A recent experience of mine

Subject: A recent experience of mine Sun 21 Feb 2010, 11:45 pm

Recently I had an experience that I'd like to share with you. This post will probably be a long one so I'd like to apologize in advance.
I need to let you know in advance the topic is not one that is talked about often but it is one that needs to be talked about. It happens more often than you know. The more you know about it the better off you will be if it ever happens to you.

A week ago Thursday it was a normal day for me until about 3 in the afternoon. I started to get an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. Right below what I call my bread basket. It felt hard and hurt, kind of like I was constipated. In fact that is what I though was going on. so I took a couple of ex lax to help things along.
About 2 hours later nothing had happened from the ex lax and the pain was so and I had to lie down. Finally around 7pm I hurt so bad that I called my niece to come and get me so I could go to the Emergency room. By the time she arrived 15 minutes later I could not walk.
I was having severe spasms in my stomach and all I could do was lie on the floor on my side. It was horrible. I just wanted to get to the hospital so we could find out what was going on.
My niece afraid of hurting me called 911 and they dispatched an ambulance.
Once at the hospital I was asked a bunch of questions about my history, did I have any nausea and the like.
The doctor said it was probably OIC. Which stands for Opiate induced constipation. Caused by taking Suboxone.
The doctor ordered X Rays. And said she'd be back. She came back 2 hours later. In the mean time I had thrown up three time since she last was in the room and they had to give me medication for that. mind you I had already been in severe pain all of those hours previous.
By the time she came back I had to break down and ask for pain medication. Her question to me was, Do you have a contract with your Suboxone provider not to take opiates? I told her "if you call my provider she will ask you why you have not given me anything yet." ' The choice is yours.' She started me on IV Dilaudid. At first it didn't help.
She gave me a second injection into the IV and it did help. I felt such relief.

I was discharged around 2:30 the next morning.
At 9 the next morning the ER doctor on duty; a different one from the night before called me and asked me to go back to the hospital he said the radiologist had read my X rays and said I had a small blockage in my lower bowel. They wanted to admit me for more testing
I did go back up to the hospital because I wanted to know what was causing me all of this pain. While at the hospital the night before I had less pain but I had been given pain medication too.
So here it is 7 hours after arriving back at home I was till in pain and still didn't know what was wrong with me.

I stayed in the hospital for two days. The first day I was on IV pain medication every two hours as needed for pain, and believe me I needed it. I was given medication to help move the blockage along and finally at last the first night things did start to move.
What is important here though is that what happened to me could have been prevented.
Had I known about Opiate Induced Constipation.
Oh yes, I knew that you could become constipated from taking opiates. But I had no idea of how bad. Now I do.
I have a colonoscopy scheduled for the 1st of March to be sure that is what is going on. But I believe it is.

I also want share this with you.
One of our most frequently asked questions about Suboxone is what can be done in the case of Acute pain while taking Suboxone. Can you be given pain medication, and will it work.
Yes, you can be given doses of a short acting opiates such as Morphine or in my case Dilaudid. You do not have to stop taking your Suboxone in order for it to work. Did I feel high form that medication? No I did not. But it did relieve my pain.
The hospital also left me on my Suboxone while in the hospital. Another thing I didn't know. It did not effect me in any negative way.

So yes, in the case of acute pain while taking Suboxone you can take opiates.
I have done some research since coming home from the hospital and have found a great news article that talks about OIC or Opiate Induced Constipation. I will be posting it within the next couple of days for you to read. Please read it and print it out as well if you have a printer. Keep it on hand in case you ever need to refer back to it.
Thanks for listening.
If you have any questions, let me know. I am always happy to help.
Dee

Number of posts : 256 Age : 67 Registration date : 2009-01-10

Thanks Dee for posting this! I am always worried about what would happen if I needed pain relief. BTW I have a throbbing toothache now But otc's are taking care of that for now. I hope you are feeling better. Love, Cathy

Subject: Re: A recent experience of mine Mon 22 Feb 2010, 12:10 pm

Cathy
I hope your tooth starts to feeling better soon. Please, if it gets too bad make an appointment with the dentist. There is no need for you to suffer if you don't have to.
I care about you.
Dee

Subject: Re: A recent experience of mine Tue 02 Mar 2010, 3:29 pm

Dee,
I know that you & I have discussed this issue already, but I thought that it was very educational for you to share this recent experience of yours with the forum, as many Suboxone patients DO NOT KNOW what to expect or what will happen if they DO need some sort of pain medication while also taking their Suboxone. You are right about the fact that there is NO NEED for a person to suffer from severe pain simply because of their opiate addiction. Of course, I would never encourage the usage of these types of meds unless absolutely necessary, like in your case. But I would also never encourage any Suboxone patient to refuse opiate pain meds if they are in severe pain & need relief. And also that you did not continue to take this medication for any long term use, but only as it was dispensed to you in the ER & the fact that they DID use short acting opiates to avoid them remaining in your system for any real length of time to try to avoid potential future issues. I know that you are in complete recovery & would not EVER chance going back, but for people who are earlier into their own recovery, it is very wise to have this knowledge as to avoid jeopardizing their own recoveries. As always, thank you for the information & for sharing your experience so honestly. I know that you are not going to see this post for a while until you get back, but always know that you are in my heart & in my every prayer right now!! I love you, my dear friend! A recent experience of mine Star3

May the angels remain by your bedside!
Much Strength & Many Prayers,
Beth A recent experience of mine Herz

Number of posts : 1 Registration date : 2010-02-28

Dee, My very first visit to this sight and I get such very usefull personal information. First, I'm sorry for what you had to go through, it must have been terrifying. Secondly, I've been on Suboxone for about ten months know. I was on Methadone and Oxycontin and Norco previous to that. I started on 16mg's for five months, and then tappered myself down to 8mg's for four months, and now 4mg's for the past two weeks.. I have had the worst problem with constipation. Nothing seems to help it either. Not ex-Lax or Colace, nothing. I wonder if you ever found anything that helped for that condition. Sincerely, Mikey M.

