Maximum Dose Of Suboxone/subutex & Chronic Pain (Page 13)

What is the maximum dose of suboxone or subutex when you have severe pain?

REPLY

REPORT

U can get ur dr to demand the insurance to cover the strips plus u can get a $65 coupon until the insurance kicks in,fight for ur strips,they've saved my life!! Good luck and god bless sweetie

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

If you are prescribed suboxone or subutex for chronic pain and NOT addiction therapy, you are excluded by article 42 CFR Part 2 under Applicability. You do not have to pay the "fee for service" or profit doctors hundreds of dollars a month. Go to ur primary care dr, and under off label use, he can write your script. The pain clinics will NOT tell you that you have this right so they can keep your money. Also, if you are prescribed for off label use, you fall out of the pain clinic's 30 to 100 patient limit and the X DEA number should not appear on the prescription. And if applicable, under Title 38 U.S.C. 4132, Veterans Exclusion means that they may not use any information under any circumstances medical history or documentation from the VA. Again off label use is for anything but substance abuse or alcohol abuse. Any doctor can write it. Don't let the profit doctors fool you into thinking they're the only ones with the licensing to do so. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I know that there is a ceiling for buprenorphine, which is 32 mgs. That means that even if you take more than that, it isn't "more effective". I have taken more than 32mgs (i am an opiate addict) and its true, it didn't do any more than the 32 mgs would have done, and it is actually dangerous to take more of it. I don't know what the "max" would be for pain, but 32 mgs is the ceiling in general.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My doctor has me on the same dose as you. I'm not so sure I should go this route meaning being on suboxone to treat my chronic pain. I'm considering going on my roxys which my doctor said he would switch me if I want. I just don't know.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

well, the roxys are ONLY the opiate (roxycodone), while suboxone is the opiate plus naloxone. i had a very bad reaction to naloxone and had to be switched to buprenorphine without the naloxone in it, which is called subutex. so if you have any symptoms while on suboxone such as stomach/GI issues or headaches, it may be the naloxone.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi I came across this site today and can only say I will now stop complaining about the cost of Suboxone in Australia. Im on 24mg aday at the cost of $30.00 a week, I have to go to the same chemist once a week to pick up enough for the week. I was lucky enough to find a great Dr who knows all that's to know about Suboxone and a great chemist which is not easy to find. Most doctors know nothing about it and as chemist can set there own price to dispense it I feel really grateful as from what ive read here and on other sites it can be a challenge for some. I really hope the all who are having trouble with finances and lack of good doctor's find a way to be able to receive Suboxone because it really does change your life in such a way its hard to put into words what it feels like to have your life back.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Good for you. Opiate replacement therapies (methadone, suboxone, zubsolv) really can give you your life back, as you said. I would recommend it to anyone trying and failing at getting off of these opiates. Opiate addiction is different that things like coke, methamphetamine, etc. because it is SO physical, and your brain stops making its natural endorphins since you are constantly shoving "outside" ones in there. So theres a reason you just keep feeling awful, even after what the books and the doctors call "normal range" of withdrawal. Look up POST ACUTE WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME. It is a huge reason why opiates have such a large recidivism (relapsing) rate. Give yourself a break, people. Do NOT look at being on a replacement opiate as a failure. If AA/NA works for you, great. But my addiction doctor says that programs that consider you still "dirty" if you take a replacement opiate, are just setting people up to fail. He also says i may need to be on an ORT (opiate replacement therapy) for the rest of my life, and that i would really struggle without one, since i have been an addict since i was 16 (im 46). He says to look at it like a diabetic having to take insulin. Just a medical necessity. Good luck to you, and im so glad the suboxone is working for you. Stick with it and you will be fine!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

BLUE...I WAS ON 16 PER DAY AND WAS NOT GETTING THE RELIEVE UNTIL I FINALLY TALKED MY DOC BACK TO MORPHINE. IN MY OPINION THEY ARE NOT REALLY FOR PAIN BUT DO HELP IF NOTHING AT ALL.. SO GOOD LUCK

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Naloxone does NOT kill the "painkilling" properties of buprenorphine. Naloxone given on its own can bring someone out of an overdose, and the naloxone in suboxone is in there to keep people from IV'ing buprenorphine. That's all.

