Is Sub. a narcotic? Or a narcotic blocker? How does it help in reducing/eliminating withdrawls from opiates? Is this something you could ask your dr. to perscribe?
Buprenorphine: A medication used to treat adults addicted to or dependent on opiates such as pain medications, heroin or methadone. It is available in oral form (sublingual tablets) and injectable form. As part of an addiction treatment program, the medication is taken in its oral form. Buprenorphine blocks the effects of other opiates and eliminates cravings and symptoms of withdrawal.
Maintenance: The patient is given a prescription for an amount of buprenorphine (determined during the stabilization phase of treatment) and monitored by the physician on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on the patients needs.
Stabilization: The phase of treatment in which the patient and doctors determine the correct amount of buprenorphine the patient needs to take to eliminate cravings and signs and symptoms of withdrawal.
SUBOXONE and SUBUTEX are prescription medicines used to treat adults addicted to opioid (narcotic painkillers) medicines and drugs, such as morphine and heroin. SUBOXONE and SUBUTEX take the place of these medicines and drugs and may help you stop using and
abusing them. SUBOXONE and SUBUTEX are part of a complete addiction treatment program that also includes counseling or behavioral therapy.
SUBOXONE and SUBUTEX have not been studied in children.
SUBOXONE is a tablet that contains 2 medicines.
1. The first medicine is called buprenorphine (BYOO-pruh-NOR-feen). It is like painkiller medicines such as morphine, street drugs like heroin, and addiction treatment medicines like methadone. Buprenorphine may give you less of a high than these other prescription medicines and street drugs. Withdrawal or stopping buprenorphine may be easier than stopping other prescription medicines and street drugs.
2. SUBOXONE also contains naloxone (nal-OX-own). When naloxone is injected, it blocksthe effects of medicines and drugs like methadone, heroin, and morphine. Naloxone is added to SUBOXONE to stop people from injecting ("shooting-up") SUBOXONE tablets. When you use SUBOXONE under your tongue (sublingually), as prescribed, the naloxone in SUBOXONE should not stop the medicines effects. However, if you inject SUBOXONE, the naloxone can give you bad withdrawal symptoms.
Why Opioid Dependence Is a Disease
Opioid dependence is a chronic brain disease caused by complex, long-term, changes in the structure and functioning of the brain. The significant changes to brain "circuitry" common to opioid dependence have led physicians to classify it as a disease that interferes with normal brain functioning.
Most brain diseases are linked to a distinct behavioral symptomfor example, Alzheimer's disease is linked to memory loss, schizophrenia is linked to mood changes, and opioid dependence is linked to compulsive opioid use.
While a portion of opioid-dependent patients may have elected to misuse opioids at some point, this does not mean their condition is not the result of disease. Consider the following:
1. Many chronic diseases either begin or are made worse by (or both) patients' choicesfor example, decisions about diet and exercise directly contribute to such common illnesses as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
2. Regardless of whether patients' opioid use may have begun willingly, once opioid dependence takes hold, drug use is no longer voluntary.
3. Although opioid dependence is preceded by repeated use of higher and higher doses of opioids, opioid use is actually only one of several factors that causes this diseaseopioid use will not "become" opioid dependence all by itself.
My Doctor is an Addiction Specialist with first hand experience. He is a very intelligent man that is an addict and an alcoholic. He has strong ties here in the community and is heavily involved in the 12 step program. In fact it is an absolute requirement by him to be in therapy and/or treatment and have a strong program of recovery to be in his care. He will kick you out in a heartbeat if you are not following his instructions.
He has stressed to me over and over that the opiate dependant brain has been altered chemically. Hence the suboxone treatment.. It is his life's work! He has been RXing suboxone since its approval and has a very high success rate.
Sub, is NOT a get out of w/d free card. There is a lot of work that the patient has to undertake while the sub works. Keeps those behaviours at bay and heals your brain while you get your life together and work a strong program. It has helped many people keep there disease in remission. I stopped cold turkey numerous times...I always ended up relasping because I didn't get the relief I needed. Sub gave me this relief and the time needed to explore my options for a full and meaningful recovery. 12 steps was my answer. I never would have went to meetings....subl gave me that. Maybe eventually I would have found meetings...I know the sub settled my mind and helped me get there quicker!!
I hope this helps...there is alot of information about suboxone.....Google it....you will get alot of information. I think the most important thing is to find a Doctor that insists on treatment!
