a while after posting that i came off of suboxone and back on to pain meds because i went thru 4 more foot surgeries have the fybromyalgia RA and OA, had fractured my leg and lost use of my hands n arms after a chiropractic procedure. I am currently being treated and confirming a diagnosis of non-hodgkins lymphoma wit an upcoming byopsy. I am just now able to use my fingers (barely) to type very slow, (which lead me right back here as soon as i was able enough....thank god! Cuz this site has always been wonderful!) but I manage my simple everyday tasks only wit the amazing help of my husband. I am currently awaiting surgery next week on my foot AGAIN and I am dying for advice about my best option after surgery to never take these pills again. Do i stay on them wit help from my husband in controlling dosage? Do i wean? cold turkey? use an alternative like suboxone or methadone? I am so confused how to let go of and stop taking a medicine i am told everyday of my life by several different specialists and doctors that i will always need.
not sure about the pain control with the sub maybe run it by your doc i am not sure but the higher dose sub your on the harder and longer it will be to tapper off ,
thank you so much for your responses. in regaurd to the addiction thing some of it is a mental need to occupy myself having been soooo used to takin something round the clock, that i do work on in therapy. as far as being off everything all at once.. i have been several times and then something always happens and its not like ok i hurt my elbow stubbed my toe kinda thing lol (i wish) like a massive infection in my foot or surgery wich i have tried only motrin tylenol naproxen celebrex u name it and that type of pain i can not get managed by those types of drugs wich i honestly can say ive tried my hardest to do. does the pain relief of the suboxone increase wit the dose or is it the pain will be controlled the same amount it would be at 8 that it is at 24? that im unclear of because it isnt very much used in the usa for that.
well like you said why take the pills if you have to wait for the sub to ware off? i would talk to your doc about a slow tapper off the sub and if you can wait for the sub th ware off to take pain meds you more then likly dont need them not to say your not in pain but if you can deal with it or use the sub and maybe a diff pain med wo opiates you may want to give it a try. best of luck keep posting
Hi Dknd - I believe that we have talked before. You are asking a number of questions in your post - I'm not sure that I can answer or advise you on all of them, but the question you asked a number of times is "are you an addict". This is something that only you can answer - typically Suboxone is only prescribed for addiction to opiates, so that should direct you towards your answer. You appear to have had many medical issued over the past several years, but you always seem to fall back on Suboxone when the pain meds are gone. Have you ever considered seeing a pain specialist? In your case, I would talk with your doctor about a plan to get off the pain meds once you heal, including the suboxone. There are differences in opinion on considering yourself clean while on suboxone. I took it for almost 4 years and did not consider myself clean until I was completely off everything, including suboxone and alcohol. As for the pain, I have met several people on this site that were taking lots of pain meds long after their medical condition was healed, but they still had pain. Once they detoxed and got completely off the pain meds, they found that the pain they thought they were having was either gone or much less than they originally thought. You will never know until you reach that point.
Also, from experience, 24mg of suboxone is a very high dose. While it does have some pain releaving properties, I also found that it caused extreme daytime sleepyness and it also caused some anxiety. You may find that you can take a much lower dose and still feel good - typically the daily dose is 4-8mg once stabilized. Have a serious talk with your doctor, make some plans, and keep posting. Best of luck.
been on/off sub since feb 2007 at 24mg daily. They say it can be used for pain but idk if i see a differnce. I take the pain meds only when i cant take the pain anymore but then i have to wait for sub to wear off and say to myself if im gona have to wait anyway i might as well not take the pain meds n just deal with the pain anyway. i take more then prescribed. the sub doctor said when i need to take the pain meds its not a relapse he considers it a "lapse in therapy" but then i feel like hes just giving me an exscuse to take them. so i dont know if thats helpin or hurting me in the long run.
wow hun its sounds like you have been through alot of pain for a long time you poor thing. when you say "when i run out of pills i thak the sub" are you running out because the doc wont give you more or you take a little more then you should? i am not judgeing we have all been there hun. is it the same doc giveing you pain meds and the sub? it really doesnt make sence to start sub then go back to pills is it because the pain gets worse? i dont know what to say if i were you i would try to stay on the sub and tapper down how long have you been useing the sub and at what mg?