Opiates and Suboxone

[madison1101]

Hi Everyone,
I am Trish, recovering alcoholic, and opiate addict. I have been sober from alcohol for almost 20 months, but had a problem with Percocet, prescribed for chronic pain, and am now on Suboxone, which is like Methadone.

I was wondering if anyone else has been on Suboxone, and how long you were on it. I had tried it a year ago, but was overly medicated, and went off it, because the doctor would not lower the dose, or give me the smaller strength pills.

This time, I saw a different doctor, and he is more diligent about making sure the dose is correct. He also requires participation in either individual therapy, or group therapy twice a month.

Thanks,
Trish

 

[rturner76]

Suboxone is a good program if you do the other stuff like the doctor says. Group therapy, meetings and individual therapy. It's a tool to use but not a cure. It just is insurance against use. it can take your mind of it if you know you can't feel anything and it's supposed to help the cravings. It didn't help my cravings at all. Now i'm on methadone. that's got a bunch of problems with it too. I think suboxone is better if you can do it. Methadone is 100 times harder to come off.

IMHO you are doing the right thing as long as you do all the other things that make recovery work. i've never seen anybody do it wthout NA or AA myself. Not long term anyway. Even me, when I start missing meetings, I always go back. I hate that I need those meetings sometimes but we need them or we will always go back guarenteed! You got a step up on many people in NA because you probably believe in God. That will make your journey much better because God will take what you can't handle

God bless you, I'm off to a meeting!

 

[madison1101]

Suboxone is a good program if you do the other stuff like the doctor says. Group therapy, meetings and individual therapy. It's a tool to use but not a cure. It just is insurance against use. it can take your mind of it if you know you can't feel anything and it's supposed to help the cravings. It didn't help my cravings at all. Now i'm on methadone. that's got a bunch of problems with it too. I think suboxone is better if you can do it. Methadone is 100 times harder to come off.

IMHO you are doing the right thing as long as you do all the other things that make recovery work. i've never seen anybody do it wthout NA or AA myself. Not long term anyway. Even me, when I start missing meetings, I always go back. I hate that I need those meetings sometimes but we need them or we will always go back guarenteed! You got a step up on many people in NA because you probably believe in God. That will make your journey much better because God will take what you can't handle

God bless you, I'm off to a meeting!

Thank you for your sharing. I am a regular attender at AA meetings, and already go to individual therapy. I had been in outpatient treatment for a while, but that ended in Spring of 2010. I have been attending AA for over 20 years, and have worked all of the steps once since getting sober this last time, 20 months ago. I see the Suboxone doctor once a week, and my personal psychiatrist once every two months, and my individual therapist twice a month. I do not want to end up back in the psych ward of the hospital, or in a rehab, like last year. Thanks again.
Trish