Maintenance: The patient is given a prescription for an amount of buprenorphine (determined during the stabilization phase of treatment) and monitored by the physician on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on the patients needs.
Stabilization: The phase of treatment in which the patient and doctors determine the correct amount of buprenorphine the patient needs to take to eliminate cravings and signs and symptoms of withdrawal.
SUBOXONE and SUBUTEX are prescription medicines used to treat adults addicted to opioid (narcotic painkillers) medicines and drugs, such as morphine and heroin. SUBOXONE and SUBUTEX take the place of these medicines and drugs and may help you stop using and
abusing them. SUBOXONE and SUBUTEX are part of a complete addiction treatment program that also includes counseling or behavioral therapy.
SUBOXONE and SUBUTEX have not been studied in children.
SUBOXONE is a tablet that contains 2 medicines.
1. The first medicine is called buprenorphine (BYOO-pruh-NOR-feen). It is like painkiller medicines such as morphine, street drugs like heroin, and addiction treatment medicines like methadone. Buprenorphine may give you less of a high than these other prescription medicines and street drugs. Withdrawal or stopping buprenorphine may be easier than stopping other prescription medicines and street drugs.
2. SUBOXONE also contains naloxone (nal-OX-own). When naloxone is injected, it blocksthe effects of medicines and drugs like methadone, heroin, and morphine. Naloxone is added to SUBOXONE to stop people from injecting ("shooting-up") SUBOXONE tablets. When you use SUBOXONE under your tongue (sublingually), as prescribed, the naloxone in SUBOXONE should not stop the medicines effects. However, if you inject SUBOXONE, the naloxone can give you bad withdrawal symptoms.
Why Opioid Dependence Is a Disease
Opioid dependence is a chronic brain disease caused by complex, long-term, changes in the structure and functioning of the brain. The significant changes to brain "circuitry" common to opioid dependence have led physicians to classify it as a disease that interferes with normal brain functioning.
Most brain diseases are linked to a distinct behavioral symptomfor example, Alzheimer's disease is linked to memory loss, schizophrenia is linked to mood changes, and opioid dependence is linked to compulsive opioid use.
While a portion of opioid-dependent patients may have elected to misuse opioids at some point, this does not mean their condition is not the result of disease. Consider the following:
1. Many chronic diseases either begin or are made worse by (or both) patients' choicesfor example, decisions about diet and exercise directly contribute to such common illnesses as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
2. Regardless of whether patients' opioid use may have begun willingly, once opioid dependence takes hold, drug use is no longer voluntary.
3. Although opioid dependence is preceded by repeated use of higher and higher doses of opioids, opioid use is actually only one of several factors that causes this diseaseopioid use will not "become" opioid dependence all by itself.
My Doctor is an Addiction Specialist with first hand experience. He is a very intelligent man that is an addict and an alcoholic. He has strong ties here in the community and is heavily involved in the 12 step program. In fact it is an absolute requirement by him to be in therapy and/or treatment and have a strong program of recovery to be in his care. He will kick you out in a heartbeat if you are not following his instructions.
He has stressed to me over and over that the opiate dependant brain has been altered chemically. Hence the suboxone treatment.. It is his life's work! He has been RXing suboxone since its approval and has a very high success rate.
Sub, is NOT a get out of w/d free card. There is a lot of work that the patient has to undertake while the sub works. Keeps those behaviours at bay and heals your brain while you get your life together and work a strong program. It has helped many people keep there disease in remission. I stopped cold turkey numerous times...I always ended up relasping because I didn't get the relief I needed. Sub gave me this relief and the time needed to explore my options for a full and meaningful recovery. 12 steps was my answer. I never would have went to meetings....subl gave me that. Maybe eventually I would have found meetings...I know the sub settled my mind and helped me get there quicker!!
I hope this helps...there is alot of information about suboxone.....Google it....you will get alot of information. I think the most important thing is to find a Doctor that insists on treatment!
And...only certain certified Dr's can prescribe it. They also have a limited amount of patients,though i hear they are raising that number?
