Maximum Dose Of Suboxone/subutex & Chronic Pain (Page 19)

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

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HHHELPMEPLEASE: 6mgs of Subutex is a low dose. When I switched over from Subutex to Methadone, I was on 28 mgs I think? It was somewhere around 26 to 30mgs. And it is said that the "ceiling" dose for Subutex when used for addiction is 32mgs. So I would say you are on a VERY low dose.

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I was an opiate addict for 7 years. Quit in 1998. Been on Suboxone, off and on, since 1996. Steady since 1998. Am on Medicare. Dr's here only take cash for Suboxone, despite taking insurance for all other patients. I just can't afford an additional $165 a month to an already rich bloodsucker. So I have used the intranasal protocol on the Internet to get down from 32mg a day to 2mg a day. It works but is leaving me a bit frazzled and sleepless. Of course that could just be the steroids I am taking for bad, bad gout right now. My dilemma is that after being on ORT for 27 years, my brain is wired "different". Problem is that once on buprenorphine, we are labelled and put in a box that say's "Can Never Go Back". I think thats BS. I need to find a doc who will take a one month chance and put me on something, besides methadone, to A.) control chronic pain. and, 2.) make my pain control with my financial ability to pay along with my paid for insurance. Seems like docs see this as a cash cow here and run rampant over patient rights to respectable medical care. Before my head injury and SSDI, I worked my ass off and had the money to lay outright cash as insurance did NOT apply to bupe in Tx. How do we find love after addiction?

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KKH I am in highest dose of Subutex 8 mg 3 times daily. That along with 4 mg zanaflex i just started 300 mg Gabapentin which makes me feel odd o told my pharmacist I have know for years great person one if the techs I known for years great person as well, she asked does it make you feel drunk I thought for a moment said that's a good word for it . I only take it when really really needed. Then Arthrotec 75 mg I stopped taking doesn't seem to really work. 2 mg Xanax for panic attacks. It helps with some pain in my arthritis in both shoulders a hole my right rotator cuff. L 4-5 fusion which did more worse than good, now I have something going in in my neck due to a being rear ended. just had MRI done. Degenerated spine, fibromyalgia, arthritis in knees as well. I started exercising it hurts doing yoga stretching my muscles a good pair of sneakers for walking. Haha have to laugh is good. for the soul. I also have weaknesses in my arms and hands my right shoulder blade wings out as well instead of laying flat. I use a a rub light weight rubber they use in physical therapy to exercise my arms different exercises. I have hyperthyroidism, Graves Disease. At one time weighed 99 lbs due to this I just this year made it to 117 lbs underweight still for my height 5'7" I did the RAI radioactive iodine. I now am taking synthroid for this. Sorry for late reply . I would like to say those of us in pain and or addiction keep your chin up god doesn't put you through what you can't handle. Be blessed all!!!

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TASHUDA: Sounds like you have a lot on your plate! But at least the Subutex is working for you. May I ask what you are taking the Gabapentin for? I have heard others say that Gabapentin makes them feel strange as well.

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Wrong, wrong, wrong. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonize. Naloxone, commonly found in medication alongside buprenorphine (eg, Suboxone) is an opioid antagonist.

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WILL: To whom are you speaking? And I assume you meant to say partial opioid agonist, not agonize. :) It is a mixed partial agonist, meaning it is a partial agonist/ partial antagonist.

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Actually do the research!!! Bupenorphine was developed for pain. Surgeons used it for surgery. It wasn't approved for drug addiction until 2002 at which point a lot of doctors stopped giving it for pain. Yes!!! It does help that's what the original purpose was.

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Suboxone saved me. I've had chronic pain for 15 years and was on morphine and Percocet all those years till they barely worked anymore. I take subs now and have more pain relief than ever.

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Suboxone IS prescribed for chronic pain. My doctor is a pain management specialist and an addiction treatment specialist. Suboxone is the safest opoid drug for chronic pain. I have severe scoliosis, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and 2 screws that migrated into my spinal canal from a failed fusion in 2001. Do your homework.

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Late, but in case anyone else reads this, it may keep them from getting sick. From personal experience, you need to either 1) Wait a day-20 hours or so, before you take Oxycodone or other opiates after using subs. This is if you need the full effects or close to it, from the opiates. The longer you can wait, the better. Or 2) Take the suboxone FIRST and then take the oxycodone at least 8 hours later. You won't feel the Oxy as much as if you had waited, but it will be something and you won't get sick. NEVER, EVER, and I mean EVER, take Oxycodone or any opiates and THEN take subs AFTER THE OPIATES on the same day. You WILL get sick and go into precipitated WDs. I did this by accident one day and I ended up in the hospital severely dehydrated, non-stop vomiting, and I was so tired I couldn't move. I was lucky I didn't choke on my own vomit. Be careful, and either wait a day or take a small amount of sub first before taking any other opiates (again, waiting is better, since the sub will block most of the effects of the opiate and it will be wasted.)

