Author: finallyachance
Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 1:28 pm
In reading and re=reading your post I finally was able to decipher (good ole country term lol) what you were getting at. I am running on slow today so bear with me on this. In reading at first I am thinking that you are on a decent amount of pain medication for the ailments you shared with us, but you said you were not over using them etc…Then I read the below quoted portion :
"I feel a little stuck and unhappy about needing this much medicine because it’s always a control battle every day to stay within my prescribed limits. I could easily take 20 norco a day and some days- I wish I could. Can suboxone get me off this stuff? How will I treat my deep aching, sharp neck pains and general disfunction without pain meds?"
And….what I get out of it is that you struggle daily with not taking more than prescribed and what?…..You want to get on something that will not make you not struggle with your daily battle with wanting to abuse or over use your medication? I can see where that could be a battle of the will. I must commend you though on your will power because there is NO WAY I would make it daily without abusing by tripling that daily amount there. But as an addict in your past it would only take a few days of over using that would eventually turn into everyday so I can see why you may be taking on a pro-active approach to find a solution before the problem occurs. Normally one waits for the problems to surface before one looks for the solution but….what would qualify you for this approach is the fact you say you have had addiction problems in the past etc…So you are on the right track especially if this pain you speak of is going to be a ling term problem.
Thank God I do not have to deal with daily pain but if I did I would be looking for what would keep my pain manageable and I can only tell you what I have heard from both sub and methadone clients. In my clinic we have just begun prescribing suboxone as it was always a methadone clinic only. If you decide to give methadone a try keep in mind that a methadone clinic can not prescribe methadone just for pain in fact pain can not really be the diagnosis at all. In a clinic setting methadone has to be for substance abuse. So if you decide to go with methadone you will have to elude to the fact you are an addict and need help with opiate addiction. The pain relief you would get from the methadone (and it is very good for pain management) would be like a BONUS. I am not sure in a ORT (opiate replacement therapy) suboxone clinic if they have to document and treat for the addiction and not the pain management is a protocol there too. Somebody like Breezy or Ladytripper, romeo or DOAQ may be able to answer that more knowledgeable on suboxone than I am.
I have met quite a few ex suboxone clients and thier usual/common complaint was that the suboxone did not give them the pain releif they were searching for and the methadone seemed better to them for pain management or the other reason was the naxelone in suboxone gave them uncomfortable interactions. But as far as for substance abuse everyone agrees that the suboxone was very good at keeping withdrawal and craving down and/or completely at bay. I myself can not take the suboxone because of interaction and I could not find a doctor that would give me the subutex instead so I went to methadone. (pain was not any issue for me) There are advantage and disadvantages to both as with suboxone I think you have to pay some kind of monthly monitoring doctor fee and then the medicine is so much and the more you need for dosage the more it cost and methadone is has no office fee and whether you take 30 mg or 300 mg its the same price. Methadone you have to go everyday for like 90 days and move up the ladder as far as how often you have to show up at the clinic. I have to go once a week now and because of a few slips in the beginning and one a few months ago I will not get my 2 weeks take homes for another six months which will have taken me over two years to get to twice a month privileges. So that’s a PIA but I do believe I have heard that methadone is a better pain reliever than sub. There is a link I am putting here of this exact issue being discussed by our best on this forum so read this thread below just click on the link and it should take you right there.
