Author: hatmaker510
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:54 pm
The 37 hours is the mean (average) half life, the 24-72 is the range. Subutex has the same main ingredient as suboxone – buprenorphine. It’s only missing the naloxone, which is there to deter people from shooting it up. That’s the only difference. In fact there’s really no chance of overdose with either of them, because of the ceiling effect. The ceiling means once you reach it, no matter how much you take, there will be zero increase in effect – no greater "feeling", no greater respiratory depression, etc. This is why the overdoses due to suboxone you hear about involve benzos or other respiratory depressants. The ceiling is generally accepted to be around 4 mg. But keep in mind that isn’t necessarily where your cravings will be addressed or where the withdrawals will be stopped at.
Less is more with sub basically means that it’s best to be on the lowest possible dose of sub necessary for YOU. In other words, if you feel no withdrawals or cravings at 6 mg, then there’s no need to be on 8mg. In fact, you’ll likely feel better on the lower dose. Don’t compare your dose to others. It’s individualized in that what I need to address my cravings won’t be what you need.
If your doctor is offering you subutex, I’d take it. Lots of doctors won’t prescribe it, but it does come in a generic form (whereas suboxone doesn’t), so you can save some money.
Hope this helps.
