Suboxone Abuse (Top voted first)

My son has been on suboxone for over 1 year now. He was a herion addict for over 12 years. Been clean off and on during that time. I have seen a personality change in him which is almost intolerable. It is like he is fine one minute and then goes off the wall the next. Has anyone who has been on suboxon or knows someone who has been seen a personality change.

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I am currently taking Suboxone and have been on it for the past three years. Yes, 3 years. I am given 90 pills a month by a licensed suboxone physician. I know I am addicted to it. I am posting to this topic because I want to give people an honest answer to the question, is Suboxone helpful to recovering addicts. The answer is yes and no. At first I was put on it as part of a recovery program from my addiction to OxyContin. It did what it was supposed to do, I stopped abusing Oxy's and now I am addicted to the Suboxone. Do I feel "high" from it, no, but I take it as prescribed (most of the time) and I also know I can not stop taking it, almost like I don't want to and my doctor doesn't force me. He says, "at least you are staying away from narcotics." My sister is also on Suboxone and is always taking more than she is prescribed and running out way before the end of the month, coming to me to try to get some of mine and when I don't give them to her she steals them from me if she gets the opportunity. Still in that addictive behavior mode as if she were still using opiates. We are both "pill" addicts and this is just another addiction. I wish I could say Suboxone is a wonder drug and that it doesn't have the potential for abuse but in all reality it is very addictive and abused more and more every day. I am one of those cases. I think my doctor keeps prescribing it to me because he is getting paid for my addiction. Unfortunate but true.

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I agree. I am an single mom with a college degree, a mortgage, 2 children & constant responsibility nipping at my heels. Even with that knowledge and feeling the burden of knowing my family was counting on me every single day I could not successfully kick pain meds-dependant on those evil pills after 3 painful surgeries & subsequent recoveries over a 2 year period. I'm not a crachhead junkie shooting up on the street, I'm a Christian, I take care of my fam & pay my dues. I thank God for the FDA for giving people like me an alternative to the pure Hell of detoxing. Sure there are morons out there who will abuse and misuse, but for the rest of use it really is a great option. So please don't judge or assume. You never know til it happens to you...

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Catherine,
I do know what it is like to stop suboxone and what it is like. First, do not stop taking it cold turkey. Your physician will need to bring you down off slowly. Decreasing your dose either weekly or every two weeks depending on how well you do without feeling any withdrawal symptoms in between dose changes. This will also depend on how high of a dose you are on now. My doctor in the past dropped me down in the amount I was taking too quickly and I did feel the effects. My advice would be to ask for a slow taper. It may take some time and adjustments but if done correctly for you as an individual (everyone is different) you will fell little to no withdrawal effects. If you do feel anything it will be minor in comparison to stopping all at once. What you could possible feel is, fatigue and the need to yawn constantly, chill bumps, cold, and possibly a little depression. All very minor. If you stop on your own cold turkey the withdrawls are pretty bad. I hope this helps. I am a nurse as well as an addict but in no way am I 100% sure what you may experience. Everyone experiences the effects of coming off medications like these differently. This was just my experience. I hope you get through this with little difficulty and pray for your recovery. Let me know if you want to know anything else I may be able to answer. I have a long history with this medication for myself and if I can help another addict it is the least I can do. Best wishes.

