Suboxone drop and food...

[paying_it_forward]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post on this wonderful support forum. Just a quick background on my addiction/dependance.
It all started with knee surgery and taking painkillers off and on. I was addicted for around a year and taking 30 Nurofen Plus tablets a day (which is about 390mg of codine a day). I was also using the painkillers to self medicate my then undiagnosed depression and anxiety. Constant panic attacks at work. I had a lovely apartment in South Yarra (lovely part of Melbourne, Australia). and a job in a shoe shop. Unfortunatley i have lost those to my addiction. I was put on Xanax for my anxiety, Prozac for my depression and 10mg of suboxone, and now living back with my mother (I'm 24...oh joy to living back with the mother lol).

It's now one year on and i have dropped my dose down to 4mg a day..(still on antidepressants and xanax). I'm determined to get off the subs before the end of the year so i can do a course next year to become a drugs and alcohol councelor (I'm going to make this crappy experience a good one and learn and help other people from it). Appologies for crapping on a little but i was just wondering if all you other dose droppers are having weight issues? I can't seem to keep away from sugar...I can't stop eating and snacking. I have a brand new cross trainer but just don't have ANY motivation to use it. Since moving back home with my mother i have put on 20kg (i was a bigger girl before i moved out of home then when i left the weight dropped off) It's rather depressing though i do know the only one who can change it is me... any words of wisdom? (One thing to add...I'm Gluten intollerant so i can't eat fast foods, bread, anything with wheat/gluten in it).

And as far as tapering my meds I'm debating whether to make the jump off 1mg? .5mg? or less...I have read many of the stories on here but some are quite old so a fresh opinion would be great. Isn't it funny how Suboxone can have such different effects on people...some think it's great yet some think it's the devil...goes to show the saying "each to their own" is quite true!

Again sorry for driveling on quite a bit but any advice at all would be great :)

[paying_it_forward]

Yeah I actually went to see my doctor (who got me onto suboxone, he's not a dosing dr but there are a couple of them at the same medical centre). He thinks i can definately get off them before the end of the year...well he thinks the goal is a realistic one. He has alot of faith in me and know's i am determined to get off them.

About this course I'm wanting to do next year...well I'm completing a more complex application form which has to be in by tomorrow. I'm scared that i won't be ready mentally when it commences in feb/march next year. Hell I'm worried i wont even get in :S I really want this. I never knew what career i wanted so i just stuck with retail...then my addiction/depression/anxiety all happened and it made me realise i wanted to help people (hence my screen name "paying it forward"). I don't want a superficial job...i want to do something that means something...that helps people and going through all of this myself helped me realise it. I do believe everything happens for a reason and I'm pretty sure im going through it for the greater purpose of helping others. I know i'm crapping on again but I'm just in a bit of an anxious mood, but im so so thankful for this site and everyone just wanting to help everybody its such a great support system...to be able to come here and read everyone elses stories is a very good thing....learning the good and the bad and knowing we're all here for each other...

I hope everyone is doing well...stay strong. We ALL will get through this.

[crystal82dawn]

sub work great for staying clean but I have gain weight and I have had my teeth go to crap I am here to talk to if you would like I am 27 Female, mom of two kids and have a hubby. Live only 27year but it has been long and I understand what you are going though been there.

[perch101]

God it's a small world! I know Camberwell Junction medical centre and have been there! And I jnow mountfords shoes!

I think the best thing you can do is see your doctor - tell him you want to be off the sub by christmas and ask him if this is a realistic/safe/appropriate target. If he agrees ask him to set up a taper for then. If you feel you cant handle the taper he sets see him again and get him to adjust accordingly. Was he the doctor who put you on the sub in the first place? I can understand you wanting to be off it - I'd be the same way.

Good luck! You can do this and will feel better when your'e off it!

[paying_it_forward]

Holy crap! you live in hawthorn! I worked on glenferrie rd at Mountfords famous footwear shop. But i lost my job because of the addiction and my depression. I loved that job.

