Methadone vs Suboxon

Before I address your statement here, I will tell you a little bit about me and my rollercoster...

 

I always preferred a little grass to any and all drugs, including alcohol.  Then I was in a bad car accident where I had just the most nagging soft tissue damage to my spine.  Doctor gave me two scripts for vicotin and sent me on my way.  Shortly after, I got sick with bronchitis.  My GP gave me a big ol' bottle of Hydromet syrup with the instructions of drinking 1 ml at the end of the day before bed.  2 Refills later, and being completely off vicotin, I had to find something to keep my back at ease.

 

I rolled up my sleeves and took to the streets.  Guy#1 was reliable.  To him, this was a business and it is not good for business if you screw or stiff a client.  Guy#2 was reliably unreliable.  I would never hear from him after he had my money unless I was driving around and happened to see him.  I can't tell you how many times I heard the same tired old story from #2 that he got robbed and lost my $$, sometimes $100.  #2 was a good kid, just misguided and strung.  Opposed to the people that I have been exposed of during this part of my life, you could see his soul in his eyes still (I can't tell you how many people I've run into where you look into their eyes and you see no soul, no hope, no life).

 

Needless to say, I would go to #1 as often as I could, and it worked out for about 6-7 months until he moved away with his wife.  Speeding up a bit...  It was around this time that I realized that I did not want to rely on these drugs anymore.  #2 was also trying to fix his life, so he gave me 8mg Suboxone and told me to wait till I get sick before I take just a sliver of it (sublingually). 

 

Well, it wasn't long before that sliver turned into 1/2 of the strip at a time, morning and night.  I will not say that I felt high, but rather I had energy, motivation, and power.  I got a fantastic promotion at work while I was on the stuff.  I felt unstoppable.  But I was also irritable, angry all of the time, lacking understanding, and upset about my dependence.

 

I was on Suboxone for roughly another 6 months before I got off and this was how my final 5 doses looked:

Sunday AM: 4mg

Sunday PM: 4mg

Monday AM: 4mg

Monday PM: 4mg (This was where I had my moment of clarity after getting into a NASTY fight with mom)

Tuesday AM: 2mg

 

Now, it has been 15 days since that last 2mg sliver that I took and the phrase, "hell and back" is cliche, but most accurate.  I started feeling irritable as soon as I missed my Tuesday PM dose.  I was lucky that Wednesday was Independance Day and thus had no work.  In fact, I slept from 11:00pm the night before to about 12:00pm on July 4.  Thursday and Friday I had to miss work.  I can only describe it as, "the flu that you infected yourself with."  I hunkered down and took some immodium.  I hoped that by Monday I would be fine!  Nope, woke up with the chills and was miserable all day long at work.  I went straight to the gym after work and sat in the sauna (for the first week and a half, the sauna was the only place that I found peace). 

As I said before, I am on day 15 without a Sub.  It's Wednesday now and honestly I have yet to wake up with a smile on my face.  Mr. Churchill said it best, " Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."

I've faced my demons.  I cannot tell you how many of these forums I have visited along the way.  Hearing about how people tapered and jumped, then got back on because of how drawn out the withdrawals are.  If you decide to put this stuff in your body, just remember that the day will come when you have to get off.  The physical anguish is absolutely NOTHING compared to the mental part of it.  Trying to be positive and stay active with little to no energy and being cold all the damn time, is extremely difficult and challenging.  Suicidal thoughts come and go, depression, self pity; you will have a long and hard road ahead of you only to reach the point of normalcy that you once had as a child.

It was extremely hard yes, but possible.  I do not give the benefit of the doubt to anybody who gives up.  I was there SO MANY TIMES in the last 15 days, but I will say that the worst part only last 12 days.  After that, it's just chills, motivation/energy, and slight lower back pain. 

I survived cold turkey.  I will never touch another drug again after this.  I hope this helps you make up your mind.  Just remember that you are playing with fire here.  At the end of it, you will get burned.

I am glad someone wrote a post on this topic cuz there is not such and i wonder why not ?? Back to you...well there is so much said...let me first say that u came in touch with pills after your car accident. So,I am sure that u r not the "raised up in da streets" guy,if u know what I am trying to say. So,that's important cuz u will have a look from a different angle at your story. And one important thing,you was not for a long time on suboxone ,and your dose were not big.I had days when I took 3x 8mg suboxone in a day. I am glad you are clean now,but u cannot understand me.I have nothing in my life,not even ONE f*****g real friend,YES a FRIEND NOT A colleague or just a guy i used to know. Now,imagine that u r in my skin. U wake up,drink a coffee smoke some cigarettes, eat something,and then u start to thinking what the hell am i going to do the whole day ? When I start to shake i take my methadone and after that i feel happy and see my life as a happy place and i can do anything...and after 2hours it's gone! The good feeling is gone,i feel like i felt before i took my methadone.
Sad reality...isn't' it ?

I get so confused about why you have to wait until you are in withdrawal if you are changing to Sebutex which doesn't have the agonist? I have been on Methadone for 14 years in my opinion 10 years to long however my life is great now stable home 12 Step support my whole family is in a 12 step program. I'm 58 I'm done standing in line in the methadone programs waiting for them to find a reason To pull someone's bottles for nothing. I have come down from 98 mil to38 mils and I can't say I feel horrible I don't can I safely go from meth 38 to Sebutex sl and what differences do you feel I haven't heard a straight answer yet. I'm done with this stuff it's not part of who I am right now My doctor is wonderful and supportive and wants me to switch and get me out of that negative cycle of feeling

Ess then by being hooked and handcuffed by methadone programs help IM ready to make the jump

You did not understood me. I am saying that suboxone is much more damaging than methadone,I was on both and I couldn't handle it on suboxon it was awful ! Then I got back to methadone ,which I enjoy and can live and function normal. Look at you,you are 58,like my father and u was on methadone for 14 years. My only friend is music and meth,i have not a single friend,everday the same,if I would not taking meth i would kill myself.