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I am going to say this for all those who are posting and reading. Suboxone like anything else in this world can be abused. You can abuse foods you can abuse the consumption of even water. If your taking Suboxone like it is prescribed it can and will help you to maintain a healthy sober lifestyle. Unlike methadone; which is used for opioid addiction as well as pain and likely your never going to get off of it, Suboxone can be taken for numerous of years and two days later with the help of your doctor you can be weened off of it with little to no withdrawals. The only withdrawals I suffered when I got off Suboxone the first time was cold sweats. Unlike when I was taking methadone and suffered withdrawals a lot worse than trying to kick heroin. I am currently prescribed Suboxone as a pain regimen. I am on two 8mg Suboxone strips a day. And yes people; Suboxone helps with pain. People said the same thing about methadone and methadose when it first came out. That it was only used for opioid addiction. There have been numerous of studies on the pros and cons of using Suboxone and the pros outweigh the cons by a very large margin. Vicodin= opioid= pain relief ; Suboxone= opioid = pain relief. So don't listen to anyone that tells you that Suboxone is not used to treat pain. The reason some doctors will say no it doesn't help with pain is because they make more money prescribing Suboxone for addiction benefits than they do prescribing Suboxone for pain. I get so sick and tired of hearing people say doctors are just trading one drug for another. This is not true. I tell you what. You take 8mg of Suboxone which is equivalent to 100-200mg of OxyCodone (better known as oxycontin) and see if you can tell a difference. I bet you can. The reason for this is because Suboxone is not a drug that was made to get you high or give you that perfect feeling of euphoria like every other opioid on the market or even in the street. It is meant to block strong opioids like heroin, Vicodin, Percocet, etc. but also provide relief from pain and withdrawals. So don't tell me that doctors are just trading one drug for another. I would be dead right now had it not been for the doctors that taught me about Suboxone. I was taking over 160mg of OxyContin each day for pain and was badly addicted. It was taking more and more to just get a slight relief of pain in my lower back. It wasn't till my doctor told me about Suboxone, which I was really hesitant to switch, that I finally found not only pain relief but something I can go days without taking and though I may be in pain from my back, I am not going through withdrawals. And as you can see I am also a firefighter, I save lives each and everyday as well as put my life on the line to save others and their belongings. I am medically trained and I am a certified First Responder as well as EMT. So again would you rather me come save your life on 200mg of OxyContin or one 8mg Suboxone?

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Suboxone is an exellent med for rehab. If you read the label carefully you can take your entire day perscription all at once without overdose or getting high. Ive been on over a year and my life is back to normal. That said it is possible to stop and use other drugs then go back to Suboxone. That will usually cause temporary withdrawal. You did not really discribe your sons behavior. He may still be using other drugs or he may have other psycological problems that need to be addressed. Unless he cannot tolerate Suboxone I do not think his behavior is being caused by his medication. Good Luck.

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i am currently on suboxone and it is a great drug, with that being said you cannot be successful if you dont want to change whether your parents want you to or not. i am currently in my third year of college at a good university but about two years ago i was doing exactly what your son is doing. you are right on the money but dont feel bad yet, there is hope. I would take subs when i was broke and dope when i had money. my parents saw me relapse many different times and i was fooling them with great grades but one day my dad caught me and he wasnt angry he was totally disappointed and hurt. This made me question is it worth me destroying his life also for a cheap high? not to mention it was decaying any type of moral structure i had. If your son lives with you, you need to be firm but loving and tell him its the dope or the subs and he cant have both. You should take his pills from him and give it to him and make him take it in front of you. junkies can be slick so dont believe simply after he puts it in his mouth b/c he knows when he takes it the opiate high wont be good or as good as it could be. (some instances it blocks it all together). make sure it dissolves completely under his tongue. hope this helps. good luck and dont give up.

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i have been on suboxone and it saved my life 3 yrs rehaBS AND meetings just dont do it for me give me suboxone and i am normal

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Hi my name is derrick and I have been on suboxone for two years now.I can tell you one thing every body is different .For me subs work I am in consrtuction and have had several surgeries and over the matter of months I was addicted to pain meds never once in my life did I use heroin.after my wounds healed I found myself buying pain meds of the streets and then my friend told me about methadone so I tried it it got me higher then the pain meds so I stopped treatment another couple years went by of buying pain meds and then I heard about suboxone it was the best day of my life besides my kids being born.I bought 5 eight milagram suboxone and it lasted all week .fifty bucks for the week instead of fifty or more a day. To get to the point its all about choices either you want to succeed in life or you don't I realized that with the subs I could do everyday life and it was bareable I do agree it is one fix for another but at least its better for your health and not as expensive.plus I don't feel like veal all the time.I am scared the day I have to come off because I don't want to go down the pain med road again but every day that goes on I am making better choices and that's what really matters is now not a year or two from now I can worry about that when the time comes.