Yeah with my tapering my dr basically told me its up to me when i want to reduce...he had alot of faith in me and thinks I can do it. He works at Junction place medical centre in Camberwell and he's written 7 editions of the Australian drug guide and I'm pretty sure he might be a psychologist too. He's fantastic!

Thanks for your advice too! I will most defiantly take it on board :)

[perch101]

Oh one thing I forgot to add - with the AOD counselling course - if you have had addiction issues yourself you need to have been clean for AT LEAST 2 years before you can be employed as an addiction counsellor (for obvious reasons)
Good luck.

[perch101]

Hey, it's good to see a local on here! (I live in Hawthorn, Melbourne!)
I have heard that it is common on sub to gain weight - as it does have the side effect of causing sugar cravings for a lot of people.
I had an addiction to pain pills too (including nurofen plus like you) but I went cold turkey without sub so I don't know all that much about it - but I do remember hearing that it can mess with your weight.
I see that you are tapering off it - and it sounds like you want to be off it with a goal for christmas- so I would just ask your doctor what a safe taper plan is to get off it completely by then and go by what they say (and remember if you're struggling with the taper plan you can always go back to the doc and adjust the dose) - then hopefully you'll find once you're off it completely the cravings go and your weight will stabalise.
As for the weight question - my weight sits at around 56 - 57kgs ( Im 155.5cm) which I'm happy with - and I think it stays at this mainly because I go for a power walk most days - I put the pedometer on my ipod on and aim for 8 - 9,000 steps - this takes about 1hr15mins. Sometimes I do more or less depending on my mood/time restraints. I actually really enjoy this me time with my music on - I usually walk along the yarra and now that the weather is getting better its great!! And the ipod stores the steps in the history so you can keep an eye on how much excersise your doing. So maybe thats something you could try? You might find like me that you actually really enjoy doing it. And if you do it regualy you'll notice the kgs start to come off.
So anyway I hope that helps! Thats great your looking into AOD counselling - I actually considered it too! Feel free to post back if you have any questions!

[laurel453]

the health pages are below on the right side of the screen.... there is a lot of good and useful info.

[laurel453]

try the breathing exercises when you feel this anxiety.... they really work .

[paying_it_forward]

Thanks for that! I will do have a bit more of a browse in the health sections of this site :)

[paying_it_forward]

P.s I'm getting damn heart palpitations too...they're like bad anxiety but only for about 5 seconds. Weird how the body reacts...

[laurel453]

btw, have a look at the health pages, there are some articles about diet after coming off opiates and stuff like this, quite interesting :)

[laurel453]

Hi :)

cravings for sugar and carbs in quite common... try a very healthy diet instead :)

i would advice you to focus on your recovery before thinking about counseling others, i mean... this is a very tough and long battle... don't put pressures on yourself, work on your aftercare and then you will see with time, counselling would be great but step by step , ok ? :)

[paying_it_forward]

Thanks for the prompt reply :) It's good to know I'm not the only one who's craving the sugarrrr.

This forum is so great. It's got everything...professional advice and advice from all the other addicts out there looking for some words of wisdom.

I do feel that i have gone through this addiction for a reason...as i mentioned before i want to become a drugs councelor...just be there for addicts...someone they can relate to and see there's light at the end of the tunnel (even though I'm not there yet lol but i will). Today i went to the information session for the course it was a little daunting seeing as i'm yet to get off the meds myself...so I'm also debating if i'll be ready for the start of the course (i think it starts in February). Hmmm...well only time will tell hey!

[sky_is_the_limit]

I was 135mgs of methadone which is also an opiod and I craved sugar so bad. I don't know but I gained more weight during that time than I had ever in my life. My fiancee was the same way. Good luck with you sugar cravings. I really like your idea of being a counselor. Also godd luck with the sub. That stuff is horrible. I have been self medicating which is bad. But only about 1 mg every other day and I am still having problems quiting. EMOTIONAL STUFF> we are here for you


                                                    sky_is _the _limit