Dosing and Mgs. Per Day

Number of posts : 11 Registration date : 2010-05-19

Hi Everyone ~
I am still fairly new here in the world of forums and Suboxone.... I am 9 weeks into the Subs, on 24 mgs. per day and am having some issues with the dosing. My doctor prescribed 8mgs 3 times a day. I have been reading and getting good advice that 3 times may not be a good way to go. That once a day or at least only twice a day would be better and I agree. I found myself taking 4 mgs spread through out the day -- using the subs anytime I felt uncomfortable or anxious. The last time I went to the doctor I told her this and she said, "well that would drive me crazy, but if it works for you than it is okay." She also mentioned that over time I would most likely settle down into a normal dosing schedule and that she wasn't worried. She said it was still too early in my treatment to really be worried about this. Of course I am worried. Worried is my middle name! Smile

Today, I woke up and took one pill at 8mgs. I am going to wait until 4:00 to take my next dose as I really think that 24 mgs. is too much and unnecessary. I also think that I was really taking them properly and have been mindful of how I am taking them now..... Really following the instructions on dosing.

The things that I have discovered about suboxone is that it really makes me happy and energetic and I think that I am tending to take more than I am prescribed and more than I need. Does anyone else have this problem?

Thanks for listening! Hope everyone is having a great Saturday! FAD

Subject: Re: Dosing and Mgs. Per Day Tue 25 May 2010, 7:53 pm

FAD
How did your dosing go on Saturday? And how is it going for you now, what dose are you taking. I have many questions as it helps me for when I am asked these questions by others that are just starting Suboxone, so I hope you don't mind.

I don't think it is abnormal for you to be wanting to take more than you need right now. I am not saying it is okay so go ahead and do it. But what I am saying is that your mind is still used to taking pills the "old way." It takes time to re train your brain and that is actually what you will have to do, re train your brain.
Everything about recovery is so different from what we are used to doing when we used.
We had a routine and we followed it to the detail.
Recovery is the same way, once you establish a routine for yourself you will feel much better about your dose.
I understand what your doctor is saying she does make sense and she is right.
It sounds like she is going to be one of the "good" Suboxone Providers. Not to say most of them are bad because they really aren't bad doctors but they don't understand what addiction is about.

Well I think I better give someone else a chance to answer your post. I will check back in with you later,
Dee

Subject: Re: Dosing and Mgs. Per Day Wed 11 Aug 2010, 9:32 pm

Hi Fad,

I'm Barbara and just coming back cause I tried to taper and ended up coming back. My problem now is, I can't get comfort about no matter what I take. I think I have some other health issues going on which I'm working on. I can't get that okay feeling back again. I want to be right with everything and it is not happening. I'm tired all the time. Of course this abnormal heat wave we are having does not help one bit. I love to go out to work with my horses. A half an hour out there and I'm ready to come in the air conditioning. I agree with what they say about less being more. I half one into and do the other half a bit later seems to work some of the time. It depends on how I feel in general.

I hope I've made some sense for you. I'll try again. In the meantime, you hang in there with this. It is well worth the struggle to get things right.

Your friend,
Barbara

Number of posts : 19 Registration date : 2010-01-02

HI,

I haven't been on here for a while,which I regret. and am trying to get back active again. This particular thread is right up my alley. I have been on Suboxone for just over 3 years. I was actually on 32 mg for about 1 1/2 yrs and then dropped to 3 a day or 24 mg. Going down to 3 was actually tough for me for several months but now I am settled into 24 mg a day. I tried dropping to 16 because I was paying CASH due to no insurance. And believe me, it has been hell with no insurance but the alternative is death. I try to keep very self-aware to watch myself for signs of abusive behavior. One thing I have found on 24 mg is that I just plain feel NORMAL or at least what I always thought normal would feel like. I don't ever have the urge to take MORE than 24 mg which is a good sign. When I was self-medicating with pain-killers, my dosage was "keep going until the bottle is empty" These days, I am 30 days between appts. and I have Suboxone left right up to the day before my appt. Part of the reason that I stay on a "high" dose is that I have found that 24 mg a day for me has helped greatly reduce my Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms. My doct was mildly pushing me for a while to drop to 16 mg but after I gave him copies of a bunch of research I found linking BPD to the same receptors in the brain that Suboxone works on he let me ride at 24 per day.

I think the one STANDARD RULE for Suboxone dosing is that there is NO standard dose. If you read the post from others, some people notice a huge difference between 4 mg and 6 mg a day. I think the best advice for any Suboxone patient is to find a dosage level where you FEEL NORMAL but don't feel like you are taking suboxone to feel good, if that makes sense. That dose may be 4 mg for one person and 32 for another. Some doctors I have heard about will not consider any dosage over 16.

Subject: Re: Dosing and Mgs. Per Day Mon 13 Sep 2010, 11:15 am

Hi Mark,
It is good to have you back and posting with us.
I do agree with you. There is no standard rule for Suboxone dosing. In the beginning of Suboxone, it was said that 16mg was the norm.
To be honest and this is in my own opinion I don't see how they can stand by that one rule. Since we are all different and out bodies react differently to different drugs. How can someone say that 16mg is it?
Take Diabetes for instance, would they say that 25 mg of insulin is enough for all diabetics. No, they can't. They can't because it wouldn't make any sense to make that rule. But that is what they continue to say about Suboxone. (the 16mg rule) Unfortunately I used to say the same thing. I was new to Suboxone and believed everything I read. But that is no longer the case.
My provider is one that will not go over 16mg per day except in certain circumstances. There was a time where she increased my dose to 24mg per day. I had just been hit by a vehicle and she allowed me to increase my dose for pain reasons. I stayed at 24mg for about a year, I am now back to being prescribed 16mg but not until after she asked me how I felt about it.
Since I no longer have that pain, I agreed to do back down on the dose and am doing well.
I have talked to her in the past about her rule of dosing and it has been her experience that anything over 16mg usually ends up on the street.
We had another interesting conversation a couple of weeks ago. We got to talking about regulations regarding Suboxone. I am going to post that converstaion under the Question of the day area of the forum and would like to hear some opinions.
Glad to have you back!
Dee

The link to the Question of the day is:

https://suboxone.forumotion.com/t935-what-would-happen-if-the-regulation-surrounding-suboxone-were-lifted#3780

Let's hear some opinions!

» FDA Safety Alert: Reports of Accidental Overdose from Medication Dosing Errors