THIS IS NO JOKE: If you're on Subutex, Methadone or Suboxone, GET OFF NOW!!!!!!!!

[cindy990]

how come no doctors really know what the long term side effects and the many actual DAMAGEs to the body subutex does?? I stayed on it for about 10 years and it was the most HORRIFIC detox that I almost died. I encourage EVERYONE to (if you're already on it)-GET OFF OF IT, or you're just gonna make the detox harder and harder with time...and if you're thinking about getting PUT on it, THINK AGAIN!!!!! I would LOVE to go around EDUCATING DOCTORS about how HORRIBLE this medication is. I am about to face the dentist in an hour and am MORTIFIED to do so because I have METH-MOUTH. (funny thing is, I NEVER DID METH!!). It's ALL FROM SUBUTEX and how it just sits in your bones and builds up over time and seems to EAT away your bone marrow and rapes your body of calcium. And the refuse of medication that just sits rotting your bones makes a later "appearance" in the show whenever it is you decide to detox. That's when it comes PURGING out of every single pore of your body as well as through your TEETH!! (just like the bones in your body). It has been FOUR MONTHS and my body STILL aches UNIMAGINABLY, I am in a constant state of Incredibly INTENSE anxiety, frustration and impatience. I don't wanna EVER get out of bed and face the world, even though I Must...Feels like groundhog day because it never changes. I wake up everyday in intense agony. And all over my body my skin has broken out in "PLAGUE-like" Acne-some places CYSTIC. (my body is detoxifying from the outside in) I don't WANNA leave my house because I feel like a monster. like I'm CURSED. This medication is THE DEVIL. It NEVER WANTS U OFF OF IT, it grabs ahold of your SOUL and never EVER lets go. (until you get FORCED to(the law/jail)or you just get so SICK of taking a godamm PILL every morning just to feel like the rest of the human race does when they wake up. It is hell on Earth, and you are absolutely INSANE if you stay on this med after reading this!!! THIS IS NO JOKE!!!! Email me if you want me to GO ON even!! ***@****

[Poppi66]

hi there, I just want to say I agree with you fully re methadone! I was on it for 19 years and "involuntarily withdrawn" (read as kicked off!) last October. I was counted off 75mg over an 8 week period and honestly thought I was gona die at times. I managed 3 weeks clean after my last dose but lost 10kg and could barely get off my bed, let alone shop, cook, look after my son, work, or live any kind of 'normal' life. After my last dose & 3 weeks of doing it incredibly hard I just couldn't stand another day and went back to injecting opiates. Before you know it I had a habit that was growing daily and life was so not fun. In January of this year I went on holiday with my dad for 12 days with every intention of getting clean; I had dhc's and quetiapine to help me through; thought I'd be sweet but day 12 was just as bad as day 1. I averaged 2 hours sleep a night and was plagued with severe cramps, shocking aching that felt as though it was coming from inside my bones, and could get no relief from, crazy mood swings, absolute exhaustion, no appetite, crook guts, etc etc, and my life was just so f***n hard to want to live. I had phone counselling daily, was with my father, who was fully aware of what I was going through and has been extremely supportive of me since my addiction began at a very young age (17 when I first injected opiates & I'm now almost 47). So the first thing I did when I arrived home was have a shot of morphine. And that was my life until I just couldn't do it any more. I phoned my dad in Australia - I'm from New Zealand - and asked if he'd help me one last time. I was on a plane 4 days later, in severe withdrawal, weighing 45kg and with a myriad of other health problems; the following day I saw the most amazing GP and received my first 8mg dose of Suboxone. That was 19 days ago and I cannot rate this drug highly enough!!!! It has truly saved my life, is so incredibly different to methadone and has made my life worth living again. I didn't know until I started this medication, how much of a fog I was in the whole 19 years I was on methadone, it didn't stop my use of opiates, all is does is give you a higher tolerance. I did reduce how often I used hugely, managed a couple of years here and there; I mostly would have a shot on my birthday or at xmas, an addict can always come up with a good 'occasion' to use! Anyway I'm on 20mg of Suboxone and think that I'm stable now. I still get the hot and cold sweats and some cramp in my feet but that's nothing compared to how I felt when I arrived in Australia. Unfortunately Suboxone is a relative unknown in NZ but I really do think it is a brilliant alternative to methadone if one is seriously wanting to get clean. My aim is to eventually come off Suboxone, but after a 30 year addiction I will be taking my sweet time. I love the clarity of mind that I now have, that I missed out on for 19 years. I feel as though I am just getting to know the real me-and I like me, for the first time that I can remember! So I just want to say that everybody has a different story and that different medications do work differently for different people. I don't know much at all about the side effects etc of Suboxone but will be reading as much as I can to find out. For me it was an absolute life saver - literally. And if I have to stay on it long-term I will. If I had an illness such as diabetes or a heart condition I wouldn't think of stopping those kind of meds and in my opinion addiction is an illness. If a person is unable to manage without medication then don't. We shouldn't have to be ashamed of our illnesses, whatever they are.

[nursegirl6572]

Sorry, I used it for 20 days. The last time it was months. The w/d's were the same

I really appreciate you sharing this, E!  People just do NOT believe that,  They think for every day they are on Subs longer, the worse the w/d will be.  While length of use may factor in a LITTLE bit when we're talking years...there won't be much of a difference in w/d once a person has been on it long enough to fill the receptors.

And while I don't think using it as an acute med for w/ds is optimal, it's clear that that HAS worked for people, more power to them.  I would imagine it takes some real dedication after that brief a time to not go back on...I give people credit for that.


This is a great discussion!  Even though our OP seems to be MIA!  :0)

[weaver71]

You make a good point Evolver, the detox is rough no matter what, from any opiate. I was talking to my wife about my time on subs this morning. Is all it did was give me a moment of clarity and time to get a plan of recovery in place. It was that glimpse that kept me going through the months of methadone PAWS and sub detox. Not one part of it was easy, but without subs, I believe I would have given up and be dead today. I never suggest subs, but try to give real info to those who make that choice. I never recommend methadone either, but helped a local friend use it for two weeks to quit a 12 yr Oxy addiction. Willingness and openmindedness with good aftercare, those are the fundamentals in my view. This is a case by case disease, and I hope I never forget that. Please tell me if I ever get off track. You guys are great, thanks again.

[selfinduced]

Weaver, it's no wonder your my hero! GREAT post......

[weaver71]

Thank you nursegirl, I would never suggest doing it the way I did, but I'm glad it worked. I agree with almost every opinion you have, I think you know that by now.. You maintain the most neutral stand, and really appreciate that. Demonizing doesn't help very much, knowing the facts and hearing testimonies is much more effective, if helping others is the goal. If changing the medical field is the goal, there must be another venue with more folks with more clean time to fight that battle. I just remember feeling so confused by all the opinions of what not to do, but I had tried all the other recommendations. Anyway, I just hope folks can see a bigger picture of their influence on those seeking encouragement. Balance is the key, thanks for keeping that door open.

[EvolverU]

Sorry, I used it for 20 days. The last time it was months. The w/d's were the same.