Taking my sub correctly?

Hey Friends,


I have heard that people to wash their mouths out with warm water prior to taking sub. Also, I know you should't smoke, eat or drink anything after sub for at least 20 mins, right? And before? I just want to have any absolute clear instructions, just to make sure that the problem I am having with being sleepy today is not related to taking it wrong. Some people say they do stuff to get the "juices flowing" but then it seems that you don't want to much saliva in there because it can dilute the med? I am sorry to have to go over this again, however, I just really want to make sure that I am doing it right.

Thanks everyone!
Nature Lover

Hey Nature !

You are right!
You should not drink any caffeine or smoke cigarettes 30 minutes prior to taking your dose and 30 minutes AFTER your dose melts.
This is to obtain maximum absorption.

And please do NOT apologize for asking any questions. That's why we are here !

Hope your doing well!

BTW, what happened last night in chat? You disappeared!?

Hey Blue,

So when your sub is dissolving, does it mix with your saliva and you just hold that plus the sub under your tongue? I just have not been feeling great and I honestly think part of it is the way I have taken it. Also, the first 3 days I would swallow the saliva that had sub mixed with it, then then wed night and yesterday I didn't and I feel worse. My only problem is that when swallow it without having a tiny bit of food in my stomach, it kinda hurts. I wonder if I just had a few bites of a banana first thing in the morning, brush my teeth really well, and then take the sub, if I will be ok?

About last night, I was taking a break from canning my tomato sauce when you and I were chatting. Then I started to feel as though maybe I wasnt being so very helpful and didn't know exactly what was going on. I thought about chiming in and saying good night, however, it just didn't seem appropriate. I was actually away from my computer for a minute when you said that you thought you guys were alone, otherwise I would have told you at that time. I just thought it was best to close up the computer and check in today. I hope you are feeling better. I was thinking about how upset you were and about your pain, and hope that you got some resolution. Are you feeling better? I hope your visit to your doctor helped?

Thank you for the advice. I really want to get this right, because I know I could be feeling better. I spoke with the doc and he said it was fine to take the full pill at each dose, and just reminded me to try to dose as little as I can. We shall see!

Happy bday to your baby and hubby!
Nature Lover

Dont feel awkward in chat just to pop back in and say good bye, or even if you thought you werent being helpful. Your THERE and that that's helpful enough. We are all supporting each other. And we are all here for each other. OK? We are in this together, honey.
I hate to have to you feel anything, but wanted around here !!!

About your dose. Try not to swallow anything untill the film is dissolved. Then you can.
Some people say they spit it out at the end. But I feel you waste medicine that way.
Ive never heard food being an issue, you can have have an empty stomach or a full one, it should not matter.

Thank you for asking about me. I am feeling alot better, although my problem isnt solved about what to do with the family situation. I did speak to my doctor. I'd like to talk about it more, but I'm working today and have to run. Ill be back on here later.
Have a great day, hope you keep feeling good.

Hey Nature,
It is good to see you checking in and asking questions. Always keep in mind that there is never anything wrong with getting feedback. Feedback, support and knowing that you are not alone can make a huge difference in how you feel about your recovery.

Remember also to always hold your medication under your tongue at least 15 minutes to make sure it has been absorbed. It takes only a short time for yours to dissolve as you are taking the 2mg small tablets vs the big orange ones.
I do make sure I eat before taking my medication, not right before but about an hour before so that I don't take it on an empty stomach. If I take it without eating I tend to feel like crap later on.
Something else that helps me and it may just be me because everyone is different in how their bodies work but if I am doing something when I take my medication I feel better. If I am just lying around doing nothing I get tired sooner.
Like I said though, it might just be me.
Check in later when you feel up to it. We are here for you always,
Dee

Good morning!

Well, I believe that I have my dose & dosing method figured out. Let's hope so! Yesterday I took 4mg in the morning, and then followed up 2mg at 2:00 and 2 more at 7:00. I felt really bad in the early afternoon, and then POOF!, like magic it was gone and I have been feeling good ever since. I am going to do the exact same thing today, and hope for my first set of consecutive days of feeling good! I have also been eating a little bite before I dose, after med is all dissoved, I swallow and then after a half hour, I eat some more (light stuff like a banana and crackers). I realllllly hope that I skip over the being sick part of yesterday and just feel good today. I have a day of school shopping planned with my daughter and mom today. I am worried about having to take my sub while we are out. My mother is not supportive of anything I do. She will pretend she is, but would be the first to say (over and over may I add) "so you really didnt quit taking medicine, because youre on a new one, right" or "how long did you say you will have to be on this" then she will forget that she asked me those questions, and ask them all again...every chance she gets. However, the positive side is that I spent over an hour with her last night, and I handled it better than I have in a long time. It was the first time that I didn't leave with my jaw clenched and cussing and talking to myself in the car....looking like a crazy woman to all passer-bys and just not caring! Needless to say, days spent with Ma really test my will, so I hope my choice to take sub will reward me with a day of no withdrawls and I can take this all in stride.

