New Subutex Laws

I went to see my doctor this week and he told me that the FDA and the DEA had passed a new law for prescribing Subutex. As of July 1st 2015 Subutex can only be given to pregnant woman or to someone with documentation saying they can't take Suboxone. If you don't have that you will be put on Suboxone.

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They Are Both the same thing. Better yet, stop doing narcotics, get off opiates completely. Do you focus on school and work as much as you do opiates being controlled By the DEA???

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Jim, not that it's any of your business, but yes I do focus on my career now that I'm off the opiates and taking subutex. I received my B.S. in molecular biology and am currently completely my 2nd year of medical school. So now that you know a little about me, what about you? Since I'm sure you are extremely educated yourself...

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I am An LPN Have A BA in Psychology And I am also a Paralegal.

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Hello, Michael! How are you?

They aren't the same, Suboxone contains Buprenorphine and Naloxone, while Subutex only contains Buprenorphine.

The FDA classifies this medication as an opiate that is most commonly used to treat drug addiction, so it has the potential to be habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth and constipation.

And yes, Suboxone is the preference, since the Naloxone helps prevent people abusing other opiates, while they are being treated with it. The exceptions are pregnancy and allergic reactions to it.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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Where do you live? I am very worried now because suboxone doesn't help me, only subutex. Are you sure this is a real law?

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I live in Tennessee. Yes this is a real law. As of July 1st the FDA and the DEA have pass this new law stating if you're not pregnant or have a documented allergic reaction to suboxone you have to be swapped from subutex to suboxone. I think if something works for you they should just leave you on it and not go swapping your medicine. Because of all the junkies out there that don't use it the way it is meant to be used the rest of us have to suffer for their actions.

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I hope you have looked up and read the law yourself. You can't believe everything people say, including drs.

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Yes I have it goes in to affect as of July 1st. After my doctor told me about it I went home and searched the internet looking for anything I could find about it. I found a news channel 11 website with a news report about it and found several sites like this one with other people talking about their doctors telling them the same thing. Walgreens has already started turning people away and refusing to fill their scrip for subutex if they are not pregnant or do not have proof that are allergic to suboxone. What's going to happen because of this new law is that a lot people are going to start using again and there will be a lot of wemen getting pregnant just so they can get put back on subutex.

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Wow....They Are The same..Buprenorphine. I'm Not Concerned About Naloxone Upon proving my point. There both for addicts who are not strong enough to come off that crap. Who cares if there is Naloxone or not??? It's agonist/antagonist. patients are abusing this crap thats why they are changing the formulation. Alcoholics don't get benzo's when they stop drinking so that they will not drink again. So Do you'r selves a favor and grow up, be a man.

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Jim the day I ask for help and stop using is the day I become a man. They are not the same thing because one has naloxone in it. It doesn't matter to me if they swap people or not Because I am allergic to the naloxone and will be staying on the subutex. I am just trying to give other people a heads up that when they go back to see their doctor next month that they will be swapped to suboxone so that they will be expecting it. Addicts don't like change. If you have never been a addict then you really don't know what you are talking about. If you don't have anything nice or helpful to say please stay out of this conversation. If you don't take subutex then this conversation has nothing to do with you.

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Michael,
I too visited my doctor this week and he informed me of the same law. I did a little research myself and found the same pitch in Ohio 4 years back in 2011 where patients there were told the exact same thing but they found out it was actually the suboxone reps doing something to where that particular doctor couldn't prescribe subutex anymore and only suboxone so they can continue to rape patients who are uninsured. I'm from Tennessee also. I'm curious who your doctor is as I have found no proof that this is true for all doctors. I know people who go to different doctors in different cities and then haven't heard anything about this.

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Stevo my doctor is in Johnson City Tennessee. Two or three of my friends also go to different doctors in the area and have been told the same. I wish it was just the suboxone reps that are making them swap everyone. I was able to find a news report from back in January on the WJHL News Channel 11 website talking about laws that they were going to trying get passed this year and this was one of them. I guess they were able to get it passed.

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wow, what a big man you are jim. seriously, why are you even on here? to belittle addicts? did you purposely seek out a thread about subutex/suboxone just so you could talk trash to addicts? i mean, you arent here to try to help anyone, are you? how sad your life must be if you have to amuse yourself by putting down people who are struggling with addiction. and how ironic that you tell someone to "get a life" when this is how you spend your time. talk about needing to "get a life"!

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Hi I was just wanting to know if anyone knows if it is safe to mix Naloxone and Methotrexate. I have been taking Subutex for about 9 months and as of July 1st because of a new law that has been passed my doctor has to swap me to Suboxone and it has Naloxone in it. Does anyone know if this is safe?

