How to take suboxone

Number of posts : 6 Registration date : 2010-06-26

When I let the tables dissolve under my tongue, sometimes it takes 20 minutes or more for them to dissolve, and all the while, small amounts of saliva go down my throat. Am I totally screwing up my dosing this way? Would crushing the tablets and letting the powder dissolve ( just like they did when I was in inpatient treatment) aid or be detremental to the absorption of the drug?

thanks!

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Sat 26 Jun 2010, 9:43 pm

Hi Wilson,
I also have that problem. It takes about 20-25 minutes for Suboxone to dissolve under my tongue. I have a routine that I try to follow in the mornings. Since you aren't supposed to talk or smoke while trying to dissolve Suboxone the easiest time for me to take it is right after I brush my teeth before I get into the shower. That way I my mouth is still kind of wet from rinsing it out and if I'm in the shower no one will try and talk to me and I can't smoke.
I take very long showers so it works out well for me. They also say if you tilt your head forward while it is dissolving it will help as well but I haven't tried that one.
I do end up swallowing a small amount of the dissolved medication though. It has never made me sick but sometimes I wonder if I got it all. But I also wonder if even after taking Suboxone for four years that is the addict in me thinking I am missing some of my medication.

You can try taking the way you described it and see how it works out for you. My induction was also started in a residential treatment facility. I was given Subutex, but before they would give it to us they would crush it up and have us place it under our tongue, then they would have us sit there for ten minutes to be sure it was all dissolved then they would give us a drink of water to rinse the rest of it down.
Let me know if any of this helps.
Dee

Number of posts : 6 Registration date : 2010-06-26

Yeah I guess I am going to try that way.
I am also trying to get on subutex, because of me being Hep-C positive.

Number of posts : 9 Registration date : 2010-08-18

I have always been very meticulous about how I take my Suboxone and I think in the long run it has paid off for me. I do not eat, drink or smoke anything 30 minutes prior to melting my Suboxone (well except for water). Then right before melting my Suboxone I will rinse my mouth out with hot tap water. This really helps with the absorption rate. When I was taking a full tablet I would cut it into 4ths so it would speed up the process. After I thought it was completely melted, I would wait a couple of extra minutes to make sure, then I would swallow the residue. Afterward I would not eat, drink or smoke anything, not even water for at least 15 minutes.

I realize this seems like a bit much but now looking back on it I can see where it helped me. It made it so I could take less Suboxone this was a good mental motivator and it also saved me money. oh By being able to lower my dose better that also helped with the side effects of sweating and constipation.

One little note; Though I had to get up a little earlier to do this each morning I took advantage of that time to work on other recovery things and to work on myself. I might read from the AA text or I might just chill out and either reflect or meditate some letting myself have some time to get my day started right and to be in a good frame of mind. I might listen to some favorite music too.

Anyway that is my experience maybe it can help someone.

GMJ

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Fri 20 Aug 2010, 2:46 pm

Thanks for an excellent suggestion GMJ.
We have had a lot of people post on the sweating issues they have experienced while taking Suboxone. I'm sure that your experience will help someone out there. Taking time in the mornings to work on your recovery is also a great thing to mention.
The mornings at my house are the quietest time as everyone works at night except for me. I do everything in the morning so I pretty much have the house to myself all morning. Someday's I like to sit out on the porch and let my mind wander. It gives me a feeling of peace. I used to sit and do recovery homework but seem to have gotten out of the habit since starting my work on the website and forum. But thinking about it just now gives me a feeling of missing something. I think it is time to get myself back into that routine.
Thanks GMJ

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Fri 05 Aug 2011, 7:38 am

wilson4268 wrote:: Yeah I guess I am going to try that way.
I am also trying to get on subutex, because of me being Hep-C positive.

wilsoon , you said you was going to try and get subutex because you have hep-C . Why is this ? I have hep-C too and was woundering ..thx

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Fri 05 Aug 2011, 11:36 pm

[b][i]
Flench,I was just thinking after reading that post. Subutex is cheaper than Suboxone. Maybe your Dr. would be willing to change to that. I've not ever been on it but have heard it's cheaper.

Marie

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Sat 06 Aug 2011, 2:36 pm

I posted about Subutex on another post wondering the same thing. I know a lot of doctors don't like to prescribe it to new patients. But it is supposed to be cheaper and there are 3 pharmacuticle companies who make it now.
Too bad it's not the same for Suboxone, other than the patch which is outrageous in cost.

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Sat 06 Aug 2011, 9:36 pm

I will ask Monday .

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Wed 07 Sep 2011, 2:20 pm

If you have a good track record with your doctor and have shown progress etc. then some would be willing to switch you over to Subutex. On the other hand, some doctors will not prescribe Subutex to patients under any circumstance.

The thing about Suboxone that Dr's like is the naloxone, as they feel that will help keep abuse to a minimum.

When I was up to no good a couple of years ago I saw several people abuse subutex but never suboxone.

It all comes down to your Dr's principles and your rapport with him/her. It would've been nice to get the medication for cheaper, but my clinic had zero tolerance with subutex.

