Do You Gain Weight With Suboxone? (Top voted first)

Hi I'm just starting to research suboxone. I'm currently going to a methadone clinic every day and it is such a hassle. I have to get up every morning at 4am to be there in time to get to work the line is so long but that's beside my point, My real question is Do you gain weight with Suboxone? This is my third attempt at trying to get off of opiates by taking Methadone but every single time I start taking Methadone I gain 40 to 60 pounds within the first 4 months. Most people do, some don't I just happen to be one of them. I get so discouraged by the weight gain that I stop going to the Methadone clinic and then start using again. Sadly my mom died from using the same drug I used before treatment. I have 3 children and want to get my life together again but I just can't cope with the weight gain. Can anyone tell me if Suboxone has the same side affect? And also is there any difference between Suboxone & Suboxine? PLEASE HELP!!!

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I am a RN and a heroin IV user/IV opiate user of more than 20 years. Suboxone has saved my life and made such a difference! I actually live my life now. I too was on several methadone clinics. I was never bothered by weight. Suboxone initially made me gain 20 lbs, but I was undernourished from using heroin. Weight gain is not as dramatic as methadone. For me constipation is the culprit. I can go 2 wks without a BM. I have tried everything, nothing works except water enemas. I reccomend this drug to any addict who has used opiates for more than 5 years consecuitively. It is incredibly expensive. I pay 80 dollars for 13 tablets/week supply from my pharmacy, but it beats going out taking the risk to cop dope every day. Good Luck!

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I have been on suboxone for about 4 months i am 23 years old and i have been struggling with oxycottons since i was 14 years old i have went2 the methadone clinic and the last day of going i went right back 2 the pills being on the suboxone has saved my life u can acutally live normal like every1 said it is a MIRCLE drug and only u can quit if u want2 bad enough i have a daughter and i understand your children need you so if i was you i would get on the suboxne and as far as the weight gain i only gained about 10 pounds in 4 months and thats because my body was so malnutriun REPLY

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I have recently took myself off Suboxone after 6 Yeats of taking it. At first, I believe this was the greatest drug ever made and it did give me a normal life.However,35lbs.later and serious kidney problems, to the point where I don't have the feelings of needing to empty my bladder and urine smell will run you out of the bathroom. 7 days without it and I'm ok, no craving, sick for just a couple. These docs just want your money, be careful one medicine might help something and cause more serious ones!

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Hey Tracy,

First of all. Congrats for asking for help and taking the necessary steps to change your life. It sounds like your situation is similiar to mine. I have successfully gotten off of the suboxone. It's been about 2 weeks now. I only intended to get on for the amount of time that the withdrawl from my doc would be at it's worse. However; the doctor told me that I should stay on at least a few months.. I was on for 5 months... I went on it being 127 lbs and when I finally had enough i was about 145... I was not impressed and depressed each and every time I looked in the mirror. My clothes weren't fitting and I was beginning to get depressed. I wiener myself down to 2 mg... Once a day... Initially I felt like s*** but i found taking B12 helped

Soooo much....the worst symptom is honestly the fatigue.. I work full time and clearly napping on the job wasn't an option.. For the next cpl days I took caffeine pills to stay awake. Lots and lots of water. I napped on my lunch break and took Advil for the aches and pains....
In hind sight... I would never have swapped one drug for another that have the same s***ty withdrawl option... Best of luck... You really will feel human again once this is over and u will drop he weight as well.

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Wow am I happy to see other people are suffering for this undocumented side effect of WEIGHT GAIN. I BENN ON SUBOXONE FOR OVER A YEAR AND GAined 75 pounds I also retain water in my legs. I brought this to my doctors attention and she said that these were not side effects of suboxone. I attempted to take myself off for a week and lost 7 pounds but the cravings were too much and had to go back on suboxone. I'm now depressed and fat. Starting tomorrow I will go cold turkey I would rather go through a few weeks of hell then be 35 years old and fat. I own my own home and have a greAt career, gaining weight is not what I think is getting healthy. What's next high blood pressure,stroke because of the weight gain.

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Yes, suboxone will definitely cause weight gain!

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I have been on suboxone for about 7 months. It is a miracle drug!!! You can do it! I have not gained any weight- I have probably lost 5-10 lbs. I have three children too! They need you!!! Be strong. You will be able to quit the other pills!