Ladies, thanks for the advice about to take my sub....and you most certainly can say "told you so" about the 4mgs! LOL I hope everyone had a great weekend. Blue, are you feeling better? I hope you were able to have some relaxation this weekend and some closure. Thanks for reminding me not to be shy to join in...maybe it was just because I still wasnt feeling good and was just being timid, I don't know.

Have a wonderful my friends. Please send me prayers and love and light today....please!

Nature Lover

Hey Nature !

I think we all have someone in our lives that are hassling us about the choices we've made as far as our healthcare, and medications.

They do love us. But it does hurt.

I am feeling a little bit better. After I spoke with my doctor and my husband. I still am struggling with a decision but I know I the support of my best girls here and my family.

Have a great day !

Uh-Oh I actually drink pop before and after my dose and always light up when its dissolved. It only taked a few minutes to dissolve. I swallow and keep going. Should I change the way Im doing things, since its working? God knows I dont wanna start a bad habit. Nature I am so happy for you. Like I told u on the phone, you make even begin to like your mom..lol. K girls I guess I put that on chat list for tonight. Please let me know what you think. Have a great day everyone. Next time u guys get on to just chat, text my phone. I love the chatting thing. It actually gives me hope and something to look forward too.

Tammy in order for you to obtain best results and to ensure complete absorption of your medication, you should wait to eat, smoke or drink.

When you pick up your prescription at the pharmacy you should get an information sheet along with your meds and it is detailed on that sheet how to take your Suboxone.
Of course it is always up to you how you take your medication. However works best for you is ideal.

Tonight is the next chat @ 7:30 and I hope to see all of you there. I already know that I will be late as it is Monday and I have group on Monday evenings.

I am so happy to see everyone giving and offering support to each other. That is what this forum is all about.

I do have one thing to mention and I don't want to sound mean or anything like that but I want to talk about it just the same.
While it is wonderful to have everyone giving support I have to say that it is disappointing to not only myself but some members when it comes to giving out phone numbers. What you all do is your business of course but not posting on the forum and talking on the phone instead takes away from how the forum works. If members are talking on the phone they aren't posting on the forum, allowing others to share their experiences. People start to feel left out and like they don't belong. It can lead to hurt feelings and I don't want to see that happen.
Each member is a very important part of this forum, you all have something unique that you bring to the table and that is why it works.
If I have offended anyone or hurt your feelings please know that was not my intention.
I hope to see all of you at chat tonight, if you are not able to attend feel free to log into the chat and read the archive to refresh yourself as to how chat went.
Take care and stay safe. All of you that are in the path of Issac, please take extra measures to keep yourself away from harms way. Check in when you are able.

I just want to respond about the talking on the phone post. I certainly do not want to break the rules of the forum, or do anything that would lead to others not being helped, as this forum has been a savior for me, and I do not know if I would have made it through this last week without the support of the members. However, I am assuming that this post is in response to Tammy's post about the two of us talking. Like she said we were talking about my parents, which is something I have spoke about in PMs and on the forum. I do not want to take away from helping others; however, I don't believe that our phone discussions lead to not posting on the forum. In fact, Tammy and I have both put up very lengthy posts. I have wondered if there was something wrong, as the responses to our posts have been a rather short and abrupt. I am sorry if a members feelings were hurt by Tammy and I talking, I have felt a bit left out before, and was reminded about the appropriate time to talk to individuals: the REAL chat.

That being said, it is clear that there are things occurring that I am sure are not cohesive to the well-being of members. Having to post responses about things like this (which is now the second time I have done this) is for sure taking away from the mission of the site, I just feel a need to clarify that I was in no way trying to hurt anyone’s feelings, and thought I was being a responsible member by posting frequently. I didn't post yesterday, nor did I talk to Tammy, I just had a bad, busy day. I apologize for any problems that any of my posts, time spent in chat, and phone calls have caused. I felt so comfortable in sharing my fears, and felt very welcomed by all members; I am sorry for any part I had in unintentionally changing that.