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Wed 07 Sep 2011, 7:56 pm

And one thing to also look at. Some doctors will prescribe Subutex but some insurance companies like Medicaid will not pay for Subutex unless the patient is pregnant. That is how it is in Vermont anyway.

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Thu 08 Sep 2011, 10:51 am

Hi Wilson & Flench!!

It's me Beth & I have a couple of questions to ask you guys BC I read some things that I didn't know throughout this post topic. First question, is the Subutex better for you if you do have Hep-C than what the Suboxone is for you? If so, is that BC of the Naloxone in it? Is it harder for your liver to break down the Naloxone? Secondly, I have never even seen Subutex, so is it like the newer Suboxone films compared to the tablets, therefore making it easier to dissolve? I don't know these things as I am still on the old Suboxone tablets & don't have much of any trouble trying to get them to dissolve. I take a half in the morning right after I take my other meds & I swallow those pills down with coffee, so my mouth is already moist & warm. The tablet, especially now that it is just a half, dissolves within minutes, maybe even less. I am terrible about trying not to talk when I have it in my mouth, but like Dee, I usually have the mornings to myself after I get the kiddos off to school & my little guy is still asleep. I do the same thing that someone else mentioned within this section of posts, which is to take that time to myself & read the "Daily Meditation" & try to start off the day on a grateful note with plenty of positive meditations. I put music on in the background (my favorites from YouTube) & it is very soothing. I open up all the windows & take my computer to the kitchen table where there is the most light coming in & after my tablet has dissolved, I continue to drink my coffee & smoke a cigarette & usually come here to post after I have read over my emails from my contacts. It has become my routine. Most days, I end up waking up before I have to get my daughter ready to go to kindergarten & when that happens, I just start my "routine" earlier than usual & days that I have to get her onto the bus, I just take a quick break & get her ready to get out the door & continue on with what I was doing. Which is what I am going to do right now & then I will be back to finish this post as I still have more questions for you guys... Wink

Okay, I am now back & my baby girl is on the bus on her way to school. Shocked

It's still hard for me to believe that she is already old enough to be going to school. She is 5 & goes to school all day, everyday, from 8:30 until 4:45- well, that is when the bus picks her up & drops her back off. It's been quite an adjustment for everyone involved, but she seems to be handling it the very best, so that is the greatest part of it all!! I love you

Anyways, back to the topic at hand, are you both paying cash for your Suboxone or do you have insurance? I never knew that Subutex was cheaper than Suboxone. If you are paying cash, then it shouldn't be as much of a problem, but if you have insurance, they often require a "good reasoning" when paying for Subutex. Also, as Dee said, if you have state insurance, it will only cover Subutex if the patient is pregnant. I have never heard of any doctors around here that will prescribe Subutex for any other reason. You both have probably mentioned it, but I don't want to stop writing to go back & lose this post to find out when I can just ask you right now. How long have each of you been on the Suboxone? Are you on the tablets or the film? If I remember correctly, you mentioned having a hard time with the tablets dissolving, so I am assuming the tablets. Maybe you could try to switch to the films before trying to switch to the Subutex?? I have read from others that it is much easier to take, doesn't have the bad taste that the tablets have & dissolves almost instantaneously. I believe that Marie is on the films, is that correct Marie? Do you have any trouble with the films? I am just tossing out ideas for you guys BC I am nervous about anyone in recovery going onto the Subutex, which can still be quite habit forming & people can abuse it much more easily. I am certainly NOT saying that about either of you, but for just about any Suboxone patient in general. Obviously, we all like the feeling of the opiates or else we wouldn't all be in this situation of being on the maintenance medication at all & although Subutex does have its place for certain patients, I know that it would be my LAST resort to go to if I could simply stay on the Suboxone. I know me & if it can be used to make me high or give me those “good old feelings” that the Naloxone prevents, I cannot honestly say that I wouldn’t be abusing them. Obviously, that is only my opinion though. I am scared of going backwards in my recovery if I were to be placed onto the Subutex. I am currently tapering off of the Suboxone as it is & going with less & less of the opiate that it contains is causing me those feelings of not feeling all that great. I often feel tired & achy, almost like a little bit of the withdrawals, but not nearly to the extent of withdrawaling from the Oxycontins, which had become my drug of choice when I went into recovery. Yet, I am still on a portion of the Suboxone, which should still be keeping those opiate receptors blocked off, so it surely shouldn’t be like the withdrawals that I have felt before when trying to just go cold turkey off of the painkillers. I believe that if I was just dropped off of the Suboxone though & not tapering down, then I most certainly would go through much, much worse withdrawal symptoms. Despite the Suboxone helping each of us to get off of “those opiates” that were going to end up killing us with our addictions, it is still an opiate & hard to just come right off of it. Not a medication that one would choose to just abruptly stop taking after being on it for awhile, but need to be tapered off to prevent the withdrawal that accompanies going off of it. Just like trying to stop using our drug of choice altogether, but it never worked for me to try to taper down BC if I had them, I would take them. That is what scares me about the Subutex as well. The patient has good intentions, but if you become dependant on using them (as we all do while using these type of medications) then in comes the potential for abuse, as we like those feelings that these opiates bring us. Yet, as I have previously said, I have never even taken a Subutex, so I don't know what feelings even accompany this medication. I only know what I have read & have been told by my doctors. I have never asked my doctor for them BC I was too scared of them becoming a problem for me as well. I have never taken more Suboxone than prescribed as I have been told that it would just be a waste of money to use more & more of it since it has a ceiling effect at 32mgs that once a patient hits that dosage, then the drug can no longer help at any higher of a dosage. Yet, I don't know that about Subutex. I would imagine that it would be the same, but if one is abusing it, then they could get to the point that it doesn't even matter concerning the money if they are getting those euphoric feelings from it. Just think of all of the money that we have spent while using that we didn't really have to spend on these opiates, but did so anyways BC of our addictions.