Subject: Re: A recent experience of mine Wed 03 Mar 2010, 1:29 pm

Hello Mikey M!!
How are you doing today? Hopefully well!! I had read your above post & wanted to reply to you about what has worked for me for the constipation that the Suboxone can cause. Have you ever tried "Correctol" yet? I had also tried many different ones, without any success, but fortunately, this one DOES work for me. Unfortunately, it is a laxative, which for me meant that once it did work, I could not be too far from a restroom throughout that time period. To put it bluntly, until I was completely "cleaned out", I had to stick pretty close to an available toilet. A recent experience of mine Fresse

I don't want to scare you out of trying it because it was IMMENSE RELIEF when it did work. Much, much, much better than those horrific stomach cramps that this type of constipation can cause you to have to endure. I encourage you to give it a try to see if it helps you as well. I also hope that you will post me back & let me know how this works out for you if you do decide to give it a try...
I also wanted to tell you "Way to Go" on your road to recovery with the Suboxone. Ten months & you are already down to 4mgs daily~ that is incredible!! Great job on your hard work & persistance to want to be well!! That is also such an inspiration to others who read about your continued success!! I am sure that you also feel like a completely different man these days as well!!
Way to go Mikey M!!! A recent experience of mine Icon_cheers

I hope to continue to get to know you better throughout your posts & hope to hear from you again soon to let me know how the Correctol works out for you.
Please continue to keep Dee as well as Deborah in your prayers, for they desperately need all that they can get right now!!
So glad to have you aboard Mikey!! A recent experience of mine Star3

Yours in Recovery,
Beth A recent experience of mine Herz

Number of posts : 256 Age : 67 Registration date : 2009-01-10

Hi MikeyM, My name is Cathy and I been on Sub. since Aug. of 2008. I hope Beth's suggestion works for you. For me I eat alot of whole grain cereal and oatmeal. If you can stand it you can try prunes or dates. Like Beth if I take a laxative I have to be by a bathroom till I am cleaned out. You can also try Polyethylene Glycol. It is like Miralax but you need a RX from the doctor for it. It worked for me but as I said I had to be near a bathroom. Congrats on getting down to 4mg. I hope some of these suggestions work for you. Hope to hear from you again. Cathy

Subject: Re: A recent experience of mine Thu 04 Mar 2010, 9:40 am

MikeyM
Thank you so much for posting your question.
I wish that I could tell you that I have found something that works for me. But so far I have not. I have tried the stool softener the doctors put me on and unless I take two in the morning and three at night it does not help. I don't like taking that many because the gas they cause is awful. Not the gas as in releasing the gas but the gas pains and bloating.
I have never really been a regular person and when I am I only go once a week. The doctor says that for me that might be my normal.

If you decide to try laxatives and the like, please be sure to increase your fluid intake to prevent dehydration. One of the things the doctor did tell me that one of the causes of constipation is dehydration. If you are drinking a lot of caffeine drinks, coffee, soda etc. increase your water intake. Caffeine can cause dehydration.
I will be posting part two of OIC and in that article in will include what some of the doctors recommend.
You might try talking to your Suboxone provider to see what they recommend. If they give you any useful information, please post it for us to read. I am curious to what they say.
I have an appointment with my counselor this afternoon. I will ask him what he thinks and let you know what he says as well.
Good luck mikeym thank you again for posting and I hope that you will continue to post and became an active member of the forum.
Yours in Recovery,
Dee

Number of posts : 43 Registration date : 2010-03-12

Boy O boy, I wish I had that problem. I can't seem to stray to far from the toilet. I have no appetite, nor can I keep anything in my system. I am having a lot of trouble sleeping, and my head ace's, my back and neck hurt, that might be from the aweful storm were having though. So windy and rainy. Grey. Hopefully tomorrow's the day for my turn around. It seem's to be all about insurance which I have no problem with. I just feel so...shitty.
Oh well...good night and thank's to everyone.
George

Number of posts : 256 Age : 67 Registration date : 2009-01-10

Hi George, I replied to you on your other post. Just hang in there best you can. Hopefully the weather will change for you too. A recent experience of mine Icon_sunny

Cathy

Number of posts : 9 Age : 61 Registration date : 2010-04-11

Hi everyone... I'm new here too and just beginning Suboxone (like now) for the 2nd time. I don't recall having that for the year I used it from 2007-08, but... as part of my hubby's and my day we have our "Metamucil" shake! I hope that will help with this... guess it remains to be seen. Hope everyone is feeling better!

Subject: Re: A recent experience of mine Sun 11 Apr 2010, 8:59 pm

Hi Kay,

I wanted to add what I do for this and it's to eat licorice candy and dried apricots. I drink a lot of water. I do give my horses metamucil to get the sand out of their belly. At the advice of a friend of mine, I eat rudabagers and turnips for fiber. Sometimes I wish I had a hubby to do things with. Now I'm pretty much straightened out, I'm wanting to start a relationship. What do you guys think? It's been five years since my husband died. I'm not going to look, just wait and see.

Love,
Barbara

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