How Long Can You Stay On Suboxone

Families / Partners of Addicts
1
My 19 yo sister who has been using heroin for 3 years, IV the last year of the three. this August she was in a serious car accident under the influence and wrecked a car into a house. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and part of her skull was removed temporarily. She remained in a coma for a week, shock trauma for two weeks, and Kernan a brain rehab. During time she was in the coma they detoxed her very slowly. When she came home she was off the drugs and was not experiencing W/D. But the cravings were to much and she relapsed. So the choice was having her use IV drugs, going into Baltimore city, or going on buprenorphine. So we located a doctor who prescribe it in our area and he started her on Subutex 8mg for 3 days twice a day, and Suboxone 8mg, 2mg Nalaxone twice a day. She is doing great a totally differet person. I know because I was one of thise people who totally did not believe in trading one drug for the next, but would I rather have her on the streets shooting up, not knowing when we would get that horrible call, especially going around with out part of her skull until the next surgery, or havnig my old sister back. Just wondering how has everyone who has been on this drug done, and how long did you use the suboxone, and if still taking it how long have you been on it. thanks for any help
2
I understand what you are going through. My daughter is a heroine addict and she to just totalled our car, broke her arm in two places, and other injuries. The hospital kept her on morphine for 4 days and then sent her home with nothing to detox. she also went ot a dr. and is on sub. He said they can stay on this for years if needed. up to the person. I also agree with you that sometimes you have to replace the heroine with something else. She to is bi polar. Lots of luck, from someone who understands.
3
Thanks Alley for your response. My sister seems to be doing very well on the sub, I use to be totally against substituting, but having her back in our lives, not stealing, lying, and wondering if she would OD is so much better, and she is like her old self again. the program is very expensive and our insurance will not pay for the visits, and we are waiting to see if they will pay for the prescription. I hope so! She has so much to live for, and I am sure your daughter does to or we wouldnt be on her writing about them. Always in my prayers, and thanks for you response.
4
you can stay on sub, like methadone indefinitely. It is a wonderful drug in my opinion. I feel methadone's buzz is too similar to heroin's in that it still gives you the addict mentality while sub I feel gives you less of that. I first started on sub in mid-july but kept relapsing until i moved out of town and now I've been clean for over 5 weeks (minus one slip) and am almost at 2mg suboxone a day. some days are harder than others but with each passing day my life as an addict is becoming more and more distant.
Though you can stay on sub indefinitely the quicker you come off of it the easier it will be. We have a friend on this board who was on it for 2 years and now has been clean for i think 4 months now maybe...he had an awfully hard time coming off the sub after two years. Another friend here was on it for 2 months i believe and now is nearing her first full week totally clean and she says her withdrawls are quite minimal.
bottom line if it stops you from using heroin then stay on it for as long as necessary. it does no good to get off sub after a month only to resume using heroin a month later. stay on it until you feel mentally ready to let go. Though coming off of heroin is never an easy task, sub is probably as easy as it's ever gonna get and if you're mentally prepared, which sub provides the time to do this..it will be that much easier. good luck

-morph