Does anyone know what the long term effects of being prescribed subutex are?
Posted , 2 users are following.
I was prescribed 8mg subutex for a 8 months codeine addiction which I had managed to taper down to 32 nurofen plus a day after originally been prescribed codeine by my GP for migraines moved town and the new GP stopped the codeine but I had already got addicted hence buying the nurofen plus to stop the withdrawals went to my GP for help and to my shock was referred to drug and alcohol team who prescribed me subutex little did I know that 11 years latter i would still be battling to come off subutex was weaned down over a period of approx 8 years and then had a detox without a clue what horrendous journey followed 6 months later I sadly relapsed back on codeine got put back on subutex followed by another detox and to my shame went through the same after effects and relapsed again. I now feel ill I'm 47 and feel like my mind and body are giving up so on the 5th June am starting my 3rd and final detox. Has anyone gone through such severe post acute withdrawal and how do you get through it as I lasted 6months my first time and still was no better. The drug team say it's easy coming off subutex. Am desperate for some help managing the symptoms am terrified I will never get better but determined to be free of this awful tablet. Please if anyone has any experience good bad useful could you please reply and help me x
0 likes, 8 replies
brianthesnail Tez22
Posted
Hi tez
i dont know for the life of me why gp,s are prescribing subutex ( and methadone ) for codeine addiction ... subutex ( also known as "subbies" ) were originally designed to help methadone users wean of the drug .. they had to go down to around 30ml before switching to subutex
however subutex contain "buprenorphine" which is a strong opioid in itself ,however the suboxone ( the other active ingredient in subutex ) blocks the pain receptors making buprenorphine pretty much useless ...
long term you still need to be weaned off these,however my experience was a 8 year methadone addiction and i weaned off this ( by a reduction ) last october ... only recently have i been feeling ok,allthough anxiety and mood swings are still common place
post withdrawl ( also known as PAWS or post-acute withdrawal syndrome ) is common and allthough you may feel like your losing your mind and never feelng ok it does get better .. but you need to remember everyone is different and opiates play havoc with your brain chemicals .. leading to depression,anxiety and paranioa in some cases ... even manic depression has been reported
maybe a course of anti-depressions may help to kick start the seretonin ..also a talk with a drugs councellor again ....some even say exersize helps as this promotes release of endorphine which is the bodys natural painkiller
in my experience ( and i do have some ) drug teams are ill informed and just go on patient experience,however as i stated everyone is different and you cant base one person coming off subutex to another doing the same thing
in regards to managing your current symptoms .. i would try
1) if your getting restless legs at night and trouble sleeping ask your gp for gabapentin .. this will help alot
2) vitamin B12 (thiamine ) ... this will also help and helps the body get back to normal
3) CBT .. cognetive behaviour therapy .. this can help with anxiety and depression .and helps you understand why your feeling like you are and gives you tools to help you .. in the uk a website called "silvercloud" run by the nhs does this .. google it .( note : you need to be refered by your gp )
in summary to be completely clean from opiates you need to go through some rough times ( mines been 8 months ) but trust me .. it does get better and when it does you will know it
best wishes and good luck for the future
Tez22 brianthesnail
Posted
Thankyou so much for your kind reply it's so helpful I only made it to 6 months before as for some reason the drug and alcohol team didn't mention paws at all it was the crisis team when I was having a major meltdown at the GP surgery but went and relapsed before I got the call so this time round i know I have to tough it out a bit longer. It was the GP who sent me to the drug and alcohol team who prescribed the subutex they have now said I should never have been prescribed it but now is too late. I am already on antidepressants and also on pregablin am I right in thinking this is similar to gabapeton? I have been told to do exercise as well although some days it's the last thing you feel like doing i now have a dog so will be walking twice a day. Will get some vitamin b well done on your success it's so nice to hear from someone who has been through it and come out the other side thanks again for your advice and words of encouragement I am nervous but so determined not to be a slave to this tablet anymore all the best xx
brianthesnail Tez22
Posted
Hi tez
thanks for the comments ....gp,s and the drugs team really need to sort this mess out ... codeine addiction can be implemented by simply setting up a controlled reduction plan .. for example reduce by 15mg per month so the body can adjust to the reduced dosage ... sticking you on another opiate makes no sense and is simply a easy way out for them .. i have had this argument with my gp ...however her reply was its "guidelines".. my answer was " well the guidelines stink "
pregablin is like gabapentin ( nerve painkiller/blocker ) however pregablin has the advantage of also be used for anxiety .....it also promotes sleep and helps with restless leg syndrome
vitamin B12 will help .. you can get this from your gp or simply buy it from boots or superdrug
one bit of advice on pregablin .. it does take months to acheive its full effect and can produce some odd side effects during the initial phase so be patient ... im on 900mg daily of gabapentin and notice no side effects anymore
its a tough road and we know what its like .. gp,s and even drug teams dont and as i stated they only go off either previous cases or what they read .... granted some keyworkers have been addicts and know their stuff but the doctors who actually prescribe the drug havent got a clue ...
