NEW MEMBER WITH SUB FILM QUESTION

I have two questions.

But first, I shoudl probably provide a little background for perspective:

Beginning at age 18, I began to abuse opiates, and I went on to do so for forty years. At age 58, when the opiates no longer worked no matter how high the doasge, I was in serious trouble. I was put on Methadone, which I stayed with for two years. But God, how I despised that drug! When I needed to have a surgery, the doctor refused to perform that surgery unless I went off the Methadone. I did it. (The withdrawal from it is epic.) After the surgery I was put on Suboxone. My addiction doctors all said that because I’d been taking such massive amounts of opiates for forty years (plus the methoadone for two years) that I would never get off Suboxone. I would have to accept that I would be taking it for the rest of my life. (40 yrs. of opiates, 2 yrs. of methadone,. plus 5 yrs. of Suboxone. Doing the math tells you that I’m now 65.)

I was still in denial of my addiction when I started taking Suboxone at age 60. I started out my Suboxone experience at 56 mgs. per day. (I later learned that this high dosage was pointless). I accomplished the high dosage by doubling up clinics. But that didn’t last long. Once I accepted my addiction and I admitted to the deception, I went with one clinic and immediately began reducing the dosage.

It’s taken me four years of gradual (and painful) titration, but as of a few days ago I’m now down to 3 mgs per day. (Unfortunately, once I got down to the 8 mgs. level about a year ago, I began going into a pretty serious withdrawal every morning at about the same time. So, for about a year now, I’ve been going into withdrawal every single morning, like clockwork, at about 10am. I stay sick until mid-afternoon, after having taken my first dosage of 1.5 mgs at about noontime.)

So here’s the first question: I’ve come down a total of 53 mgs. but it took four years of ongoing wretchedness, and I’m stil sick every day. Has anyone ever heard of person who had taken a lot of opiates for a lot of years (like 40) and who then took high doses of Suboxone for almost five years, getting off the Suboxone? Or getting past the constant withdrawals occuring even at a low dosage like 3 mgs.?

I cut my films in order to get the precise dosage of 1.5 mgs. twice a day. (BTW, I’ve found that taking it twice a day is a must. It’s how I got down from the original high dosages. Now my body apparently wants it to stay this way. When I tried taking just one dosage per day, the withdrawal in the AM was markedly worse.)

Here’s my second question: Can I pre-cut the Suboxone film and then allow it to sit in a prescription bottle for a few days to a week, until I use it? In other words; does the film lose any of its potency if it’s sitting in the plastic bottle, and not in the sealed packet it comes in?

I appreciate your patience with all that. And I would appreciate any help anyone might have for me regarding the possibility of me ever getting off the Sub, as well as any knowledge of the film storage question.

Be well,

L