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You cant take "other opiates" with suboxone either. The naloxone is only in there to keep people from taking the suboxone intravenously. Taking suboxone too soon after "other opiates" will throw you into precipitated withdrawals, just like with subutex. When are you going to figure that out and stop dispensing bad info?

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kkh Who are you talking about? I was just asking if the new medicine that I am on will react bad with suboxone. Not sure if it is safe just asking if anyone knew. I have not gave any bad info.

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i was responding to verwon. he gives bad/inaccurate advice. that wasnt toward you, no.

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It might be helpful if a link to this new law was posted by someone. Not a link to a new report but a link from the DEA website and/or Revised State statues

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Go to this site (tls.mleesmith.com/downloads/2015_2016/bills/SB0871.pdf) and go down to the bottom of page 3 and read thru to page 4. This is a copy of the bills that was passed.

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Ok I posted a link to the bill itself. but if you read the rules to posting on medchat it says that you cant post links to other websites without them approving it. if you want just search the addiction treatment act of 2015 and you will find info on it.

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Re: kkh (# 15)

Damn this is refreshing to see some actual FACTS about this stuff... I've never in my life seen anything at all be attached to so many false claims and flat out incorrect information and get on passed around so often and for over 20 years now .. like it's completely foolish of the supposed medical professionals that spread the trash around with the confidence they assert which easily tricks consumers into thinking is true because it came from a doctor. And I'm not saying they're intentionally defrauding people because the number one issue in my opinion with this whole topic of Subutex vs Suboxone is that I believe most doctors truly do believe what they're saying and are so convinced they're correct and anything other than that was never even a thought that existed in their minds and probably never will be

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Re: Verwon (# 4)

The naloxone doesn't prevent anything and is completely pointless the ONLY thing it can do is cause negative affects in people with an allergy or sensitivity to it. Please quit spreading lies go read some newer med studies on the topic and you will find the real truth because you're obviously another person that's extremely misinformed with zero firsthand experience on the topic. Being misinformed is not really you're fault but not doing you're own research before putting completely false info on a site like this one is not helping anyone but the ones that put the BS out there in the first place.. It just keeps their incoming cash flow on auto pilot while keeping the actual truth buried under mountains of lies. It almost feels like a waste of time trying to put out some accurate info on buprenorphine and naloxone.

But just remember the following few things if you're actually reading this: It's NOT naloxone, it's Buprenorphine that keeps you from being able to feel euphoria on other opiates for about 3-7 days after stopping depending on dose, length of use, etc. If you have been on any med containing buprenorphine for more than a few days and you truly think that you can feel high on other opiates if you've been on Subutex because "it doesn't have a blocker like Suboxone", you're either just passing on what someone else told ya and aren't speaking from real experiences you've been through or witnessed in person, or if you say you've done it before then you're just extremely weak minded or just tricked yourself into thinking you got high bc it hurts accepting that you wasted every single cent that you spent on that dope. Next time you want to try again and haven't waited min 72 hrs take the money you were gonna spend outside and light it on fire. Congrats now you're exactly as high as what you were gonna purchase was going to get you plus you saved some time and energy from drug hunting.

Naloxone has a 20 to 30 minute half life, buprenorphine HL is around 24hrs and I think Wikipedia states a mean avg HL of 37 hrs

Buprenorphine by itself aka Subutex will not protect you during induction and has the potential to throw you in PWD the same way that Suboxone or any other combination product does. And no it doesn't work the same way as naloxone does on opioids when buprenorphine is present. Naloxone has greater binding affinity than most opiates do that's why it is usually successful during OD... Buprenorphine is one of the ones that has a greater binding affinity (around 30x) than naloxone.

Suboxone is not safer than Subutex for MAT... Recent studies state that, "preparations of buprenorphine combined with naloxone could potentially be less safe than buprenorphine alone".

Alright I'm honestly tired and I'm not going back through to proof and edit this at the time and maybe never will but it's at least an attempt to clear up the false claims that have been going around for far too long. Anything I wrote came from my own extensive firsthand experiences and extensive researching.

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Re: Jim (# 3)

Maybe u need a MYODB Degree-- MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS! You will make a sucky nurse

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I’ve been on it for five years and so this new doctor said he would keep me on it because I’ve been on it so long but I did not want Suboxone and I said I was allergic to the Naloxone in it. He called my bluff and said the only way that he gets released into your body is if you’re abusing the medication. I replied that I’m not and every time I’ve taken Suboxone my throat itches it feels kind a hard to breathe and I break out in a rash.