Subutex/suboxone are mostly used for opiate addiction, and can be used for pain management in patients with no opiate tolerance. The naloxone being in there or not being in there doesn't change that.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

subutex AND suboxone both contain buprenorphine, which is a partial agonist opioid. this means the buprenorphine will basically "cover" the opiate receptors in the brain and "block" other full agonist opiates, to use your terminology as an example. so whether the naloxone is in there or not, the bupe itself will remove, block, whatever, the "dope" from the receptors, and throw you into sudden, extreme withdrawal, known as precipitated withdrawals. the pain killing properties of subutex and suboxone are the same, again whether the naloxone is in there or not. and the term "strong opiates"...."strong" is really just a matter of dosage. AND....its YOU'RE, not YOUR. you should get YOUR facts straight, instead of dispensing INACCURATE advice to others.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Well they emailed me and asked me for an update since there was no or little activity going on here. I would say that is correct. The last date I see here is about in 2012. Well my status is that I am no longer on Suboxone. The doc put me back on morphine after I asked him because the Sub's were killing my wallet. Not only that, in my clinic, there is a stigma about Subs and I have to get a u/a every visit. Lot of people still don't realize it is also prescribed for pain. But again, this just might be in my clinic only.

petition2congress.com/5202/first-do-no-harm-dea-targets-physicians-who-treat-their-patients

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

actually the ceiling is 32 milligrams. and very few people would be prescribed that much. i was on 24 to 32 mgs at the end of my subutex use. it doesnt work that well for me. im what my doctor calls a "tough case" and i do better on methadone. fortunately i dont have to deal with the methadone clinic system.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Personally, I think morphine is the worst pain medication out there, throughout the years I've been on 5, 7.5, 10 mg hydrocodones, 5, and 10 mg oxycodones, tramadol, morphine, suboxone, and then now methadone for chronic pain. And morphine was the worst out of all of them (for me), it had a low pain killing effect, wore off quickly and made me extremely tired as well. Methadone worked the best for long term chronic pain management by far, as you have far less ups and downs. Suboxone was the second best out of the list and don't listen to people saying that it doesn't work, it does in fact work, for opiate addiction, AND long term pain management as well. It has one of the highest blood plasma half lifes out of any opiate, so it stays in your body for quite a long time, while the naloxone only has a 2-12 hour half life so it is gone fairly quick in comparison.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Everything in that post was completely wrong. You stated your opinions as though they were facts, which could be very dangerous and misleading for people who truly need and want to get their lives back and quit using opiates. I have been on suboxone for 8 years, it has always helped my chronic pain, not to mention saved my life.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Please do your research... there is plenty available on the internet ... suboxone is being used effectively for pain management of chronic pain.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I agree with you on this the two of them together is a miracle

