Connect
Transitioning from High Dose Opiates to Suboxone for Chronic Pain
Hi! My name is Melanie and I’ve been on high dose opiates for the last 5 years due severe degenerative arthritis in my neck. I’ve undergone 5 spinal neck surgeries in the last 4 years, the last of which was October 2019. I am now fully fused between C2-T2 and have rods in the back of my neck for stability that run the full length of my fusion. I suffer chronic daily headaches and have just undergone the first round of Botox for headaches and cervical dystonia. My pain specialist and surgeon agree that I will more than likely suffer long term chronic pain for the rest of my life. They have recommended that I make the jump from high dose dilaudid to suboxone to manage chronic pain, which is an off-label use for suboxone, but which has been shown to successfully manage long term chronic pain.
I am writing to find out if others have made the jump successfully to suboxone, and if so what your transition from opiates to suboxone was like? I have been nervous about this transition, because it requires that you go cold turkey off of opiates and enter into full blown withdrawal before it’s safe to start the ramp up onto suboxone. So, if you have made the jump, what was the withdrawal process like for you, and has suboxone been effective in managing your long term chronic pain? Would you recommend others make this move? Why or why not?
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.
Connect
All about psychosomatic disease processes.
4 lower back surgeries. Both hips replaced. Left shoulde so destroyed i need Reverse Shoulder Surgery. Carpal Tunnel surgeries both hands. And Lung cancer with Lobectomy. Thru all of it my Sub Clinic would be in contact with Surgeons to decide how much opiates to give me post op o boy thru the ceiling doses. There is cut-off time between bupinorin and naltrexone a window where opiates will work. Boy they found that window on me AND Out I flew back when every doctor was handed out oxygen like M&Ms I was getting waaay more than needed for pain , 30s and 80s Yep and after each surgeries doctor says time to ween of and suffer No No No. First 6 years liquid hand cuffs then when Subs hit I was scared to death of getting super sick going from Methadone to Subs but had to be done with so many more surgeries up and coming SO bit down on peice of leather and switch to all Subs. Its a pain killer, antidepressant, and no need for opiates. Yep the Majic Bullet Good Luck
Run away from Suboxone! It will rot your teeth! I know a young gal in her 30’s that was on Suboxone for many years for withdrawing from opioids. She told me it is next to impossible to get off of Suboxone. After 10 years she was still on a small dose. By the way. Most of her teeth fell out and she has dentures.
I was on Oxycodone for approximately 10-12 years. Started with 5 mg. for four times a day and ended at 20 mg. four times a day (I would jump it on occasion to 30 or 40 mg. because they started not to work). I quit using them altogether in January ‘25. Withdrawal wasn’t fun but doable. First four or five days were testing. I felt really bad and out of the blue my bowels exploded! I managed to poop all over my bathroom carpet (late ‘80 design). That was fun to clean when I felt awful! I think after the first week I stopped worrying about that anymore. For about a month I just felt off. I’m retired so I didn’t do much of anything. I don’t think I would have been able to go to work as I was tired. What was disappointing is that after a year opioids are still not working and I live with back pain and difficulty walking because of it.
@barbarav1 Barbara: Thanks for sharing your story. Did you go back on opioids after withdrawal? When you say opioids are still not working it sounds like you’re back on them. Also, have you tried any minimally invasive procedures on your back?
@jackiet I started back on them January of this year. Unfortunately they barely did anything. My pain doc had me combine my oxy with morphine, then dilaudid, and also tried a drug nucenta (hopefully I’ve spelled everything correctly.) because of my SI and hip pain, I’ll occasionally will take some combination hoping it will help but it really doesn’t. I might be able to sleep better. I had PRP injections in my SI joints. That helped. Then I had a shot of something, don’t remember the name, in my hip but I don’t think it helped any. I’m starting to think a lot of my pain and gimping around is because I’m not doing my PT! I need to get my head straight and do them!
@barbarav1 I think PT helps some. I do tai chi. Have you considered any of the minimally invasive (non surgical) procedures like MILD or RFAs (ablations), which can help too.