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Re: Jim (# 3)

I take Xanax and subutex, work at an IT company making 45,000 a year. I'm happy

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Re: Dar (# 318)

Wow Jim really touched a nerve. I'm actually glad he did. It goes to show how much negativity a person in recovery endures. We are not trusted, by others and dr's. Those of us in recovery or trying to find it are the ones who bear the brunt of all this negativity. It comes from all directions. We will always have those you frequently hear saying addiction is not a disease, that we are just stupid weak people. Then those who claim we are just getting a free supply of stuff to feel high on, or to trade for drugs. Those who think we should be eradicated cause we are an abomination. Then those who claim that we aren't clean cause we are taking replacement meds. Then those who have no idea what they are talking about but like to judge and point. It's hard enough to face this demon alone but to fight this thing and all the scrutiny that come with it make for a battle. Not to toot my horn but those that have found recovery should be praised and congratulated, not talked down on, I wouldn't wish this on any living thing on the planet.

Yes, there are bad eggs that will hold us back and those that try to ostracize us but we are warriors. Yes, we are to make it through this alive which is a miracle in itself. And you know what, even after we overcome those obstacles then society as a whole is against us, many of us end up with criminal records, and labels that keep us from getting gainful employment, and good safe places to live. It just goes to show just how uneducated, weak, and opinionated those who try to pass judgement on us are. Sadly those kinds are the ones who will make those of us who actually suffer from allergic reactions from naloxone, and make it difficult to get the right meds. God bless each and every one of you, especially those of us in recovery.

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Re: Michael (# 2)

YES I AGREE With YOU This JIM DUDE was RUDE And FURTHERMORE ITS NOT His BUSINESS WHAT kind Of MEDICATION You TAKE And WHAT for you Was MAKING a COMMENT And ASKING A QUESTION. .Then This JIM comes BACK with WHAT Do YOU DO WITH your LIFE AND SO On.SMH HAD to LAUGH thou talking Like a Drug COUNSELOR.OR SOMETHING well HELL ANYBODY can Be A LPN..I JUST THOUGHT HE WAS WAY OFF BASE Here RUDE.ALSO WANT TO SAY HAVE NOTHING AGAINST LPN.THEY ARE HARD WORKERS TOO AND MOST DO A EXCELLENT JOB HELPING THE SICK AND SO ON But DON'T't COME ON HERE ACTING LIKE A NURSE PRACTITIONER. BC A LPN IS WAY OFF HE WILL HAVE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL.YOU HAVE A NICE BLESSED DAY Mike TAKE CARE.SORRY BUT i JUST HAD TO VENT ON HIS RUDENESS ARROGANT COMMENT THAT WAS ADDRESS TO YOU.

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Re: Michael (# 20)

Not sure about the bill or laws, I'm pretty sure dr's aren't going to bold face like to their patients. That being said, it's sad how many jump on the wagon to talk down on those in recovery, it's not totally unfounded though I read the activity on here daily and see many, many posts asking where one can get Subutex instead of Suboxone and we can tell it's just so they can use on top of it, like having their cake and eating it too, not good. But just to straight out belittle someone struggling with addiction well, that's wrong. They are the same drug with the exception of having naloxone in one and not the other. If a patient has a legitimate allergy to the naloxone I would hope and pray that the Dr would verify this and handle it properly and do what has to be done. I do believe, being in recovery myself that when this law or bill takes effect, it will spawn an allergic epidemic and those who are legit in declaring they are allergic will suffer until an undisputable way of evaluating this is found. I wish you luck, and try not to take to heart the harsh uneducated words of judgemental people. For every good thing that comes along there's always those bad eggs who ruin it for everyone else. Good luck and God bless.

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It don't work on everybody. Some people can take it, but there are people who can. I feel that if a person is trying to get of Oxcodone should not have to wait a week or two weeks. One's who are really in need of it , then they need it on that sane day. Please, help those who are really in need of it, gets it that same day. Show that you are helping them by letting that person get it. THANK YOU.

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Re: Jim (# 9)

Who do you think you are other than a judgemental *****? You have no clue. Being man enough or strong enough or having balls is not the point. If you've never been an addict then stay off these sites regarding this. Oh and for the record they do give alcoholics medicine to stop drinking. I'm a nursing aide and phlebotomist and I know that!! What the problem is, is there's always bad apples that ruin it for everyone. The ones who use the program and use it correctly need the program. I take my meds the right way. I go to my group meetings as well as na meetings and therapy. I do not plan to be on this drug for life, I just couldn't do it myself alone so I went and got help!!! I'm actually not allergic to the naloxone, I'm allergic to the ingredients in Suboxone and actually had a horrid reaction to it and was hospitalized because my throat closed up!!! So please before you go on here and act like you know what the hell you're talking about, check yourself and stop being such a ****!

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