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suboxene unfortunately caused me to gain weight the first few months were good then the weight started creeping up at least 40 pounds!I I've always been a slender person and could eat whatever...now I'm not hungry at all but still am overweight . I'm depressed about weight gain but theirs no way i would go back to the methadone clinic that stuff is brutal

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I have been taking Suboxone for a year now. All I have to say is it is a miracle drug and you need a miracle to help you stay around to raise your children! I am in my 50s and I so wish that these had been available when I was much younger; would have saved me a lot of grief and heartache. No, I have NOT experienced any weight gain at all from them. In fact, I have actually lost weight, I think partly due to the fact that I have more energy and get a lot more exercise. Believe me, I have also been on the methadone. That withdrawal is something I never care to experience ever again! I have had to go about 3-4 days once without my Suboxone because of transportation problems and my doctor is about 55 miles away. While I was feeling kind of blase and had low energy and was somewhat grouchy near the end, I am going to tell you that that was nowhere near the type of withdrawal I have experienced from anything else. I had no diarrhea or vomiting at all. It is SO worth it to get on this and do exactly as the doctor instructs you. Good luck and I am happy to see that you are really trying to do what is right for you and your family.

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I went through the same thing but just recently lost 45 lbs. It's not the methadone. It's the life change. You're not running around to get money for drugs and for the first time you're probably eating right and eating more than before. Plus you're more sedintary. Probably watch more tv and spend hours online,

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I have been on 4mg of sub for 23 days1 I have noticed no weight gain at all. Plus since being off the methadone I am much more active that before. Methadone makes u very drowsy. Becareful when makin the switch over, Methadone to sub is tricky. I had to put 5 days in between . Please do this under a docs care.

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I'm 23 yrs old! I was addicted to oxycottin! I have now been clean for 4 yrs! I had an awful struggle trying to stay clean. I attempted several times but never could seem to do it. The last time i went to rehab i really wanted it, my life was unmanagable. I lived my life to chase drugs. This time i had to do it for myself and nobody else. I was put on a list for suboxone doctors in my area. I thought it would takes weeks even months. 3 days later they started me on suboxone. From that day on things started looking up for me. I have been on suboxone since. It may take me the rest of my life to wein off them, but atleast i have a life now! I am a good wife and a mother now! That was something i couldn't have been while using. I'm not sure wheather the buep is making me gain weight but recently i gained 50lbs. So that is why i'm on this site looking for some answers.

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I have only been on Suboxone 8mg taking 1/2 tab three times a day for almost 2 months and I have gone from a size 3 to a size 10. It is very discouraging to me. I am rarely hungry and actually eat less than before but I cant handle the weight gain..... suboxone has been wonderful as far as giving me my life back but being overweight is something i cant handle. I have absolutely no self esteem at this time to the point i dont even want to go anywhere besides work because i hate the way I look. I exercise weekly.... nothing helps.