Talk to your primary Dr about it,come clean with him,im sure he will help if sub is the route you think you need to take.~KIM
PS`Youre so right Keekee,there are alot of Dr's out there that just want the quick buck and dont give a crap about the patient and how theyre doing.I found that out with my son,he had 2 maybe 3 different dr that prescribed sub for him and he never had any counseling,meetings,no requirments whatsoever.They eventually just cut him off too,when he least expected it.Finally he has found one that is "working with him" and that is very important.There is defintley work involved,you have to take charge of your recovery and learn all you can,through meetings and counseling.Great advice Keekee!~KIM
Talk to your primary Dr about it,come clean with him,im sure he will help if sub is the route you think you need to take.~KIM
PS`Youre so right Keekee,there are alot of Dr's out there that just want the quick buck and dont give a crap about the patient and how theyre doing.I found that out with my son,he had 2 maybe 3 different dr that prescribed sub for him and he never had any counseling,meetings,no requirments whatsoever.They eventually just cut him off too,when he least expected it.Finally he has found one that is "working with him" and that is very important.There is defintley work involved,you have to take charge of your recovery and learn all you can,through meetings and counseling.Great advice Keekee!~KIM
Hi Kim, yes the patient limit has been upped to 100. It was only 30. I suppose this is good. There is a need for this treatment but not all are qualified enough to RX it and of course not all patients will embrace it and follow the rules.
The good news is is that it does block all opiates so if you are not serious about getting clean your drug use will be a waste of time.
I know of this personally when I broke my ankle...I had a shot of demoral and it did nothing for me. I think it dulled the pain which is what I wanted but absolutely no high...notta...nothing! First time in my life I was greatful for that!! LOL
The good news is is that it does block all opiates so if you are not serious about getting clean your drug use will be a waste of time.
I know of this personally when I broke my ankle...I had a shot of demoral and it did nothing for me. I think it dulled the pain which is what I wanted but absolutely no high...notta...nothing! First time in my life I was greatful for that!! LOL
The problem is,that im seeing and hearing now is...users of pp's are using the sub for there in between times when they run out of their pp's.
Like you said,not using it properly,using it for purposes such as holding off WD's til they get their pp's again.Used in a situation like that,a person could stay on pp's for life if they could get their hands on the sub.
I know there are plenty of drs that dont even test you and prescribe sub,i have a cousin whos been on sub for about 2 years,and has never been tested once,never had any kind of counseling,nothing.She drives 1 hour once a month and shes got her sub.She also has her pp's,from her surgeon here,and when she runs out of the pp's,she waits a day,then takes the sub til she can get her script for pp's again.Its a dangerous thing if not used properly.~KIM
Like you said,not using it properly,using it for purposes such as holding off WD's til they get their pp's again.Used in a situation like that,a person could stay on pp's for life if they could get their hands on the sub.
I know there are plenty of drs that dont even test you and prescribe sub,i have a cousin whos been on sub for about 2 years,and has never been tested once,never had any kind of counseling,nothing.She drives 1 hour once a month and shes got her sub.She also has her pp's,from her surgeon here,and when she runs out of the pp's,she waits a day,then takes the sub til she can get her script for pp's again.Its a dangerous thing if not used properly.~KIM
Wow...Kim...I know that stuff like that happens. My own doctor told me that they worth a fortune on the streets. He told me that they are nicknamed "stoppers".
I suppose this will happen...just like with methadone...there was and is all kinds of abuse of that drug too. Makes me sick....sub really helped me man....I am so grateful but I also knew that I was done. If I didn't take it seriously I was as good as dead. I was the walking dead.
Addicts will always find away to abuse or misuse the drug or the system...that's what we do. That is why it is so important for these so called Doctors to be monitoring, testing and insisting and following up on a strong program...or your out.
I feel sorry for your cousin...she is stuck in that horrible cycle.
How is your sister doing by the way. Any better?
I suppose this will happen...just like with methadone...there was and is all kinds of abuse of that drug too. Makes me sick....sub really helped me man....I am so grateful but I also knew that I was done. If I didn't take it seriously I was as good as dead. I was the walking dead.
Addicts will always find away to abuse or misuse the drug or the system...that's what we do. That is why it is so important for these so called Doctors to be monitoring, testing and insisting and following up on a strong program...or your out.
I feel sorry for your cousin...she is stuck in that horrible cycle.
How is your sister doing by the way. Any better?