finally if your experiencing any gastrointestinal problems then also consider buscopan .... i take 2 of these a day and can help with any stomach or bowel cramps .. these types of problems are common among ex addicts as the opiates have played havoc with thier system .. remember how codeine made you constipated .. well all opiates do this and when they are no longer taken the bowel and stomach can be problematic for months
anyway take care tex and keep me posted on your journey .. best regards ... bri xx
Tez22 brianthesnail
Posted
Tez22
Posted
Think that message was sent before I had finished if the dr who prescribed it in the first place had a dose of the same medication then tell me my symptoms are all in my head! !!!!rant over. Yes have got some buscupan, loperamide and will get the vitamins today. One of the things I really struggled with when I came off this medication before is a complete lack of energy so much so I thought I might have a underlying condition like me. Or something but I really think it's coming off the subutex have you any good tips for this one and is it something you struggled with? Sorry to bombard you with questions but your knowledge is much more helpful to me than a prescribing team who prescribed 8mg subutex for 32 nurofen plus but have since apologised said this was not the right course of treatment but hey ho we will home detox you then you can be on your way thankyou again so much xx
Tez22
Posted
Starting to feel extremely anxious about my home detox and life afterwards keep trying to snap out of it but can't I get prescribed diazepan for anxiety but only take as and when needed as know this is extremely addictive do you think it would be ok to start talking every day until my detox starts as starting to feel like cancelling it but so want to be free of the subutex i really don't know what to do any advice? ??
brianthesnail Tez22
Posted
its unlikely the gp will prescribe diazepam even for short term use .. however each gp is different and some are not as strict as others ...however the problem with diazepam is it will make you feel relaxed and its a feeling you will want to keep,however the downside is when you dont use it the comparison will be night and day which is why many people ( mainly in the 70,s and 80,s ) were so quickly addicted to benzodiazepams ( including ativan/lorazepam )
the fear of detox is not unusual .. i had it,however you need to not confuse detox with withdrawal ... detox is controlled were as withdrawal is not ... detox,s are designed to be pain free and comfortable ...
personally ( and if i was your gp ) i would give you diazepam but to be picked up daily from the pharmacy .. this again is controlled and avoids taking more than you should ... a dosage of 2mg either once or twice daily should be ok ..
however your gp may also state the pregablin your taking is also a anti-anxiety medication and may even recommend a increase in dosage .... 125mg daily and upwards is normally ok for anxiety
im with you on this and i want you to send me a private message ( in my account on patient forum ) if you need help
take care tez ... brian XX
Tez22 brianthesnail
Posted
Thankyou so much for your reply i think I'm getting so anxious as this time the detox is being done at home where it's just me and my 13 year old son I'm just remember getting quite emotional in my last detox and don't want to cause my son any distress mind you the last detox was done in a acute psychiatric assessment unit which saw some upsetting events take place which had a big knock on effect on my emotions.my GP has placed me on a repeat prescription of diazepan for 3 years so already have it but am always very wary of taking it too often also am on a prescribed dose of 300mg pregablin 50mg seroxat 7.5 mg zopiclone am on a awful lot of medication it seems eventually want to get off the lot but the most important one right now is the subutex 11 years on subutex for a 6 month codeine addiction just seems so wrong and so would like to see the prescribing GP take it for so long and see how it feels afterwards sorry to waffle on but am very isolated with noone to talk too thankyou for your kind words xx