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I completely agree with that statement. Buford morphine not only causes side effects if you've been on it long term, it does not give you the pain relief it originally gave you. To answer somebody else's post... Yes you can actually die from withdrawals. It depends on the medication you took how long you are on it and other factors. Such as if you abused it or if it's a street drug. I did state originally that if you have an addiction to opiates that I did feel the briefing or thing with its long-term effects and lack of euphoric hi, is a great solution. But it is only a short term solution. The problem with rehabs is once your body is free of opiates and you have been on Buford morphine for 3 to 6 months, they released you. You can go to an NA meeting and get all the groups support you want, but addiction is a mental illness and without having a psychiatrist or psychologist onboard long term you are just going to go back to the same behavior. The proof is in the pudding. Look at how many individuals have to have numerous stints with rehabilitation centers. On another note... Don't be so analytical that you judge people's spelling on this site. A lot of us are using text talk and it does not know the difference between your and you"re.. also does not know the difference between..two to and too. People are posting their generalized opinion and some of these opinions are based on long term research, but we are not doctors and do not claim to be doctors, we are just sharing what we know and what we have learned personally from the medications that we have taken or are taking currently. I shared my information and asked people if they had the same situation if they would share with me. I researched my medication 414 months and I got my information directly from the suboxone site. And like I previously stated... This will work for addiction because of the long half-life Andhra cuz I can stabilize addicts without going through serious withdrawals. All I'm saying is that the longer I was on it the less and less pain relief I received and the more side effects were prevalent within myself. I am talking six to seven seizures a week and never dreaming. No rem for me. I have been off the buphenorphine for 4 months now and my REM sleep returned. The siezure stopped. . My libido return to where it was and my appetite came back. Not to mention I'm actually getting pain relief again. Now you know a lot of people are like it works for me I get pain relief... You're crazy. No I know some people are getting pain relief, but they may have something wrong with them that differs from my issue and they also have their own brain their own chemistry and medication works different on everybody. I don't have addiction issues I have pain issues and I have been on pain killers for 17 years through prescription only. Yes I hate taking them. They decrease your bone density they strip your vitamins from your system, they can cause constipation and in my case every once while they give me like a dull headache which I don't really care for. But I will take a classic opiate over a buphenophine any day of the week. There is also a stigma attached to buphenorphine. My new pain doctor, just recently let me go when he got my records from the dip that I saw before him. I explained to him that the previous doctor really felt that it would work great for pain relief and at the same time it would give me relief for longer periods and that was it. He did not care. He said you drug addicts are always coming in here trying to give me a story. That's really funny because I just got my MRI results back and the five vertebrae area that are my best for the right area while... I actually have a vertebrae that slipped and is pressing directly on my spinal cord now. I am glad that dr. let me go. I don't want an MD that is so narrow minded they look at a previous medication and assume you're on it for only one reason. I take immediate release circle at night because I'm a really bad insomnia and my previous doctor wrote that I was bipolar. Cuz why else would I be taking it?? Pretty sad, because I'm not bipolar and that's not the only reason they give it to you. With the lyric will they give for bipolar issues is actually an extended release form. So this just shows that there is ignorance running rampant through the Medical Society also. I wish everybody that is on buphenorphine success for whatever reason they are on it. I just know that it can have a horrible backlash on your body and on your mind and on your medical records. If it successfully treat your pain or your addiction and you don't have the major side effects then yes stay on that as long as it works for you. When it no longer works for you and it works against you you should have a doctor that will work with you to find another medication that will allow you to at least function.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Hey Art who are you talking about? Just wondering?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Let me clarify to all of you, when i say that "suboxone doesnt work well for me", i am talking only 100% about addiction. I have been on opiates for over 30 years, and have never used subs, methadone or anything else strictly for pain management. I'm just a straight-up junkie. I went back to methadone tablets for my opiate replacement therapy (ORT), because i couldn't get enough relief from the subs, including being on the 32mg "ceiling" with it; the methadone works better for me, and I'm actually on a relatively low dose compared to many others at these clinics.

Good luck to everyone who struggles with pain and opiates and all this. Not for the faint of heart.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Agreed totally!! Been on every pain med known. Multiple surgires fusions injections and implanted Neuro stim 3 yrs ago for it to be crap!! Just removed 3 months ago.. Was takeing high doses of to many pills.. In total 25 pills per day plus nausea meds cause opiates make me sick and so does pain.. 1 month on 24 mg total prescribed 8/2 3X per day for chronic pain.. Anxiety meds twice a day that's it!! Some day more than not I only need two STRIPS per day... And it kills my chronic pain from a 12 to a 4... I'm happy.. No more opiates I feel free again!! I also use 100 percent theraputic essental oils on body and in a diffuser to breath them in.. Good luck every0. XoXoXo

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I was on 80mg of oxycontin 3 times a day and it was no longer helping after taking it for many, many, many years. I swit...

3 REPLIES

Im in an addiction treatment program and I'm taking two 8/2 mg strips a day. I've been a slave to opiates for ap...

33 REPLIES

I have been prescribed Suboxone for 6+ years after choosing to come off traditional opioid pain medications for chronic ...

I am trying to find a doctor in Salem, Oregon who will do a pain contract for pain management for multiple sclerosis, fi...

1 REPLY

I broke my leg 2 years ago and now have a heel spur, arthritis on the top of my foot and a pinched nerve aka CRPS (Chron...

4 REPLIES

I was put on suboxone almost a year ago because a new pain doctor told me if I didn't switch to it then he couldn...

1 REPLY

Was taking 6-8 Lortab's a day with Fetanyl patch every 72 hours. Doctors need to know if my spine pain is still pres...

5 REPLIES

Butrans with suboxone to methadone for chronic pain, from pain management doctor. I feel terrible, no energy, anxiety, p...

10 REPLIES

I just had a titanium rod put in my leg with 3 screws to hold it in place. Needless to say it's been a very painful ...

3 REPLIES

Anyone know a practicing knowledgable subutex doctor for chronic pain management. I have to live with pain chronic. I tr...

2 REPLIES