Youre right,its no way to live.I too had had enough,i couldnt go one more day living the way i was. And i will continue to praise sub,its helped me alot but i want off,i want to be totally pill free.I also take my sub(1mg) in the mroning and then the second one,actually,its different times,its whenever i start to feel i need it.Like you said,its not on my mind,i never think about it,i'll just be doing whatever and it'll hit me...im starting to feel crappy,then i take the second mg.It is such a sense of freedom,not like the pp's.I cant wait til we're totally free,no pills whatsoever ! Wont that be awesome?!?!
My sister isnt doing well.She doesnt call me anymore and i dont call her.We had a big blow up,she promised me she would get help.She made comments about me being stronger than her,that she just isnt strong enough.I told her it was bulls***,she was just making excuses becasue she doesnt want to stop and that i had had enough of her crap,i didnt want to find/hear of her dead from od'ing.So i basically have cut her out of my life.she made the promise to get help,and hasnt done anything about it.
I know shes having a very hard time getting her hands on stuff.Her BF lost his job at the pharmacy,so there went her big supplier.He also stole from his mother(who gets alot of pps through themail from a botched back operation)she finally caught on and locks her meds.So i think shes basically just drinking and doing crack whenever they can steal the money from somwhere to get it.So sad.
Keekee,if you were to see this gilr,i mean,shes gorgeous(i should say ...was)she looks like a scarecrow.She is literally killing herself and i see it never stopping until,well,death or jail,one or the other and its going to happen.I pray its jail first.AS horrible as it would be to be detoxing off all that stuff in jail,at least in the end,she would have one more chance.
She made comments on the phone the last time we talked about how great im doing(she was trying so hard to get my love and respect,it broke my heart)and i flat out told her,im doing alright,but thats becasue im doing what i need to do,its not just happening out of nowhere,i have to go to classes,meeting,talk about my life,my problems,my feelings,and listen to others talk about theirs.I have to stay connected to things,not holed up in my house isolating!I swear she hasnt left her house in 4 months.Theyre on the verge of losing the house.Her lovely BF has been waiting on a big settlement from an injury at his job,it isnt coming through fast enough,so...needless to say,its a big mess,my mothers a mess,but i refuse to be any part of it anymore.
Sorry to go on so,its just such a painful sad issue with me.I appreciate your asking.I still pray every night things turn out ok,but my common sense knows better.Theres nothing worse than standing by and having your hands tied while a loved one is literally killing themselves.Again,thanks for asking.We all have to take the steps "ourselves" if we want to get better,do better and feel better.~KIM
My sister isnt doing well.She doesnt call me anymore and i dont call her.We had a big blow up,she promised me she would get help.She made comments about me being stronger than her,that she just isnt strong enough.I told her it was bulls***,she was just making excuses becasue she doesnt want to stop and that i had had enough of her crap,i didnt want to find/hear of her dead from od'ing.So i basically have cut her out of my life.she made the promise to get help,and hasnt done anything about it.
I know shes having a very hard time getting her hands on stuff.Her BF lost his job at the pharmacy,so there went her big supplier.He also stole from his mother(who gets alot of pps through themail from a botched back operation)she finally caught on and locks her meds.So i think shes basically just drinking and doing crack whenever they can steal the money from somwhere to get it.So sad.
Keekee,if you were to see this gilr,i mean,shes gorgeous(i should say ...was)she looks like a scarecrow.She is literally killing herself and i see it never stopping until,well,death or jail,one or the other and its going to happen.I pray its jail first.AS horrible as it would be to be detoxing off all that stuff in jail,at least in the end,she would have one more chance.
She made comments on the phone the last time we talked about how great im doing(she was trying so hard to get my love and respect,it broke my heart)and i flat out told her,im doing alright,but thats becasue im doing what i need to do,its not just happening out of nowhere,i have to go to classes,meeting,talk about my life,my problems,my feelings,and listen to others talk about theirs.I have to stay connected to things,not holed up in my house isolating!I swear she hasnt left her house in 4 months.Theyre on the verge of losing the house.Her lovely BF has been waiting on a big settlement from an injury at his job,it isnt coming through fast enough,so...needless to say,its a big mess,my mothers a mess,but i refuse to be any part of it anymore.
Sorry to go on so,its just such a painful sad issue with me.I appreciate your asking.I still pray every night things turn out ok,but my common sense knows better.Theres nothing worse than standing by and having your hands tied while a loved one is literally killing themselves.Again,thanks for asking.We all have to take the steps "ourselves" if we want to get better,do better and feel better.~KIM