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I became addicted to oxycodone after 6 surgeries on my knees and shoulder (all sports related injuries) over 5 years. Once the scripts from the doctor stopped, the pills didn't. I was paying from $17-$25 per 30mg oxycodone pill. Insanity, but at the time I somehow justified it becaue I was so far from reality and basically got to a point where I need about 300mg a day to function. Withdrawals were nightmares, but unfortunately I had no problem getting my pills each week because they were very easily accessible from the dealers I knew. I hit rock bottom financially, almost lost my wife who I had kept in the dark about my buying pills. I went to a psychiatric doctor who works with suboxone last summer, and that day marked the beginning of a simply AMAZING transformation for good in my life. I still today take exactly as prescribed: 8mg in the morning at 7am and a half pill 4mg at night before bed about 9pm. Since last summer, I've gotten promoted at work, paid off all my debts I had created wasting money (about $30k worth) have all my monthly bills up to date, and even have a savings account of $10k (haven't had a savings since 2006!).
On suboxone, I don't feel high at all and I'm functioning at a higher mental level than ever. I will eventually be taken off the suboxone but only when I'm ready! The point I'm trying to make here is this: you have to WANT to be clean... Set goals for yourself, personally and financially, and make that your new addiction! An addict will always be an addict. Just point it in the right direction and you will be the BEST at whatever you point it towards. And for suboxone??? If you take it exactly as your doctor prescribes it, and you don't lie to your doctor or lie to yourself about how you're really taking it... Then you will never have a bad experience with it. Fact, not opinion! :). Be strong everyone and God bless.

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Im trying to figure out what my mom is on. She is always acting so strange. She says shes only taking sub but im not fully convinced. Her eyes always look strange, she is always sweating, fidgeting and cant seem to pay attention. Can sub cause these symptoms?

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Some signs of heroin addiction are; mood swings- they can go from depressed, no energy, angry to feeling alive, to much energy, and happy. Depending on their method of usage you can notice various other symptoms. With inhalation this will effect their lungs causing them to cough all the time. With shooting the tale-tale signs are you should be able to see track marks on their body. If you see your son wear long sleeve shirts on a hot summer day it's probably because he is trying to cover the track marks up. Now some users are smart and they shoot-up in places that you can't see with the naked eye; i.e. toes, upper thigh, I have even none users to shoot directly into the vein up under their eye. If your son is working then you will see his finances slowly dwindle away and have nothing to show for it. He will begin to lie, cheat, and steal just to get his fix. Now know, this is not the son you gave birth too. This is a whole different person. Addiction is very big all over the world and has ruined many of lives. Addiction is genetic, it is a disease, but it can be prevented and helped. Best thing to do is let your son know you are there for him. Nothing you do or say will get him to stop. He will only stop when he reaches rock bottom. Now there are steps you can take to help this process. I cold hardly believe you should attend AL-ANON Meetings. They will provide you with the necessary tools to cope with this as well as teach you how not to be the co-dependent. By doing anything for your son while he is using you are basically telling him it's okay with you to use. I know this is a hard process to undertake and this is not coming from someone that only read about Addiction in books but from someone that has lived that life for many years until I reached my rock bottom. Now I understand you did not say he was using heroin, but I thought I would just give a little bit of advice just in-case. You can never be to cautious when it comes to addiction. If your son is living in your home than you have every right to search his room, his belongings, whatever it takes to make you feel at ease. He will get angry with you for doing this and try to make you feel down for doing this but ask yourself. Would you rather have your son be angry with you for searching his belongings and room, or not have your son at all. This is the cold hard reality when it comes to addiction. In America a lone some 600,000 people in the United States are addicted to heroin! According to the drug project and Journal of American Medical Association, 900,000 Americans die a year from substance abuse! That's more than the population of Jacksonville, Florida which is a little over 800,000. I do recommend Suboxone as a recovery option. Methadone is not big on my list because it's nothing but a synthetic form of heroin and many doctors and pharmacist will tell you that Methadone is stronger than Heroin. Plus once you start a Methadone treatment program it is very rare that you ever come off of Methadone. Suboxone is widely used in the treatment of opioid addiction and in order to be prescribed it you have to attend an out patient clinic where you will receive psychiatric help, as well as see a clinical physician every time you go to get your Suboxone. Another good reason to use Suboxone is the withdrawals are meek meaning more than likely if being prescribed Suboxone by a licensed trained doctor; the doctor will put him on the right dosage and gradually take him off the medication when he is ready. I myself was prescribed Suboxone for opioid addiction and I am now still currently taking Suboxone for chronic pain; and some people will tell you that Suboxone is not used for pain but it is. Suboxone has been studied by many doctors, scientist, etc and has been found in clinical studies to help chronic pain suffers. Suboxone comes in a pill form, as a strip, also comes in liquid that hospitals use for pain, and it comes as a patch for those who suffer from pain 24hrs a day. Talk with your son and a doctor to find the right dosage and form for him. I hope this helps you out and remember your only as strong as you let yourself be. This burden is not yours alone and there is help out there.

