Suboxone Maintenance Help

I have been on suboxone for about a year and a half and I'm slowly tapering down. I went to my appointment yesterday only to find that my dr. is no longer practicing due to legal reasons. I called her and she informed me that she sent out a letter explaining why and helpful links ( which have proven to be no help at all) I eventually located the letter is was somehow mixed up with junk mail that I had been meaning to throw away. Anyhow, I cannot find a Dr. that can take me right away. Current wait times average about 2 months. I am in a state of panic and wondering if I go to the ER will they be able to give me a prescription? Or if anyone else has other suggestions please let me know. Thank you.
Have you considered going to NA meetings and getting clean?
Hello, I am sorry to hear that your doctor left you high and dry. I have actually been in that same situation before and I panicked too. I really hope that you found another place to go and haven't relapsed back into drug use. It is hard and our minds can make it even worse. A lot of people consider Suboxone to be another drug and in their eyes you are still an addict. In reality, yeah we are still relying on another substance to feel normal, but sometimes isn't that better than that person being out on the street doing God knows what to get their drug of choice? And don't all Americans require some type of substance to feel normal (i.e. Coffee, nicotine, caffeine, sleeping pills, energy drinks, that one alcoholic drink at dinner, etc.) Please don't judge people who are taking Suboxone honestly and aren't abusing it; they are simply trying to get clean.
Back to the subject....I know people who have weened themselves down to 2mg and decided to stay there. I feel like if that is the only way you can stay sober then more power to you. I myself, am going substance free and I know it is going to be a struggle and I am going to have urges to use, but it is my time to get clean. All you can do when you find yourself in your situation is try your best to take the least amount possible until you an get back into a doctor. Avoid all those old people, places and things, and talk with your higher power. You are not alone in this. There are hotlines you can call, or places that will help you detox off of it. I found that the doctors that had waiting lists were the ones that accepted medicaid, and the ones who didn't have waiting lists were the ones who required you to pay cash for the doctor's visit, then your medicaid pays for your prescription. If this is something you have to do for the time being then I suggest that you do it. Yes, it sucks paying cash, but it is worth it to keep you away from the drug dealers and users. Relapse on your drug of choice is going to do so much more damage than just getting you high. It is going to bring back all of the guilt, regret, shame, anger, and any other negative emotions you associate with addiction. These feelings will bring you down and in turn you will want to use drugs to suppress those feelings. Then once the drug wears off you are going to feel even worse than what you did before you used the drug. It is a viscous cycle that not everyone understands, but there are those who do. And if you have slipped and used lately, don't let that finalize your fate. You can still go back to Suboxone until you feel strong enough to quit. I look at a lapse/relapse as a learning experience that builds your strength. I by no means am suggesting for people to go relapse, but you can turn that negative into a positive and learn from it. But if you can find another doctor who will write you Suboxone that would be great, because it will give you the needed time to get your head on straight, and get a game plan together. Just be careful not to take too much for too long. Everyone is different, so I cannot suggest a time limit, but I do know people who started coming off of it after a year and they handled it a lot better than the people who had been taking it for multiple years. And there is never a reason to take three a day. That is way too much! I suggest one a day. Take a half in the morning and the other half in the evening. And before you decided to quit taking Suboxone all together be sure to break the habit of taking something as soon as you wake up. That habit can break us.
Stay strong! You got this! And if you have backslid don't give up, drug use is not your destiny, it is simply a mole hill you must make it over. That mole hill may look like a mountain when you are facing it alone, but with sober support that mountain will slowly shrink. Keep your faith and I wish you the best!

The definition of Insanity:
Doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results-A. Einstein

"I understood myself only after I destroyed myself. And only in the process of fixing myself, did I know who I really was."
Hello, this is my first time asking a question so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, well I start my second go around at a sub clinic on Monday. First time I was there 2.5 years and got off with ease this time. And stayed clean about 1.5 years till I had a kidney stone and was given percs. Today is Saturday and I have 1 bag of dope left which I'm going to do soon. My question is, I got a sub from a friend for tomorrow cause I can't afford dope for tomorrow. Can I do the sub tomorrow and go to the clinic Monday at 5am ? Will there be a problem with me doing a sub the day before ? Will they not treat me since I came in with sub in my system ? I'm afraid to be sick all day Sunday but also don't want to make them mad at me for having sub in my system and not just heroin. I hope someone can help with this to set my mind at ease. Over the last few years when ive been running low on dope or money I've read posts here and they really seem to help ! I've told my doctors that I can't be given opiates anymore for any reason. I have kidney stones about once a year so he's going to give me other things except opiates and I also have crohns and this doctor knows about my problem also. This time getting high has only been about 8 months. Before the doc gave me the percs I didn't have cravings or anything. I became addicted when I was 19 and had my first crohns flair up and have been off and on since then. I wouldn't have any trouble staying clean if it wasn't for medical reasons bringing opiates back into my life over and over again. So this time when I have trouble I'm going to just deal with the pain for a little while instead of the quick fix for pain that turns into a living hell. I'm 37 and just can't do this anymore. Please respond anyone that might be able to help me


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Hello.

To the original poster. If I were you I would ration whatever Suboxone you have left and begin to taper off slowly until you can get into your next treatment clinic. I am not going to push B.S. on you about getting clean because we ALL want to get clean. I understand the FEAR and TERROR that comes with sickness and withdrawals due to lack of opiates or Suboxone itself. I do not want to be the Devil's advocate either but may I suggest to try to find some Suboxone on the Street? Perhaps a friend or previous connection you can trust who will not sell you dangerous counterfeit meds? I know it sounds hard but that is how I located my subs most recently so that I could quit Heroin. If you DO have a sufficient amount of Suboxone left then please look up some information on how to cut the films or tablets into small fragments for tapered dosing. I am sorry that I do not have a link but if you just look you will find many resources on how to slowly, comfortably and SAFELY taper off Suboxone. Once you get your Suboxone regiment back on track with a new Dr, then you can focus on getting clean GOOD LUCK!

And to SUBLUV, who posted a question below the original posters query....The short answer is NO. You should not take the Suboxone tomorrow morning. WHY you ask? Well I will shoot straight with you. The reasons are more than I can count. For one they very well could test you at the clinic, and finding it already in your system illegally without a previous prescription could get you turned away. Secondly, not all clinics BUT MOST clinics will put you through a test to determine the severity of Withdrawal that you are currently in. Not only to decide whether you actually need the suboxone, but also how much. If you are NOT showing signs of WD, chances are they will not give it to you. Thirdly, Suboxone has a very long half life. Up to and Over 36 Hours is about how long an 8mg dose will hold you over. If you did take it, and could not get into a clinic for some reason you may end up buying more dope. Only to put it into your system and find that you are not getting high. You see the Naloxone found in Suboxone blocks the desired effects of all opiates. This becomes very dangerous as some people keep dosing themselves with more and more of their drug of choice, in attempt to get high and eventually OD and die. Please just take your time, and get an appointment set up even if it means having to stay high another day or two. Keep in mind however, you will need to be sick or at least entering the Withdrawal stages when you go to see your Dr. for the first time or they will likely turn you away. BEST LUCK!!!!