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Hi!! I am new to this site and WOW am i happy to have found it!!! YAE!!! I am a nurse who has been racking my brain and searching everywhere--not to mention bugging numerous Dr's--about SUBOXONE and WT GAIN!!
A (very) short explanation of how i got on subs is...First of all i am 33y.o.female, 5'7", BMI 27, 157.2 lbs (today) and never NEVER looked and felt this FAT in all my life.... Anyway, had my 1st girl in 1997 and weighed 115-120 (even after giving birth) till 2005. During that time i became addicted to all RX opiates: Lortab, Oxy, Fentanyl, Dilaudid, etc... Actually went down to 105lbs while using. After about 5 relapses and inpatient therapy (4 times) i was ultimately placed on Subs--after goin to the Methadone clinic for 9mnths during my 2nd pregnancy in 2005 (WHICH I DONT RECOMMEND..AND IS IN ANOTHER FORUM OF ITSELF BECUZ THEY TELL U THAT METHADONE IS SAFE DURING PREGNANCY AND "DOES NOT CAUSE FETAL HARM OR WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS IN THE NEWBORN..." WRONGO!!! MY DAUGHTER WAS BORN COMPLETELY HEALTHY-YES-HOWEVER SUFFERED WITHDRAWAL 10HRS AFTER BIRTH AND WAS IN NICU FOR DETOX--HORRIBLE--FOR 2 1/2 WEEKS!!! WHICH THUS RESULTED IN INCREASED DEPRESSION/SHAME/GUILT BLAH BLAH BLAHHHHH!!!!)
So..put on subs after i delivered (2005) and now looking back-TRYING to figure out where i went wrong & when and how the effin WT GAIN came. I TOTALLY remember having SUGAR CRAVINGS like no other after the delivery of my precious beautiful daughter! In fact my husband and i joke all the time about how i would eat a BAG OF CANDY EVERYDAY!! WHAT??? YA..I DID!! My Dr's knew it wasnt healthy but contributed it to needing extra calories/sugar when your milk comes in.... Well, yes, my wt went back up to 150 (i was really skinny during methadone and being pregnant--140 tops is where i delivered at) but after my new best friend-CANDY {i also think i ENDULGED in the sweets becz i got soo depressed, like i mentioned before, due to the WD my baby went through, and i couldnt "numb" my pain with the pain pills/patches/injectables like before & the subs didnt give me that euphoric, numbing feeling, so i became addicted to sugar} Anyway 2wks after giving birth/starting subs, i went to 150lbs (MS. FATTY for me anyway).
So 5yrs later--kicked the candy habit, been trying to eat healthier-esp lately..started eating, well DRINKING, fruit & veggie smoothies and doin the tread mill thing. Because my weight went up to 171 OMG wanted to die--this was after the holidays in 2010. Well needless to say i managed to drop down to mid 150's and CANNOT CANNOT go below 150-----EVER no matter if i starve myself or go bulemic for awhile (i know, i know, im a nurse and should def know better, but im sure some of u understand. NO I DONT RECOMMEND GOING ANOREXIC/BULEMIC but i only would do it for a couple days or puke after i had a high caloric meal... NOT DOING IT ANYMORE cuz it screws w/ ur metabolism even more, so i just try and eat healthy but not sure why becz i dont see results regardless ????AHHHH!!)
OK...back to the reason i started writing...even though i TRY and eat HEALTHIER one BIG problem i CANNOT KICK is...i go to bed and about 2-3hrs into sleeping BOOM..i wake up and have to have CEREAL--Captain Crunch to be exact LOL. Then go back to bed and sleep like a baby. If i DONT get up and have my litlle ritual i sleep like SH**!! Call me crazy but i know NOW it IS the SUBOXONE--i read another post (somewhere??) that a girl about my age had the same problem with SUBS and CEREAL @ night. HA!
But my point is...it definatley HAS TO BE THE DAMN SUBS becz i seriously have looked at all the side effect of the meds i am on, had multiple physcials w/ diff dr's, strted eating healthier/exercising more, had a zillion lab draws etc etc... but NOTHING! {OH..yes CONSTIPATION/BLOATING GALORE!!! Guess what tho..fixed it with taking MAGNESIUM OXIDE 400mg caps 3-4 times daily. YAE! It's gross, but u dont know how EXCITED i get to actually poop 2 sometimes 3 times a day HOORAY FOR ME!! LMAO (cant believe i actually wrote that HA!)} I even have had a hypothyroid, which causes wt gain, since my 1st birth in 1997 and thought "that" was the culprit to my weight increase, but NOPE labs are perfect!!
So SUBS, imho, are the culprit to being FAT and PUFFY (get edema all the time since starting it too.)
To break it down: (i know..i said this would be a "short" story--SORRY!! =D)
Clean & sober--5 1/2 yrs YAE!! AND sooo PROUD of myself!
Wt before Subs: about 125lbs (my happy wt tho 120 =( )
Started Subs 5 1/2 yrs ago (8mg/day).
Currently on 4mg/day, wt:157. WOW!! YUCK!!
FYI: When i did the 4mg decrease i actually LOST
19lbs, but then i guess my body regulated to "that" dose of 4mg and the wt shot back up!
SOOO...i know that after everything i have researched and been through THIS is what i need to get OFF of--NOW!!
I take the 8mg strips(1/2 daily)--dont even know really if they still make the sublingual tabs anymore, but im gonna start decreasing the dose by cutting a little bit off each 1/2 strip until i see my dr in about 3wks then have him decrease me to the 2mg strips and take 1 1/2 strips daily (total=3mg/day) then decrease every mnth thereafter until i am DDDDDONE!!! I'll keep everyone posted-if interested--in any wt changes i have with the decreases etc...
i ALSO NEED TO ADD...Suboxone is a WONDERFUL drug --minus the wt gain effects!!! I seriously dont know if i could have made the 5 1/2 yr mark of sobriety without it. I have become soo strong and dont even think about using anymore. I think it took this long for me to break the habit of using pain meds "physcologically." Sure..i believe subs replaced the "physical" need for sure from the get go; however they -for me- also replaced the "physcological/emotional" addiction too--it just took ME this long to recooperate i guess and realize i DONT need ANY OF IT ANYMORE!! NOT the PAIN MEDS, NOT the SUBOXONE!! Plus i get the "possible" (hopeful) benefits of losing my "suboxone weight" in the process!! YAE YAE YAE!!! (FIngers crossed!)