I see what you are trying to say. Honestly, I have met a whole slew of people who have been hustling for YEARS just to maintain. blowing $300.00-$600.00 a day on roxy's. Having to need 20+ of those little blue pills just to feel NORMAL!



I watched my best friend, my roommate in college flush his life down the toilet and end up in prison for 20 years for being high as a kite and getting into a car accident that killed a little girl. Honestly, getting locked up was the best thing that could have happened to him because otherwise, I'm convinced he'd wind up dead.



Anyway, I did grow up street smart. I have common sense and I have been around EVERY SINGLE DRUG on the planet MANY times.



I think the thing you need to remember first and foremost is the fact that you will never be helped unless you are ready to be. You will never be clean until you are ready to clean up. I am starting a tremendous career with great hardworking people. I stopped going to the gym when I was in my car accident, now I've been going every day... Pushing myself till I literally have nothing left.



I'm sorry, but to say that jumping off at 8mg is barely anything, I don't buy that whatsoever. Suboxone has a ceiling at 4mg. Anything more than that at a time, the drug doesn't necessarily work any better than it would had you taken just 4mg.



Today is day 16 and I can just start to feel my motivation coming back. I am still freezing cold and sweaty all the time. I have always been one to push myself. If i feel crappy, I will go outside and ride my bike for 10 miles until I cannot breathe.



I've been in the fetal position because of opiate withdrawal MANY times. Honestly, Suboxone withdrawals are 1/10th of any other opiate type withdrawal. It's the length that makes it equally as amplified as the other drugs.



I guess the only thing I can say is for you to ask yourself if anything you have done has caused good for anybody else? Depending on how you answer that, reach deep inside and make a commitment to get back to where your life was before all the partying. You don't have to make it for tonight or tomorrow, but an obtainable goal in the future is something to look forward to and embrace.



When your brain starts to re-wire itself, you will feel again. I cannot describe how exciting this moment is. Just knowing that you will never rely on anything ever again to feel normal!

I am taking 80mg,not 8. 8ml is 80mg.

I have respect of you,You r much older and i trust u when u say that u have been on all drugs in the world. This time u understood me perfectly! :) you r reminding me on my older brother ,with the Life thinking c**p and all that. ANd you know what ? I am not ready ,and even want to be clean. Before a month I was kicked out ouf a detox clinic in which I was for the second time,they let me go cuz i begged to be left free so i can go home,I was soo messed up,felt like in a prison,i had fears ,halutinations..I felt NEVER EVER so weak and my mind was going crazy,i started to refuse to take the daily medications they give u there.In Europe u dont have to pay , they were like playing with me but I am in a role of a child.cuz they increased 300% my therapy (that means they would give me 900mg MST-morphine,and all other stuff so that i just stop with my rebelion act. But no,i wanted out and point. They almost broke me....cuz i was negotattioting with the head dr. of the clinic the boss for an hour WITHOUT A SINGLE PILL,i had only water in my stomach and was almost crushed down.
If I was,I probably would now stay there. I am proud cuz i beated a team of 7 doctors with the boss dr. without a single pill, clean ! They could not crush me,the bastards. And so...they sent me home with the explanation that I am psyichicaly not ready for detox. ?!?! wtf ??



I know now what they meant. I was not ready to get off meth,like u said. Honestly I don't know if I ever will be. I have only traumas in my head in that clinic and that clinic is the only one in my Country.


80mg are 16 pills here in Croatia,...so I am on a high dose.Most people here are on on 3-10 pills ,but I am the only with 16pills -my dr. said. :)


I realy cannot understand how and from where do u have the energy to ride a bike and going in gym....

I would rather take 20ml of methadon.

guys are u ok ? how r things going on ?

I am on Methadone10mg 3xs daily. I have. Even on it for 5 months. I have been having really bad sweats during the day and they are getting worse. They get so bad I get real hot inside and I am literaly dripping sweat. I have never sweat like this before and it's driving me crazy. I can shower and be in air conditioning and an hour later I'm sweating with a bad oder. Is this from my mess or possibly something else?

That's a common thing with methadon...has nothing to do with you. I sweat abnormal too,more than a people who r not on meth.

Do you Know if there is any other medicine that I can ask to be put on instead of this methadone? I had surgery a year a go May and I was on Percocet, did not not help at all. So they tried this. I can't do this, yes it helps so much with the pain but I need ti change mess. :/....

Katina i am surprised that nothing else worked and that the doctors gave u methadon- a substance which is for opiat,heroin addicts ,methadon is just like heroin.Trust me !

why they don't give u MST. morphin ?

What Is ms morphin? I never heard of it. Pryer to the methadone, I had been on Vicodin, Percocet, OxyContin, oxycodone and then methadone. After my surgery I was on morphine and Percocet. This is the only thing that seems to work, to ease the pain. I will read up on the med you told me about and suggest it to my dr. You don't know how much I appreciate you writing me back and giving advice. I have no one else to talk to about this because I hate telling people the meds I am taking, very ashamed of it. I will keep you posted! God bless! :)

thanks! i typed it wrong,the drug is called MST continus. It's a morphine pill. As an addict I am telling you...methadone is hell,it's a sinthetic heroin
and much more addictive than morphine who seems to help you,so get back as soon as possible to morphine because u cannot get addicted so fast as methadone ! I know how much it helps when someone answers you and give u an advice or can help. I wish more people should do this. How old are you? I hope everything will be good!

I am 39 and holding! Lol... I can't back into my pain specialist for another month :/... I will survive! I'm losin weight fast tho, all this sweatin! Yuk!!!!