I do understand that if the Subutex is cheaper & if you are having a difficult time on the Suboxone, then I would want a change as well. My first change would be checking into the films to see if you have any better luck with them. And if not, then I just pray that you will be as careful as possible if your doctor does indeed decide to change either of you over to the Subutex due to the many potential problems that it can bring along with it. I do NOT doubt either of you- I definitely doubt our addictions!! Evil or Very Mad

I would just hate to see you come all of this way in recovery & have the very medication that is trying to get you off of your drug of choice become your new drug of choice or take you back to using again BC if you run out early due to overtaking, then what will you turn to? I am simply playing the devil's advocate here as I realize that there is a need for some people to be on the Subutex, but I just want you both to come out of all of this situation without the need for any opiates at all. I know that is what my goal is & I am trying my hardest to get there. I hope that you find the answers that you are seeking & are getting the best possible help to remain in your own recoveries! I certainly hope that I haven't offended either of you in any possible way. I am just simply speaking my opinion & as we all know, opinions are like a-holes, we all have one!! As well as I was just unaware of some of the facts regarding the Subutex, such as it being cheaper than the Suboxone & if it is indeed better for patients with Hep-C...
Please do keep us updated as to what your doctors have to say about all of this & I wish you the very best along your journies of recovery! Like a Star @ heaven

Your Concerned Friend,
Beth I love you

Number of posts : 9 Age : 37 Registration date : 2012-04-02

I just wanted to point out here that Subutex is no different than Suboxone except for the Naloxone which doesnt do anything in the Suboxone anyway, Naloxone doesnt stop any type of feeling you would get and Subutex is def. not more easily abused than Suboxone. Ive known people that sniff Suboxone pills and shoot them and I also know people that shoot the strips and sniff (yes there are ways to sniff the strips) the strips. The only difference is that people claim they get less side effects with the Subutex. I just dont want anyone to be afraid to be on Subutex when there is absolutely no difference between the 2.. I know from experience because ive been on all of them and know people on all of them. Naloxone does NOT stop someone from sniffing or shooting them, it doesnt cause any type of withdrawal if you do like they say its supposed to. R&B makes their money by saying it can be abused easily without Naloxone but thats def. not the case at all. Also Subutex does NOT make you feel any different than Suboxone, if it does then its def. psychological.

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Fri 08 Jun 2012, 6:19 pm

I haven't personally taken subutex, however I do know that in my state the only way that dr.s will provide it is if the patient is pregnant. I think that is because the naloxone in suboxone can cause withdrawals if other opiates are present in the patients system and withdrawals are extremely dangerous during pregnancy. I have made myself very educated concerning the pharcological effects of suboxone. The naloxone is not absorbed if suboxone is taken correctly, it is only absorbed if the patient tries to divert the suboxone by snorting or injecting it. I have seen people do both and personally I think that they have been getting sick from opiates for so long that they don't know the difference any more because what I have witnessed would definitely be called withdrawal. I have never personally abused suboxone, but I have witnessed many people doing it. In theory, suboxone when taken correctly should not feel any different than subutex taken correctly because the naloxone is a mute point.

Subject: Re: How to take suboxone Fri 08 Jun 2012, 9:50 pm

In talking with my provider the other day she was telling me that she has 4 patients who take Subutex who are not pregnant. They are not able to take Suboxone even after trying different strengths etc one because of severe headaches, one because of hives and I don't remember why for the other two.

Right now she is getting a lot of pressure from the state because they are on Subutex and not Suboxone (they are paying for their own medicaitons, not the insurance company).
I told her that it shouldn't make any difference as long as they could not take Suboxone and as long as they are not abusing the Subutex there shouldn't be a problem. At first I thought it was a medicaid thing. They won't pay for Subutex unless your pregnant and she said she thought so too at first. But now it is the whole "Subutex can be abused thing" This is a case of people practicing medicine without a license.
Personally I think that what goes on between a provider and a patient should stay that way. As long as a patient is doing everything they are supposed to be doing, attending counseling/meetings or groups as directed by the provider and is completely compliant in their treatment, I don't see the problem.

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