From reading many posts here over the last week ,I realize their is somewhat of a controversy over SUB and its use. This appears to be the one subject that brings forth "a little" friction . I do believe most intentions are pure. It really is encouraging to see so many people who society would have shunned because of a label "addict" have so much respect, caring and yes "love" for others.
I have an appoinment with a SUB doctor on Monday and have a few questions for those with experience. I would like to give a little more background first.
I have never used SUB and dont look at it as a "cure all pill". I see it as possibly another "tool" in my small arsonal of tools to defeat an overwellming adiction to Hydrocodone. I am cautious about getting addicted to yet another pill but I have already tried Cold turkey before and I fear I dont have the physical strength to endure an even deaper addiction now.
My cold turkey experience was a year ago. I had a 4 year addiction to approx 40 mill of hyro a day. I tapered for 3 weeks down to 10 mill. It was somewhat hard , physically and mentally. I then made a clean break from 10 mill to nothing. 3 days of mild suffering , the leg shakes and aches but It was manageable because of the tapering. After a few weeks of being clean , I was starting to feel good. One day with my addition behind me and a little beer buzz and a good song on the radio and a nice sunny day, I figured , I can just have One Pill to enhance my good time. After all, I would be on the lookout for becoming physically adicted again. The rest was history.Because I am hard headed, I had to learn for myself . I cant lower my inhibitions from beer and not use pain pills if available . I needed a mental and an emotional support system.
Now a year later I am using 80 to 100 mill a day. Remembering the pain I went through before had NO effect on me picking up again. If anything , I had more of a fear of trying to stop using. I only prolonged for another day the inevitable pain. I now have a STRONG desire to stop dancing with the devil. I am hopefull that SUB will give me a helping hand along with other support I now have .
My intention is to only use SUB for 3 to 4 weeks tapering the whole time. I have a minor outpatient surgery in the next few week too. I interviewed 2 surgeons and asked what kind of anastesia they use. One said "general" the other said something like " versett". Neither of them know about my addiction. I prefer to keep it that way.
On Monday I see my SUB doctor. It cost around 600 dollars for him to prisbribe SUB. I heard from a friend that the Doctor likes to have you take it for only 2 weeks. I am thinking this is because of the 30 patient limit that is imposed . My friend said he felt clear headed right away , no w/d and could function and go to work. He also said that he did feel some withdraws after he stopped the SUB ( too early ,in his opinion) but it wasnt real hard like when he tried to go cold turkey before. Some of my questions are:
1) Has anyone had W/D from being on SUB itself too long?
2) Is it a hard detox?
3) How long would you recommend being on it for the sole purpose of getting off everything and not using it for pain management like some people might need.
4) Can anyone comment on the "general anastesia " vs " Something that sounds like Versette" ?
Thank you so very much for lending an ear.
Brian
I am not a doctor, but when your doctor talked about giving you versett (sp?), which I have had, I think he's talking about putting you in a "twilight sleep"
Unlike general anesthesia, where you'll be completely under and a machine will be doing the breathing for you, with twilight sleep, you are giving drugs such as versett to put you to sleep, but you will not be all the way under.
These drugs also cause amnesia, so even if you're semi-awake and talking to the doctor throughout the surgery, you won't have any memory of it when you wake up.
I, personally, ALWAYS try to go the twilight route if possible.... Sometimes you can't, but when given the choice, I'd rather do it that way because it is MUCH safer. I've had surgery with both types of anesthesia and have never had a problem with the twilight sleep (with the general type, I woke up with a HORRIBLE headache).
when I had foot surgery in July, I was worried about waking up because they were going to be using a bone saw and I was doing twilight sleep..... but I have NO memory of anything after they gave me a shot to relax me and I had no complications.
If you're getting on the sub first, though, make sure you let your surgeon know and make sure he is educated on the drug..... There are so many drugs that you cannot take when you are on sub and he has to be informed on what those are.
I'm going to be on sub for 6 months to a year for personal reasons, but I am not afraid of withdrawal. My doctor and I have mapped out a plan to reduce my doseage over MONTHS, not days or weeks, and hopefully by that time I will have the mental strength that I do not have now.
I wish you the best.
Danielle
Unlike general anesthesia, where you'll be completely under and a machine will be doing the breathing for you, with twilight sleep, you are giving drugs such as versett to put you to sleep, but you will not be all the way under.
These drugs also cause amnesia, so even if you're semi-awake and talking to the doctor throughout the surgery, you won't have any memory of it when you wake up.
I, personally, ALWAYS try to go the twilight route if possible.... Sometimes you can't, but when given the choice, I'd rather do it that way because it is MUCH safer. I've had surgery with both types of anesthesia and have never had a problem with the twilight sleep (with the general type, I woke up with a HORRIBLE headache).
when I had foot surgery in July, I was worried about waking up because they were going to be using a bone saw and I was doing twilight sleep..... but I have NO memory of anything after they gave me a shot to relax me and I had no complications.
If you're getting on the sub first, though, make sure you let your surgeon know and make sure he is educated on the drug..... There are so many drugs that you cannot take when you are on sub and he has to be informed on what those are.
I'm going to be on sub for 6 months to a year for personal reasons, but I am not afraid of withdrawal. My doctor and I have mapped out a plan to reduce my doseage over MONTHS, not days or weeks, and hopefully by that time I will have the mental strength that I do not have now.
I wish you the best.
