im really scared for his life. If he gets back to taking sub, can he slowly stop taking it without withdraws??? I just think he got use to taking them and couldnt handle not having something so he went back to oxy's. He has to go something!!!

[No name22]

He's the defintion of a full blown addict really...It took me since may to quit, but if he really wants to he will...Did he and his dr have a schedual worked out with the sub.? Also people can get addicted mentally just taking something, it's f-ed up...You should have him read some things on this site....# 80's a day is insane sounds to me like he's oviously using to get high and not to just get through the day..

[ACG]

yes they did have a schedule and he was lowering his dose and i guess he just lowered his dose to soon and you know Im trying to be there for him but i just hope he wants this. I just want to understand why he is doing this and i guess i never will because ive never done drugs. I know he loves me but he lets the drugs get the best of him. I thought he was doing good for a year and then just one pill started this again. I dont know how to help him or where to start

[No name22]

You can't help him really you can only be there to support him...If someone doesn't want to quit there not going to...I had one person say to me well I have nothing eles to spend my money on and another say I'm not going to quit untill I get caught by the police...I'm sure he loves you, but he loves his drugs too, believe me I loved getting high, but the messed up thing is, is this whole yr is a blurr to me....See if he'll try the sub again and try a diffent dr, and go for drug counseling

[ACG]

Thats what I meant, im here for support and I hope to god that he really wants this. Can him trying 2mm a day for a week help him with the oxy thing???? Because thats what he told me. I just need to know if I need to stop trying or still here for him

[No name22]

2mm a day you mean 2 mg's of sub a day? No not for me I was taking about 5mg's a day and then tappered down and thats when I was on a 80 a day...I'm not sure, but I think a 80 may be equevelant (spelling) to 8mg.s

[ACG]

oh ok.... Yes 2mgs of sub sorry. Well do you think he should stay on sub and try to get off of it slowly. Because he was talking to me and saying that he was going to take sub for a week not to have withdraws from oxy but i guess im just stupid and believe him about everything. He is going to have withdraws no matter what right????

[No name22]

If he's taking 3 80's a day it may take more than a week, but like I said I self medicated...And as for 2mg's BS he'll need more than that to not have severe w/d's
I think he should go to the dr and start the sub agian and you should go with him also if he'll let you have him have you give him his doses and watch him take it (pretend you want to really get involved and help or something) and that way you'll know what he's taking also if he was to take a oxy if wouldn't do anything, because sub blockes the opiates....He may have some w/d's from the sub but nothing compared to going c/t

[ACG]

If he only stays on the sub for a week and then stops, do you think he would have a chance to stay clean???? Im sorry to keep asking you stuff but right now, im the only person that knows about him doing this stuff again and im scared to death. I told him that I was talking to people on a forum and he got mad. He told me that everybody is different and he was not taking the suboxone no more than a week. I just hope it will work. His doctor told him that suboxone was not addictive and yes it is!

[No name22]

Theres a good chance he'll be able to only take it for a week, but i'm no dr and everyones diffrent...I'd think he'd have some w/ds...

[lurker]

I used sub for 7 days, FLaddict for 10 - it is possible to get off drugs and stay off but staying off is the really hard part.  He needs to make time for meetings and his recovery, which means he has to want it for himself.  You're great to be there to support him, but in the end, he needs to do it himself.  Any doctor that told him sub isn't addicting is dead wrong.  It's a narcotic too and your body gets used to it.  Hopefully he can get back on sub and then start going to meetings and making a plan for what he's going to do when he gets off the sub to help prevent relapse.  Know that relapse is common in recovery and hopefully he'll want it bad enough to quit.  Take care of yourself, you have to be strong.

[ACG]

Thank you so much for listening to me guys! I have been there for him for almost 5 years and im still trying. He is everything to me and I just wish that I could understand it and why it takes over you. I just want answers but i never will!!! I guess no one will ever know!!!!

[FLaddict]

Please click on my name and go to my profile in my journal is a FAQ about Suboxone and Subutex compiled by a patient experience.
Detox is really the easy part.  I used Sub to get through the accute withdrawal phase. 10 days total. After that it was up to me. I had a plan set of nutrition, support, and the desire. That was almost 5 months ago. Zero opiates. Sub IS addicting. It DOES cause dependency. Based on patient experiences the longer on it the higher the chance of more than mild withdrawal and heavy lingering PAWS.
After 10 days of taking it I only had very mild sweats and chills with some anxiety for about 24 hours or so. I started at 6mgs and tapered down to 0.5mgs then stopped. I used clonidine to help for a few days. But other than that I never looked back. It absolutely CAN be done short term. At least then you have a better idea of what its doing to your body over time. With longer term its not as cut and dry from what I read.

[FLaddict]

After a year of being on Sub he would definatly have withdrawals, even if he was taking them as directed.

[kyjobr]

for someone as high risk of relapsing as it sounds like he is, he really should be on sub very long term if not indefintely.  Before everyone jumps on me, I will say this is my opinion but one based upon research and what sub was developed for (please read the pdf that is available via the link in my profile).  It's not meant to just jump on and off just for w/d's or for short term use unless you're only detoxing or having to go to jail.  Otherwise, it's meant to be a med-long term maintenance program. He must taper off the sub, when he's ready, and not just quit.  Also in my opinion, those people who quit sub just because it's also addicting are just looking for an excuse to go back to getting high.  Because he ran right back to the oxy instead of sub or something else, it really sounds like he's not ready to give up getting high.  Sorry to sound so cold.  

I feel for you and wish you the best.

Sandra

[No name22]

It's a sickness and he's very lucky to have you! Also thankfully you never followed not that I blame him, but thats how I got to where I am today I went right down with my b/f....Just keep trying and see if he'll get that sub. apt and go with him, but also maybe you should call some dr.s and see how there "plan" works ever dr is diffent...Also he really needs some after care or a rude awaking so he wont go back to this drug. We all think we can just do one and that one can bring us back to square one...Good luck and feel free to ask questions and post anytime, maybe someone can give you better advice or diffrent at least.

[ACG]

He was on sub for a year and started has been taking oxys again for 2-3 months. I am going to try to get him to go back to a doctor and get help! Thanks so much guys and I will def be back to ask questions!!!

[kyjobr]

good luck and please be sure to take care of yourself.  It's so easy to make your life revolve around the addict but it's not fair to you.  I've been on both sides of this mess and I sometimes think its harder to be the loved one rather than the addict.  At least as an addict you have SOME control over your life but as the family member you are helpless, scared and ticked off.  

[sun_shine613]

my boy friend used to be on mehadone, because he was addicted to oxys but he has been clean from all the drugs including the methadone for 2 years now. i know a few of his buddy are doing them and i came home and found a few pills , he say he never wanted this again but he claims he wouldnt have started again if it was around him meaning seeing his friends do it once in a while, he tells me that he really wants to quit , so what can i do to help i am so stressed out over this , and he said he can ween him self off them but its hard to believe that , now this is the first day he hasnt had any and he is hurting should he just go ao few days without any or do a small amount a day till he weens off them , thank you for your time i am just really cinfused and i need to know what i should do to help