ONE MORE LITTLE THING:
**TOOTH PROBLEMS & THE USE OF SUBS**
This was always in the back of my mind... Why the hell are my teeth falling out/chipping etc and making me feel like a crack head/Meth User ???? I thought sure..the SL tabs have fillers in them and some type of sweetener to mask the awful taste of them..so it HAS to be bad for ur teeth right?? Esp cuz i take my dose at bedtime and dont brush my teeth after it dissolves. So DUH, more cavities and tooth probs to say the least!! I've had 5 ROOT CANALS since starting subs and thought it was just hereditary cz my whole fam has dental probs--but NOT like this!!!! So when they switched over to the sublingual (SL) STRIPS i became more hopeful becz my dr said that there arent as many fillers in the strips and thus dont taste as bad so they add (or dont add, not sure) less sweeteners. They DEFINATELY taste better than the SL tabs, but they've gotta still have some sugar in them so IDK what the hell to do. I guess change the time i take them and try and brush after they dissolve. IDK??? I just wanted to mention this cuz i read either here or somewhere else, a girl having these same issues. (Whoever/where ever u are.. i HEAR ya man!!! But, really it does ALL MAKE SENSE YA KNOW??)
K..again, sorry soooo flippen long. I just get soo excited talking and reading what u all wrote and had to add my 2 cents worth (actually 22 cents lol). Please keep me posted on any wt issues while on sub becz it just confirms what i think i already know--NOW THAT IS! Thanks & good luck to all those going through this never-ending cycle it seems of...finally doing the right thing for yourself and your fam and body....getting sober...finding a med that works...then finding out it causes wt gain...then figuring out how ur gonna get off THIS NOW so u can FINALLY become the person u were "post pain pill/opiate addiction!" etc.......
k..now that i have wrote a novel..i am gonna go have my "little ritual" of CAPTAIN CRUNCH--with BERRIES(gotta have the berries right???) =) =) =)
----------------nursebetty911 (Heidi)

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hello i just have a question i am actually struggling bigtime on sub i so was on methadone and it wasnt 4 me the doc switched me to sub...every since i have 0 energy like juat making it to school..i dont even waana clean my house..im not sure if im on to high of a dose or to low..but im craving them alot soo..&my doc says max dose is 24mgs and thats what i am on..u seem to have the experience just out of curiousity if u dont mind me asking what dose r u at? & did u have a energy issue in the beginning of treatment with subox?

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I have been on Suboxone for over 1 month, I have lost at least 10 lbs, I was 110 or so when I started. I am very scared now, I cant afford to loose anymore weight!! I am trying to GAIN weight. I asked the Dr and he said it would tapper off, well it has not.

I also have the side effect of puking, nausia, gas/burping and no appetite (prob. why I dont eat) I noticed that hardly anything seems to stay in my system (food wise). I had to start drinking Equate chocolate drink just to hold onto the lbs I have...Wow

Is there any kind of meds out there that I can take to gain weight??? I looked and I did not see any.

Alos I had to up the dose of Suboxone a little to feel normal (if there is a NORMAL?) Not sure if that is the right thing to do but I did. Each day I am on the suboxone I feel different effects, like one day I am feeling good, the next day I hurt all over, next day I have a bad headache, next day not? Does anyone else out there have the same reaction? HELP...I just want to feel good again and be off all of the pills. Please post anything that may help me out. :)

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You called people lazy and are judging people. That is mean! Sorry for blasting you, but seriously...stop judging a book by the cover.. If you understand what I'm saying. I know you said nothing to me personally, I'm standing up for everyone who is going through this weight gain struggle with suboxone. If you don't have the issue, than don't act like you know how to cure it all. That's all I'm sayin'

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Ive been on suboxone for about a year now and ive lost over 50 pounds. Im down to 95 lbs and I look disgustingly skinny and unhealthy. Is this normal? Ive had blood work done thinking I was dying of something, had my fam worried sick and my blood work came back all fine.

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So I was just reading a few comments and thought I'd respond. In my case my doc was H, but at the end i wasnt using much. I had been on suboxone before and i got on it again.. Each time i get on it I lose alot of weight. The first time i lost like 45 pounds.. and this time i have lost 25 pounds so far. I agree that methadone is a complete headache and ,to me at least, not as safe. But I have known alot of people that lose weight from it. Everyone's body takes it differently, so i think you have a chance of losing or gaining weight, or possibly neither. Its worth a shot! I know how you feel though, when i got off the H and wasn't on any dru to help, i gained like 30 pounds and that just makes staying sober even harder. I hope it all works out for you!

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Dear Melissa,

I thought about posting this for a long time, I pretty much documented coming off methadone to suboxone, and to tell you the honest truth… it was not bad!! There are some things that I noticed.. one is do you go into withdrawal quick or not off methadone? do you notice legs hurting or restfulness pretty slow? I was one that noticed it quick.. i know its not advised what I did but I went off methadone for over 35 hours, instead of the 73 doc's say to take. my bf did it for 73 because he takes longer to withdrawal.

It was honestly not bad at all! and I highly recommend it suboxone. for one I don't need to wake up and take it right away, some days I forget and don't feel different. I went up to 16 which is high and currently dropping 2 mls a week, this week I'm at 8 mls and haven't really felt bad at all..

it made a difference, I don't notice weight gain but I did not loose the weight from methadone yet.

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