Posted by drrisin06 on April 27, 2004, at 16:00:48
In reply to Re: Buprenorphine side affects, posted by Lindsay Rae on February 16, 2004, at 21:58:06
> So, according to the link you provided and the knowledge that you have to suffer horrible pain to switch from being comfortable on Methadone to Suboxone, it seems virtually impossible to make the switch. The only reason I want to switch is because of the weight gain that has plagued me for the past two years. I'm gaining weight, and I'm literally starving. And constipated.
>
> Anyhoo, what I mean is, it seems to me that the Methadone advocate groups are happy with the FDA decision to classify Buprenorphine, both as Subutex and Suboxone, as a Schedule III med, when in reality, Suboxone should be a Schedule IV since there is virtually no abuse potential. It could be because they are trying to keep Methadone from becoming obsolete. On the other hand, the president of the American Society of Addiction Maintenance feels differently, like the two should be in separate categories so it would be that much easier to prescribe Suboxone.
>
> At 120 mg of Methadone, and two years behind me (the first year at 75 mg), is there no smooth transition from the Methadone to Bup? Perhaps in cases like this, they wouldn't make me take the one that contains Naltrexone/Narcan. Does anyone know, does Subutex, without an antagonist, have the same negative effect on a stable, maintained person? Or is that a safe switch to make?
>
> Confused in Florida,
>
> Lindsay RaeHI, bAck in '94 I was involved in a bup treatment-study @ a University. This was before they combined bupe with naltrexone. Part ,actually one part of the study was to determin if this was possible. I saw a flyer about the program,and instead of having to pay,they paid you in gift certificates on a clean-time basis. It was actually a pretty good program. The dose was blind,sometimes they'd give us a double dose,and you were set for 2 days. If you came up dirty for opiates they gave u half a dose. I was in the "coming off dope mode of course" so the bupe gave a mild opiate glow, put it this way, I'd leave there w/ a smile,though it was comparible to an airplane that never actually took off, fealt like the engines were reving but it never
took off.
So the program was, they played w/ your dose
,combined w/ activities&therapy(skiing,movies-restaraunts) and they took you off gradually so
I wasn't leaving w/ a smile. When the dose was so mynute the next step was taking the "naltrexone challenge" I didnt make it to this part, but they administered the naltrex, the patient would go through 3 hours of withdrawls so every opiate was flushed out of the brain,than they continued to pay you as long as you stayed on the naltrexone.
I relapsed coming off the bupe wasn't ready--however That program is still there,though im sure its changed,since they combined the bupe and the naltrexone.
So yes it is possible to get just buprenorphine.
I do beleive. I'm not sure where other than
places I've seen on the net/
I am very much wanting to switch from methadone to Bupe as well, down to 100 mgs' from 280mgs
I was at a way too ridiculously high dose.
I've heard 40mg is an ok tranfer point from done to bupe?
Be so nice to be not enslaved to a clinic.
poster:drrisin06
thread:306607
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20040409/msgs/340685.html