Monthly Archives: March 2013

i’m not angry

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Author: TeeJay

Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 8:48 pm

They really need to start putting in $ to research another opioid similar to buprenorphine, but with a ceiling dose much lower than that of bupe. As it stands the ceiling effect of bupe kicks in at a tolerance level well above that of your average pill-popper. 8-12mg of Sub is a fair whack of opioid for someone who pops a few vics / norcos a day.

i’m not angry

Posted on by

Author: TeeJay

Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 8:48 pm

They really need to start putting in $ to research another opioid similar to buprenorphine, but with a ceiling dose much lower than that of bupe. As it stands the ceiling effect of bupe kicks in at a tolerance level well above that of your average pill-popper. 8-12mg of Sub is a fair whack of opioid for someone who pops a few vics / norcos a day.

Transitioning is scarying me need some advise

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Author: JenW

Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:12 pm

Hi Bellajm81-
I just wanted to post about your possible transition to suboxone from methadone because I did it and it actually worked out pretty well for me. I was on 40 mgs of methadone per day for almost two years. Before I started suboxone, i took my last dose of methadone on a Thursday and my first dose of suboxone on a monday morning – so I went 3 full days with nothing. to be honest, it wasn’t too terrible. the first day wasn’t bad at all, and the second and third weren’t great or anything, but they weren’t awful. Now it definitely takes a little time to get adjusted to the suboxone, but for me, after i took the first dose, I definitely felt better. I wasn’t 100% or anything, but i was able to go to work and everything. After about a week, everything was fine.
I know you are worried about only getting 8 mg’s but that might just work out fine for you. My doctor did prescribe me 16 mg’s to start, but i realized after about a week that I only needed 8 mgs or less. And remember, I was on a higher dose of methadone than you.
I realize that everyone is different and we all respond differently to different drugs, but for me I am so happy that I made the transition to suboxone. After I got off the methadone, I lost about 30 lbs, had more energy and felt so much better. Plus, its really nice to not have to go to the clinic everyday. Some people, however, do better on methadone… its definitely and individualized thing.
I think its great that you are putting your son first. I just had a little girl (she’s 4 months) and I totally understand how much your child means to you. And its certainly very important that you prepare for how this could affect your being able to take care of him. But I just wanted to let you know my experience and offer you some encouragement should you decide to make the transition. You will be supported no matter what you choose to do, but I found that I was able to make the transition from methadone to suboxone in a matter of 4-5 days. As i mentioned earlier, i took my last dose of methadone on a thursday morning and was back to work the following tuesday. Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

Transitioning is scarying me need some advise

Posted on by

Author: JenW

Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:12 pm

Hi Bellajm81-
I just wanted to post about your possible transition to suboxone from methadone because I did it and it actually worked out pretty well for me. I was on 40 mgs of methadone per day for almost two years. Before I started suboxone, i took my last dose of methadone on a Thursday and my first dose of suboxone on a monday morning – so I went 3 full days with nothing. to be honest, it wasn’t too terrible. the first day wasn’t bad at all, and the second and third weren’t great or anything, but they weren’t awful. Now it definitely takes a little time to get adjusted to the suboxone, but for me, after i took the first dose, I definitely felt better. I wasn’t 100% or anything, but i was able to go to work and everything. After about a week, everything was fine.
I know you are worried about only getting 8 mg’s but that might just work out fine for you. My doctor did prescribe me 16 mg’s to start, but i realized after about a week that I only needed 8 mgs or less. And remember, I was on a higher dose of methadone than you.
I realize that everyone is different and we all respond differently to different drugs, but for me I am so happy that I made the transition to suboxone. After I got off the methadone, I lost about 30 lbs, had more energy and felt so much better. Plus, its really nice to not have to go to the clinic everyday. Some people, however, do better on methadone… its definitely and individualized thing.
I think its great that you are putting your son first. I just had a little girl (she’s 4 months) and I totally understand how much your child means to you. And its certainly very important that you prepare for how this could affect your being able to take care of him. But I just wanted to let you know my experience and offer you some encouragement should you decide to make the transition. You will be supported no matter what you choose to do, but I found that I was able to make the transition from methadone to suboxone in a matter of 4-5 days. As i mentioned earlier, i took my last dose of methadone on a thursday morning and was back to work the following tuesday. Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

Initiation of buprenorphine during incarceration and retention in treatment upon release

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We report here on a feasibility study of initiating buprenorphine/naloxone prior to release from incarceration and linking participants to community treatment providers upon release. The study consisted of a small number of Rhode Island (RI) prisoners (N=44) diagnosed with opioid dependence. The study design is a single arm, open-label pilot study with a 6-month follow up interview conducted in the community. However, a natural experiment arose during the study comparing pre-release initiation of buprenorphone/naloxone to initiation post-release. Time to post-release prescriber appointment (mean days) for initiation of treatment outside Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) versus inside RIDOC was 8.8 and 3.9, respectively (p=.1). Median post release treatment duration (weeks) for…