Suboxone questions

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wantok
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 3:14 pm

Suboxone questions

Post by wantok »

Started on 1/8 mg. Suboxone five days ago, after detoxing from 5 mg. methadone which was wonderful for my PLMD, except that it sedated me during the day. Slept like I hadn't slept in years but getting off the even the small 5mg. of methadone was not fun.

Questions: how do you cut the films so it can be equal tiny sizes? How do you keep it under your tongue (rather than sliding into your mouth?

Has anyone switched from Suboxone to Belbuca (do you need to get off of Suboxone or can you just switch from one to the other, and why did you?

I am very sensitive to drugs and the Suboxone is helping some (last night I tried to increase it to 1/4 mg. and had a terrible anxiety attack.

Thanks.

Wantok

My RLS, which has never been as bad as my PLMD, was treated successfully with iron infusions (the kind of iron that Dr. Earley recommends--I had to insist on getting that kind).

badnights
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Re: Suboxone questions

Post by badnights »

Hi Wantok
It's wonderful that you could get iron infusions. I'm sorry I can't help you with the suboxone question but there are others here who have used it who will probably chime in. Are you thinking of switching to the film to make it easier to take?
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
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I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

wantok
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 3:14 pm

Re: Suboxone questions

Post by wantok »

The iron infusions were an earlier attempt to help the PLMD. As I said, they did help the RLS greatly, but not the PLMD. So the Suboxone is another attempt to help with the PLMD.

Another question: as this low dose opioid therapy is recent, I am wondering what is done when you need heavier doses of painkillers. I was already refused a medical procedure because the orthopedic surgeon would not deal with someone taking opioids because of the need to treat the pain from the procedure.

Rustsmith
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Re: Suboxone questions

Post by Rustsmith »

I cannot help with the Suboxone question, but can address your surgery issue. Two years ago I was on 5mg of methadone and needed hand surgery. The surgeon wasn't concerned about my methadone, but said that it wouldn't be strong enough to help with my hand. So, he prescribed 7.5mg hydrocodone to be taken along with my daily methadone. I never took one of the hydrocodone pills because as long as I kept my hand elevated, it never hurt. And to give you some perspective, I have a 2 inch scar across the palm of my hand so this wasn't a simple little procedure. Afterwards, I looked and the MEUs for the methadone and hydro are about the same.
Steve

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

srgraves01
Posts: 106
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2013 4:34 am

Re: Suboxone questions

Post by srgraves01 »

I haven't switched from suboxone to belbuca. But I did recently start taking belbuca from a doctor who really knows about RLS. Prior to that I was seeing a pain management doctor and I was essentially just showing them the RLS foundation drug list and we would guess as to what I should take. I am weaning off of the drugs from the pain management doctor and replacing them with belbuca. I apply the belbuca film to my cheek, not under the tongue. The instructions actually say not to let your tongue touch the film while it is stuck to your cheek and that you need to moisten your cheek prior to applying it. You also should not eat or drink after applying the film. The instructions say it goes away after about a half hour; but I find that sometimes I have small amounts remaining after that time period. Belbuca is just buprenorphime, one of the ingredients in suboxone, without the naloxone. I like it so far. It was working really well for me for a little over a week; but as I weened off my other medications, I am experiencing some side effects because I am withdrawing from them. I am optimistic though because it was working well and I didn't feel sleepy during most of the day.

I have the same concern about cutting the film exactly in half. I just try to do my best and since I am somewhat paranoid about germs I clean my scissors with alcohol before I cut the film. I do know that you should put the half of the film you will be using the next day back in the original package. I also weigh the open sides of the package down because the film is sensitive to air; read this on the internet, but I have no idea how fast air affects the film. A coupe of years ago I took the sublingual form of buprenorphine from my pain management doctor. I eventually had problems throwing up and so I stopped taking it. What is really good about the belbuca is that you take a much smaller amount of the drug than with the sublingual so you end up with fewer side effects. Hope this helps.

Steve

srgraves01
Posts: 106
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2013 4:34 am

Re: Suboxone questions

Post by srgraves01 »

I tried cutting my film in half diagonally. That seems to be the easiest and most accurate way for me. I rarely, if ever, read the instructions that came with a medication before. I probably should have read them more. But with films, it is a whole different paradigm -- you definitely need to read the instructions.

Steve

ViewsAskew
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Re: Suboxone questions

Post by ViewsAskew »

So glad you are sharing about this. Thank you!
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

srgraves01
Posts: 106
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2013 4:34 am

Re: Suboxone questions

Post by srgraves01 »

Thanks.

Steve

wantok
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 3:14 pm

Re: Suboxone questions

Post by wantok »

Update: strange side effect of extreme nervousness when I went up from 1/8 to 1/4 of suboxone. Happened again (not quite as badly) after a few days when I returned to 1/8th. Doc doesn't understand why it isn't happening an hour after I take it, but later like 3 or 6 hours. Anyway, went down to 1/16th and it isn't strong enough to put me to sleep through the PLMDs so I hope we will be moving to another drug. Still wish someone out there had gone from Suboxone to Belbuca could share their experience?

srgraves01
Posts: 106
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2013 4:34 am

Re: Suboxone questions

Post by srgraves01 »

Wantok,

Nervousness is a side effect of both of the drugs in suboxone. So there is no way to tell other than to try the belbuca to see if it would be any better. When I was taking the sublingual buprenorphine, I misunderstood and thought it was generic suboxone. Later I read up on it and realized what it really was.

Steve

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