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Marquetta, if you don't mind me asking, what dose are you on and how many are you supposed to take a day? Does your doctor give you a months supply at a time with refills to last 3 months? Just wondering. Not sure if that is even legal. My dose is actually high. I'm on 8mg/2mg tablets, take 3 a day and he writes my script for 90 with 2 refills. I only see him every 3 months. You?

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hi...my story is so like yours...sister and all but my sister is the clean one now and i am on the suboxone...she judges me for being on it and cant understand why i cant just quit everything....i want to stop taking suboxone but my fear is going thru the withdrawal systems and having to go to work and school feeling that way...when i dont take my suboxone i can start to feel sick and real emotional...is that normal to start to be depressed?? how long do the withdrawal symptoms last once u stop taking it...do u know???

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I could not agree with you more. The mass of many doctor's are simply trading street addictions of opiates/heroin/pain killers in for medications that the drug companies and doctor's can make money off of. Lot's of money, I may add. As many insurance companies do not cover this drug, and it runs about $8/pill and they are sometimes prescribing 2-4 pills a day. That is between $240-$1000 per month! About as much as a drug addiction habit. These treatments are STILL addictive and still opiates!! Instead of having a drug dealer, your doctor is now your dealer. These doctor's fail to inform their patients that you if/when you try and get off the "helpful" and "life changing" Buprenorphine drugs such as Suboxone and Subutex, you will experience a detox and painful withdrawal symptoms LONGER and much more INTENSE than the original drug of choice. Because Suboxone/Subutex have a longer half life, and are MUCH stronger than pain killers such as heroin and Vicodin, when you try and cut the cord off this addicting drug, you are in for one long and arduous ride. Not to mention the terrible side effects of these drugs. People call it a "Miracle Drug" when they first are educated slightly about it, and once they are ready to get off, they realize the trap that they are in. You do not treat drug addiction with another similar drug- the whole point is to get off. Anyhow, I just want people who are researching this to be aware and do your thorough research on both sides. Drug addiction has ruined many lives, but so has this replacement drug. The longer you are on this drug, the harder and stronger your detox. We are talking months of struggles. This medicine was supposed to help with detox symptoms and used only up to 7 days, and now they are prescribing it for lifetimes. Find a doctor out there who really cares and will be honest about these drugs. I have been struggling to get off the suboxone for 2 years now. My family has noticed (as have I) a complete personality change. It makes me jittery, nervous, fidgety, I ramble on and on, I have practically no memory, and for some reason it makes me compulsive. Like shopping, I have this compelling thing to look at each and every item at a store or on a website. I have always loved fashion, but this is just crazy and is driving my sister and best friends insane. They say it is hard to be around me because I can't focus on a conversation and I tell them the same things over and over and a story that should take me five minutes to tell, turns into twenty. What a nightmare. I went to rehab to get OFF drugs, not get addicted to another. I want to file a lawsuit against this drug company. This is hell.

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I am curious, you said "Suboxone can be taken for numerous of years and two days later with the help of your doctor you can be weened off of it with little to no withdrawals. The only withdrawals I suffered when I got off Suboxone the first time was cold sweats." I was on 3 8mg tablets for almost 2 years, then weened down over a month and jumped off. My withdraws lasted seven days, I had NO sleep, muscle aches so bad I had to lay in the hotub literally all night and was freezing and couldn't go outside in 100 degree weather because I was so cold. I also sweated so profusely, I had to change clothes 5 times a day. Can you please give me tips or explain to me how in 2 days you experienced practically no withdraw symptoms? I understand were you are coming from in your opinion. Suboxone is like a double edged sword and I am just frustrated at my inability to get off at this point without going through withdrawals longer, stronger, more intense than heroin and oxys. I would love any advice you have. Thanks, Nicole.