Danielle
Brian,
I know some stuff about sub because my husband takes it......You really need to tell your docs if you are on it and having surgery......there can be some real problems.......I am putting in a link for another site that is all about sub, on that site and I am sorry I don't know where, is someones experience on sub and I believe having surgery........ask questions please.......pain control is an issue too....
http://www.heroin-detox.com/forum.a....asp?FORUM_ID=4
Your other questions, well the faster you get off the easier it is......I am not sure if the 30 patient rule is why your doc wants you on for only 2 weeks, but I would ask what would happen if you needed for some reason to be on longer.......
This site you can look up versed.....and find out about it....
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/...nformation.html
Good luck to you....
Take care,
Tina
I know some stuff about sub because my husband takes it......You really need to tell your docs if you are on it and having surgery......there can be some real problems.......I am putting in a link for another site that is all about sub, on that site and I am sorry I don't know where, is someones experience on sub and I believe having surgery........ask questions please.......pain control is an issue too....
http://www.heroin-detox.com/forum.a....asp?FORUM_ID=4
Your other questions, well the faster you get off the easier it is......I am not sure if the 30 patient rule is why your doc wants you on for only 2 weeks, but I would ask what would happen if you needed for some reason to be on longer.......
This site you can look up versed.....and find out about it....
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/...nformation.html
Good luck to you....
Take care,
Tina
Brian
I can certainly appreciate your situation, Im on sub after exhausting alot of other ways to quit, I also had quit and then picked up again thinking the same thing...well, just one or two.......and then I too didn't want to quit again, who wants to go through that hell again? It is the dance with the devil.
Danielle and Misty are right. you need to tell your doctor you are on sub, too many dangers there.
I also understand your apprehension with trading one addiction for another, but you know what, I'll take this addiction for now, this one is trying to make me better. The other one was killing me. I started at 8mg for 2 weeks then dropped to 6mg for another 2 weeks and now just dropped to 4mg and will continue dropping every 2 weeks til 0. I have not felt aany change in tapering, like I would with vics. So far so good. You do what your doctor tells you, but I personally think if you get off it to quick, you haven't given yourself time to learn how to live clean.
Keep us posted and good luck
Redd
I can certainly appreciate your situation, Im on sub after exhausting alot of other ways to quit, I also had quit and then picked up again thinking the same thing...well, just one or two.......and then I too didn't want to quit again, who wants to go through that hell again? It is the dance with the devil.
Danielle and Misty are right. you need to tell your doctor you are on sub, too many dangers there.
I also understand your apprehension with trading one addiction for another, but you know what, I'll take this addiction for now, this one is trying to make me better. The other one was killing me. I started at 8mg for 2 weeks then dropped to 6mg for another 2 weeks and now just dropped to 4mg and will continue dropping every 2 weeks til 0. I have not felt aany change in tapering, like I would with vics. So far so good. You do what your doctor tells you, but I personally think if you get off it to quick, you haven't given yourself time to learn how to live clean.
Keep us posted and good luck
Redd
BE SURE TO TELL YOUR ANETHESIEOLOGIST THAT YOU ARE TAKING SUB! I cannot strees that enough. Like others have said there are certain medications you cannot take while on Sub. Certain drugs can throw you into instant W/D and make you very sick. Methadone is the same way, certain drugs you just cannot take with it.
I think you can tell your anethesisieologist without telling your doctor doing the surgry, but I'm not sure on this one.
Take Care,
Cheri
I think you can tell your anethesisieologist without telling your doctor doing the surgry, but I'm not sure on this one.
Take Care,
Cheri
I can only add YES tell your Dr.It is very bad to mix the sub with certain meds.My whole familt knows that God forbid something should happen to me they need to let medical persons know Im on it.I have done alot of reading and would suggest you do the same.mj
Mollyjean,
I put a note in my wallet, in bold letters where it can be seen (in the laminated part), saying STOP! I AM ON SUBOXONE. BE CAREFUL BEFORE GIVING ME ANY MEDICATIONS. My husband also carries information about sub with him in case I ever have to go to the hospital.... I was worried that doctors would give me a drug that would counteract with the sub if I was brought to the hospital because of an accident, etc, so I put a note right by my driver's license (on "E.R." they always look in the patient's wallet if he/she can't talk)
I put a note in my wallet, in bold letters where it can be seen (in the laminated part), saying STOP! I AM ON SUBOXONE. BE CAREFUL BEFORE GIVING ME ANY MEDICATIONS. My husband also carries information about sub with him in case I ever have to go to the hospital.... I was worried that doctors would give me a drug that would counteract with the sub if I was brought to the hospital because of an accident, etc, so I put a note right by my driver's license (on "E.R." they always look in the patient's wallet if he/she can't talk)
Danni,
You are a smart girl......my husband has the same thing in his wallet right with his license......we actually took the little paper that comes when you fill the perscription...it has the docs name and number on it as well as all his info.....
You guys on sub all need to do that, better safe than sorry......
Tina
You are a smart girl......my husband has the same thing in his wallet right with his license......we actually took the little paper that comes when you fill the perscription...it has the docs name and number on it as well as all his info.....
You guys on sub all need to do that, better safe than sorry......
Tina
Thanks Danni girl that is a great idea!!!!mj
That is a great idea Danny.
and if I am wrong, anestiethia and sub would be tricky??
Good luck..
Kerry
and if I am wrong, anestiethia and sub would be tricky??
Good luck..
Kerry
