Buprenorphine, Subutex & Suboxone

[Chicci]

Luckily I am in country where the heath system is pretty fair. So it wasnt a problem to get on subuxone.
I couldn't have done it without subuxone.

Another terrible idea imo is to put ppl on benzos to recover from an opiate habit. Long acting benzos can help for a couple days..2 weeks max. But not as a replacement.

If you are in a country that provides inexpensive suboxone, be very thankful.   Where I am at it is so very expensive.    The doctors that are able to prescribe it alot of times charge people close to 300 a month, cash only and thats not even including the medication.  Did I mention its expensive?  Its expensive..... Like opiate dependent people much less addicts are going to have a stockpile of money.......Like I said we want to put on a show and act like we care about stopping the opioid epidemic, but dont behave or act like it.

Man..such an unfair system you have over there. I mean heath care in general.
In my country heath care is still almost free.
To show the difference when I was addicted and asked for help. It would Costa me 0,00 € to visite a specialised doctor who would prescribe me subuxone. It is also strictly monitored..every day I had to get my dailymotion dose in the pharmacy I had weekly talkshow with a couselor and bi-week doctors visite (with drug testing). All this helps a patiënt to say clean and it was all completely free. 
Only rhe medication Costs you something..like 20$/month for the subuxone. For methadone it's like 5$. And that 20$ was for me because I still had a job and a good income. If you are in employed it's like 5$.

So a big difference, but that makes it even more impressive you still did it and got clean, Chris!

[Chris5555]

The doctors see it as a method of getting richer quicker, and they do it and it works.    It really really frustrates me and many others that we have such a valuable tool which could save lives, make it hard to find, and harder to afford.   I honestly think they just want to appear to care about the opioid epidemic but not actually stop it.

[Chicci]

What irks me is probably the same thing that irks a lot of you. Purdue Pharma (I think they were the biggest pusher of oxy) helped create the epidemic. Now its the same big Pharma companies getting rich and padding profits on the subs as a means of an epidemic they created.

In a perfect world those that created the epidemic would be subsidizing the subs - but the lobbying power of big Pharma would never allow us in the home of the free.

Sickening.

I heard something about perdue and the wrongway they marketed oxy. But the complete story never got publicity in Europe. Probable some shady business?

[andybones]

The company making the suboxone films are making a lot of $$. My other scripts I have copay of $4 and insurance pays like $20-80. With the films I have a copay of $35 and insurance is paying around $500. If you need the films like me when say Zubsolv doesn't work as well, is a newer, good alternative to suboxone. A pill, minty and dissolves like 50% faster. The patent on the films, however is 2023 IIRC. If you have no insurance, or if the one you have doesn't cover suboxone it's about $4 a strip. So for me $4x 60. And this is with coupons, etc. It could be much higher than $4. So $200-$300 to see the Dr. and then $200-$500 to purchase, each month is insanity.
Buprenorphine truly is an interesting medication. It works incredibly for its intended purpose, but I don't believe it should be used much more than 2-5 weeks. Addicts don't need to stay on it once they kicked it, they need to go to meetings, etc do whatever works for each person. Right now it's created an opportunity to continue to find their addiction, by hustling the medicine that's supposed to keep them "clean ". However, the same could be said about zans and so forth.
4 years ago subs were gold and basically unattainable unless lucky, and it was very expensive. Today it's everywhere. It's amazing how life changes, you never know what tomorrow may bring.

[Chicci]

The company making the suboxone films are making a lot of $$. My other scripts I have copay of $4 and insurance pays like $20-80. With the films I have a copay of $35 and insurance is paying around $500. If you need the films like me when say Zubsolv doesn't work as well, is a newer, good alternative to suboxone. A pill, minty and dissolves like 50% faster. The patent on the films, however is 2023 IIRC. If you have no insurance, or if the one you have doesn't cover suboxone it's about $4 a strip. So for me $4x 60. And this is with coupons, etc. It could be much higher than $4. So $200-$300 to see the Dr. and then $200-$500 to purchase, each month is insanity.
Buprenorphine truly is an interesting medication. It works incredibly for its intended purpose, but I don't believe it should be used much more than 2-5 weeks. Addicts don't need to stay on it once they kicked it, they need to go to meetings, etc do whatever works for each person. Right now it's created an opportunity to continue to find their addiction, by hustling the medicine that's supposed to keep them "clean ". However, the same could be said about zans and so forth.
4 years ago subs were gold and basically unattainable unless lucky, and it was very expensive. Today it's everywhere. It's amazing how life changes, you never know what tomorrow may bring.

I agree addicts should not stay t on substitution meds too long. However I find the 2-5 weeks too short. I think up to 6 months is reasonable for a person to adjust both physically and mentaly. The faster you can stop completely the better off course. But not at the risk of relapsing.
It all dependends on the dose imo. You should never get a buzz from subuxone. And it should be taken daily under supervision.

I do agree meetings, psychologists, therapy in general is the real important thing.
And the aid of benzos should stay restricted to the first couple of days. The dependancy on benzos is a lot harder to kick. I have seen this firsthand. Opiates are a terrible drug. But benzos are imo even worse. The most addictive product in the world (tobbaco is up there but benzos are way more destructive).

But it shows a lot comes down to what doctors prescribe. In America there is an opioid epidemic in my country its more of a benzo and zolpidem epidemic. Because doctors over prescribed these products.

[pickles77]

Look when I was 27 I was working at Bellevue in Nyc and I had suboxone just in case of emergencies but I took a teaching position at Swarthmore College to get away from all the bad stuff in my early twenties.I rented a house in East Falls near Drexel School of Medicine and had five suboxone and kicked my habit. I have never done an opiate since, excluding the time I shattered my humerous. It wasn't the acute withdrawl that got me it was the post acute withdrawl for a year of no energy, cravings and so I stay as far away from opiates as I can. I like them too much and it took me a couple years to really not think about them.Unles you are suffereing in a way that isn't livable I would steer clear because before you know it....Boom you are physically addicted and that isn't you it's the drug man.

[Chicci]

Look when I was 27 I was working at Bellevue in Nyc and I had suboxone just in case of emergencies but I took a teaching position at Swarthmore College to get away from all the bad stuff in my early twenties.I rented a house in East Falls near Drexel School of Medicine and had five suboxone and kicked my habit. I have never done an opiate since, excluding the time I shattered my humerous. It wasn't the acute withdrawl that got me it was the post acute withdrawl for a year of no energy, cravings and so I stay as far away from opiates as I can. I like them too much and it took me a couple years to really not think about them.Unles you are suffereing in a way that isn't livable I would steer clear because before you know it....Boom you are physically addicted and that isn't you it's the drug man.

Very recongnisable to me!

[imnotcrazy226]

I started using opioid medications recreationally, though I did have the occasional toothache or car accident to warrant a valid script. Throughout my getting on and off the wagon I have taken all 3 (methadone, Suboxone, and Subutex), and am currently on Subutex and have been for about 3 years. It has been a lifesaver for me, and although I am okay with taking it for the long haul, I wish I had been warned that it was incredibly hard to withdraw from. I tried it once, flushed my remaining pills and went cold turkey. I would absolutely not recommend this, as I ended up in the psych ward a month later with severe depression.

[Chantilly]

I've been on suboxone for a few months, and i've managed to taper down... but man, that last few steps are hell. Maybe it's psychosomatic but taking that last leap has proved impossible. My mood and motivation nosedives which I can't afford to keep productive.

Has anyone had a similar experience? The choice left to me is to continue long-term, but i'd really rather not. Has anyone tried methadone with better results?