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ZYDOT: Those Precipitated Withdrawals are a blast, eh? I actually SAW DEMONS! After being an opioid addict for 30 years, I thought I knew what really bad withdrawal was....oh no, not even. Au contraire.... that s*** is RUGGED!! I was in the bed, then running to the living room, then back to the bed, then back to the living room, then I would try to go get in a hot bath...about 10 SECONDS after getting in the bath, I would be JUMPING out of the bath. Then the vomiting. Then the leg cramps that were LITERALLY making me SCREAM. I would stand in the hallway, bend down at the waist and grab my calves, and just friggin start SCREAMING!!! The walls were breathing, I was seeing things. I was absolutely, hypothermia-level FREEZING, yet I was sweating as if I had just ran a marathon. I mean, WET T-SHIRT CONTEST, but not in a good way. I was literally in and out of consciousness and don't even remember some of it. My spouse had some Trazodone that was prescribed for sleep, the spouse started shoving them down my throat, until FINALLY I passed out from all the pills, thankfully. The spouse says it was SEVEN Trazodone. That is enough to kill someone, actually. I woke up about 8 hours later in a pool of my own sweat, in the floor NEXT to the couch, not even ON it. I felt like I had been hit by a train.

This was all going on at night. I couldn't even get relief. The next day, as you said, I was so tired I could barely move. I was pretty much useless for the next two days, I was so wiped out. My legs were BURNING from being so cramped, I couldn't eat and could barely drink any fluids. I basically spent the next 36 hours or so getting back into bed. So pathetic. Anyone else reading this? As Zydot says, YOU DO NOT WANT THIS!! When you think you have waited long enough to start your Bupe, WAIT LONGER!!! It just isn't worth it.

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OMG it was Hell. I thought I had seen the worst of WDs as well. That was NOTHING compared to the precipitated WDs. I'm so sorry you went through that too! To anyone out there trying to see if they can take Bupe after they have already taken opiates...you've been warned!

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I have been taking minimally 320mg of oxycontin along with 120mg of oxycodone a day, and now am on 8mg of suboxone a day. The medicine is not working for me and i also have chronic pain as well. Fibromyalgia, slipped discs, degenerate disc desease, and sciatica. I was wondering if i shuld have my medication switched all together because my tolerance may be too high for wat im taking.

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ZYDOT: Yes indeed. And to those who say they should be ok with Subutex because "there's no Naloxone in it"? Well, my horror show experience was with SUBUTEX, not Suboxone. I am allergic to Naloxone and was only on Suboxone less than 10 days before I was switched to Subutex. PLEASE don't believe ignorant people who think you are ok as long as it's Subutex. WRONG!! It is the BUPE ITSELF, not the Naloxone, that causes this.

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I'm a RN use works with chronic pain patients. There are two ingredients in suboxone. Buprenorphine and naloxone. Suboxone can be used, and is used to treat chronic pain as well as opiate addiction. Suboxone is a partial opiate blocker does not completely block all receptors. I see more doctors use the Buprenorphine more often for pain patients however. With Buprenorphine I see 1-2 tabs daily of 2mg tablets or the weekly topical patch. (Sorry I forget the dosage of the patch). I do see AutoZone used at times and when that occurs it is also no more than 1-2 2mgs per day. If you do not feel well speak to your doctor. Only special suboxone authorized physicians care prescribe this medication and they are only allowed to have a certain number of patients prescribed this medication. Good luck.

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With taking that much a day.. i don't see suboxone or subutex helping u a bit !! If ur in that much pain. I have no clue. Because my subutex don't help me with pain

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I take the generic 8-2mg twice daily. That doesn't help with my chronic pain but that's all my Dr. gives me. My advice is don't take more than you can handle. If you reach a certain level of suboxone that makes you sick don't take anymore. You know what you can and can't handle. But seriously, you need to tell your Dr. what's going on. This med is basically to get you off pain meds. However my friend got addicted to them and was taking more and more than started taking meth with them and almost died. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR . If he doesn't listen get a different Dr.

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I was on them for 15 years 6 x 2mg is too much, you will have a bad rattle. 2 mg is enough.

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For pain 2mgs when needed should help most ailments. I get 12 mg max a day. I will say though, watch because they rot your teeth.

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Great question, im in the same situation.....meds work for awhile then they start not to work so well.frustrating and depressing.i wish there were more answers but it seems they only push drugs.i hope someone answers your question soon.all i know is i have no quality of life.hope your situation gets better.

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