I hope you all have a nice day,
Nature Lover

I just want to chime in about whats being said here.

I think what Dee means is we're not discouraging relationships made here (by exchanging phone numbers and talking outside the forum) however, if you are having a problem with your recovery, or with your Suboxone in any way, and it's not talked about here, then it takes away from why this forum is here. We are all here to help each other. We volunteer our time and for me, personally, I look forward to each new member and each new induction.

Not to mention that members need to read what others are going through, in order to relate to each other.

Nature, I don't want you to feel left out of any part of this forum, you are a vital member here, so please don't forget that !!!

Nature,

I havent seen you around in a few days, and hope you doing ok.

Stop by and let us know how you are when you get a chance.

Be well,
Blue

Nature if you were offended by the stuff about the phone calls, please don't be. No one was saying that we shouldn't talk on the phone. All nannamom and blue meant was that if we only talk on the phone about our problems related to our recovery, then we miss out on benefiting from the wide range of experience here on the forum. Everyone here understands that there are times when posting isn't practical because you need help immediately. What I do in those situations is do whatever I need to in order to get through the crisis at hand, then I also post here. I've found that I both receive and give more well thought out responses in posts than I do on the phone. It's completely appropriate for us to develop friendships with those we meet here and no one is discouraging you from doing that. They're only asking that if you are having an issue with your meds or something else related to your recovery, that you post here as well. It not only benefits us now, but also the people who just read the forum but never post. You never know, a question you post and the responses given may save someone observing now or in the future a lot of pain. Please don't feel that you were being attacked, because you weren't. If there is anything I can do to help you understand this more, please pm me, but please don't let this issue stop you from using the forum. You are a valued member of our recovery family and we don't want you to stop participating or stop making friends. I hope maybe something I've said here helps and if I'm way off base, I apologize. I just noticed that you had stopped posting after the phone thing.

I will keep you in my thoughts and my prayers and I hope to hear from you soon. Disagreements and misunderstandings are part of recovery just like they're part of life, and they're only bumps in the road that we have to move past. Please keep in touch.

Best of luck in your continued recovery,
Monica

I really had hoped to see you post by the time I got home from work.

We really miss you ! Monica is right, you are a part of our family here.

And if we are off base and your not around because of something else, please let us know
we are worried about you.

Hugs,
Blue

Hi everyone,

I am sorry I have not been on in the past few days. I was stressed with everything going on in my life with sub, family and everything else. I didn't check the forum after my last post because I was stressed by the whole phone-call deal as well. I have just been doing my best to keep busy when I feel well, and resting when I don't.

So update on sub: I am still taking 4mg in the am, and at least 2mg in the afternoon. My doc/pharm said it will work best for my pain if I take it 3xdaily, however, if the "conditions" are not right, I get super tired. I need to make sure I have eaten a big meal prior to my afternoon dose, the third dose needs to occur by 7, and I need to wait about 4 hours in between doses. I still get the sweats realllllly bad and feel hot flashes. This always happens about 3 hours after I dose. My pharm says it's withdrawl symptoms, but that it's normal and that I won't feel really good until the end of the 3rd week. I have no idea why it's different for me, everyone just seems so great.

Another thing I noticed is that it seems day 10 is the universal day that we all get our emotions back and maybe a bit sad. I have read a few posts from others talking about day 10, and my day 10 was a sad one too. I didn't realize it until I stopped crying for a while, counted my days and thought, "Oh, I guess this is normal" LOL.

I will start checking in more. I have a house full of laundry to do, and organizing that has been put off long enough. So on my breaks from all that fun stuff, I will check in.

Thank you everyone for your concern. I am sorry if I worried or offended anyone.

Nature

I'm glad to hear from you. I wish that you were feeling better. I don't understand what your pharmacist means by w/d symptoms being normal at this point, as suboxone is designed to stop physical w/d symptoms. I'm not a doctor or a pharmacist, but from my own experience and the experience of many other people who I have coached through the induction period with suboxone, most doctors say that if you are still feeling withdrawal your dose is not high enough. I don't know, maybe this doctor has a different theory. I commend you for hanging in there and following your doctor's instructions. I'm sorry that it is causing you so many complications.