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I was addicted to pain meds for over 10 years taking 25 to 30 pills a day. I was on sub for almost 5 years 8mg 3 times a day it saved my life. I have been drug free and Sud free for over a year know. I winged my self off the sub and had no withdrawals hardly at all. I never once mixed sub with any other type of drug either plus I didn't have any mood swings. The real deal is if you truly want to get off drugs you can trust me after 10 years of hard opied addiction and 8 long years of a cocaine addiction I would know. God is good a Christ center program is the way to go not a religious freak just learning the true Word. Teen Challenge !!!!!!

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I was addicted to Vicodin and at the peak of my usage was taking 20 7.5mg pills a day. I never used anything more potent. I went to a physician who runs a suboxone clinic and with the use of that medicine my life was changed and I began the path to sobriety. A word of caution (common sense): suboxone doesn't work by itself. It must be part of a program that includes therapy, NA meetings, and, most importantly, the commitment by the addict to become sober. Suboxone can be an inredible help to recovering addicts. But, like anything else, if not used properly it can be as harmful as any other drug.
My life was saved, and then changed, by the suboxone program I was on.

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This is directed to everyone who is still bound by the chains of suboxone addiction. This is my story and I hope it can serve as an inspiration to at least one fellow addict. I am like most who got on suboxone, I was tired of chasing the high with oxycontin, oxycodone, you name it! I went through two years of highs and lows. One day I might have snorted 6 or more roxycodone 30's and then the next morning have nothing and struggle just to get up for work and go through the typical opiod withdrawals for a couple of days until I can somehow manage to get my fix. We addicts are a lot more clever than people give us credit for. Anyways, after two years of this addiction I finally made the decision to quit. Of course I wouldn't do it cold turkey. I was more scared of that than death. So I did what I though was the right thing and that was suboxone. I spent the next few months thinking I beat it, I was telling people that I was sober and the whole time I was becoming more and more addicted to subs. I didn't think it was a problem until the first time I ate all my subs and had to go 3 days without it. By the third day I literally wanted to die. The second half of my 1 year suboxone addiction involved lots of highs and lows. I knew it was becoming a problem and so did my wife. So we tried the taper. Of course it didn't work! I'm an addict! Well, a month ago I told myself that if I don't quit cold turkey I will never break this addiction that was ruining my life. Hardest 3 weeks of my life people. Pure agony, insomnia, sweating, chills, no appetite. And plenty and plenty of crying. Not to mention I nearly lost my job because I missed so many days and when I did go I was an a** hole. Nothing helped me. The first week I tried drinking and weed. I was on the verge of going to the hospital during the second week because I just couldn't sleep. My aunt gave me 2 ambion and said only take 1. I took two! Desperate for rest and looking for an escape from the agony I was going through. I slept all of 3 hours. Two ambion! 3 hours of sleep in a week. By the second week I was getting 8 hours of sleep spread out over 3 or 4 days. After 2 weeks of pure hell, the withdrawals were coming and going, still not sleeping but I could feel a hint of progress. It took 3 weeks but I got through it. I have never felt so proud of myself. I encourage everyone who is sick and tired of being sick and tired to quit cold turkey. It brings you to a state of mind that is unexplainable. I feel like a whole new man. This story is not intended to brag or boast, I am just a recovering opiod addict. Personally, reading blogs and seeing that people have done it is what got me through the last month. Prayer too of course. Remember people, exercise releases endorphins and endorphins will make you forget about the withdrawals. Even if it's for 10 minutes. Good luck to everyone and God bless. There is a naturally confident and happy person in all of us without pills.

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Wow. I should have read this forum b4 I started Soboxone. It's my 6th day. I am taking 8mg per day. I was quite skeptical--I didn't really believe it would work. But it does. In fact I feel GREAT!!! I feel so good that I know there's gotta be a catch somewhere. No cravings for pain meds. A renewed interest in my job. I'm finally able to sleep. BUT...I will let you know the "But" when I find out. Peace to everyone. I haven't felt this good in years. I didn't feel this good when I was on the pain meds. I feel so good that I feel like I'm cheating. I feel so good that I think I would be lying if I called myself "clean & sober." I'm very interested in other people's experiences with Suboxone. I will come back to this forum just to see what everyone else had written. So keep writing! It's helping!

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Cookievdjqp...How's your progress getting off the Subs? Is your doc tapering you off? You might be right and I may regret this choice, but for now, Suboxone is like an antidepressant that actually works!

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