I have to ask, are you still taking any other meds for pain, and please don't think I'm making an accusation but I was wondering if maybe you were being prescribed something that may act on the opiate receptors that suboxone works on. There are some non narcotics used for the treatment of pain that are derived from opiates that use the same receptors and like I said I'm not a doctor, but if you are taking something that works on the same receptors, it could be causing the sweats and things you describe after dosing. Have you discussed those symptoms with your dr. I'm sure there are also other meds that act on the opiate receptors in the brain that aren't even for pain so even though you probably already have, make sure that you tell your doctor about everything you're taking including herbals and otc medications. I'm racking my brain to think of any reason you would be having these symptoms b/c withdrawal just doesn't jive with the way that suboxone works b/c it has such a long half life. I would also recommend that you have a full work up done to check your hormone levels and your overall health because there are so many things that will cause sweats and hot flashes. Like I've said I'm not a medical professional but I know and work with lots of sub patients and I've never encountered one having w/d symptoms the same amount of time after dosing everytime they dose. I will do some research because I do have a manual from the manufacturer of suboxone that contains medical information so I will see if I can find anything there. If I do, I will let you know.

In the mean time, keep your head up. You seem to be staying busy and that's wonderful. I will continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers and I really am glad that you decided to check back in. I know that there was no harm meant by the posts about the phone calls. If you get any more clues from either your doctor or pharm about the symptoms you're having, please let me know. Like I said, I help a lot of people during their inductions and I would love to know how this mystery is solved.

YEA !!! Nature is Baaaaack !!!

We Missed you girl !!!

I know you have Monica checking out what might be causing your symptoms, your in good hands with her.

You most definitely did not offend anyone, ok?
We missed you in chat this week. Monica also.

When you done with your laundry, feel free to do mine !!! Sigh. I have a three day weekend coming up and SO much housework !

Hey ladies,

Thank you for all of the wonderful posts:) and warm welcome-backs! I have been feeling pretty much the same. When I feel good, I feel really good. But when the hot flashes/sweating sets in I am miserable! I think the only reason I really took to anything that the pharm said was because it was at least an answer..haha. My doc just says its your body adjusting & keep trying til I get it right basically. I was confused about the withdrawl thing that the pharm said because I thought that the sub would control all of my syptoms as well. But I just dont know what else it could be. Monica, I agree that I should probably get some bloodwork done. I start school next week and that will also be week 3..which according to the pharm shoud be the magic number. So I will call my family doc and set up something for the end of next week and just hope that some of this is under control by then. Also, the only other pill I have taken since I started sub is Naproxen. I am not offended by your question Monica, it would make sense! I was not on anything that was long-acting, the only other med I took prior to sub was the percs and a flexaril after Physical Therapy sometimes. Pain doc said I can still use that (just half at a time) if I need, but I have not done it yet.

I don't what my deal is. I appreicate all of your feedback and any ideas you all have. The good thing is...it will be 2 weeks ago tomorrow that I took my last perc! Wow! Wow! Wow! Its amazing that through all of the stress I have been under and pain/sickness I have not considered taking any meds!

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend:) Wish me luck...Momma's comin over for din on Monday and Dad leaves Tuesday:( But I am just looking forward to having everyone up and making my Dads favs for dinner!

Take care,
Nature

Hey Nature. I'm glad that you're hanging in there. I'm sorry that I've not been around here much but I've been tied up with my kid's school and extracurricular stuff. Hopefully you will get stabilized on a dose soon. Like I said before I do wonder if it could be something else causing you to have these symptoms. I'm glad to hear that you are going to set up an appointment with your family doc. Make sure that you tell the doctor that you are now on suboxone. I'm a little confused about what you said about the pain doctor telling you that you could still take medication. Was he talking about the percocet or the flexaril? I ask b/c you can't take percocet with suboxone b/c it has an opiate (oxycodone) in it. The suboxone will block the effects of the opiate, leaving you with the effect of tylenol that's in the perc. The flexaril shouldn't interact with the sub, but it could increase any side effects like drowsiness. I'm not a doctor, so make sure you tell your suboxone doctor about any and all other medications you may be taking. Some meds can effect the way that others are metabolized by the body and all of your doctors need to know about all of your issues. Also, try to keep all of you prescriptions at the same pharmacy. It's an additional safety net for side effects and potential interactions if the pharmacist knows about all of the medications you are taking. Like I said, I'm not a doctor but it has been my experience that sub doctors really don't like their patients to combine other things with their sub without letting them know first.

Much love,
Monica