So lots of questions have popped up on this blog about different aspects of Suboxone and its effects that haven’t been touched upon in different posts. In an effort to answer those questions, I’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions below.

Does Suboxone have side effects?

Yes. Just like other opiates, Subutex and Suboxone has side effects, not the least of which is withdrawal symptoms if taken too soon in an attempt to detox off of other opiate medications or heroin, especially for people who are addicted to a high dose of other opiates. Nausea and vomiting as well as constipation are most often reported to varying degrees. Withdrawal symptoms are like that associated with all opiates: muscle aches and cramps, sweating, runny nose, diarrhea and stomach cramps, low fever and chills, irritability and an inability to sleep or eat.

Can Suboxone be abused?

Yes, it sure can. Especially if you’re not addicted to opiates, you can get high by taking bupe. It doesn’t have the same euphoric effects that other opiates provide and there’s a ceiling to what little amount of a “high” it will provide, so it’s not a drug that is commonly abused but it certainly is possible. The naloxone in Suboxone prevents it from being abused by injection.

Is Suboxone a pain reliever?

No. It is only prescribed for opiate addiction treatment and not for pain. If you are addicted to pain pills and suffer from chronic pain then your pain will return if you detox off of your medication with Suboxone.

Is Suboxone better than methadone?

No. It’s different, and some people should not take buprenorphine for drug addiction treatment but should take methadone instead. For example, pregnant women and those who suffer from chronic pain should not take Suboxone or Subutex and will fare much better on methadone maintenance treatment. Suboxone works best for to help those who became addicted to prescription pain medication after a short-term bout with pain.

Why do I have to get sick before I can take Suboxone?

The best way to explain it is to show you, and the online buprenorphine training at buprenorphineCME.com explains very clearly how buprenorphine binds to receptors and why it can cause withdrawal. Plus, it has pictures!

Do you have any questions about Suboxone or how it works?

So the Interview with a Methadone Addict garnered such a huge response that I felt that a sequel was in order. Today, we speak with a 30-year-old guy who stumbled into a really incredible opportunity, a buprenorphine study. Here’s what he had to say:

So you’re on a bupe study…

Yeah, it’s through UCSF, the OBIC clinic. It’s kind of weird. It’s a year-long study, and they’re meeting people in jail and giving them a year’s supply [of buprenorphine]. They get you a month before you get out [of jail] and when you get out, you go into the clinic and everything to check in. They give you free health care for a year from a USCF doctor. It’s really good healthcare and it’s all free, plus free buprenorphine.

I don’t get it. Were you strung out in jail?

No. In fact, you have to be clean when you start the program but it’s for people that had a problem with opiates before to, you know, see if being on buprenorphine helps you stay out of jail.

And not get strung out again?

Right. Once you’re into the program, it’s for, it’s different approaches for different folks, you know. Some people take a lot. I know people that take, say, 16 milligrams to 20 milligrams. The max you can take is 32 milligrams, I believe. I myself take 4 milligrams every other day.

So…is it working?

Yeah. I mean, I’m not in jail.

But have you relapsed or been tempted to?

No, not at all. I should say, so far. Not since 09.17.2007, and I haven’t even wanted to. I don’t know if it’s because of the buprenorphine. I mean, I’m ready. But then, I’ve said that before. I’ve been on methadone maintenance twice, detoxes, but this, I don’t even think about it. It’s not like methadone; you know, I go in every two months for an interview and get two months worth [of buprenorphine] at a time, so I don’t have to go in every day like at a methadone clinic. It’s a better lifestyle. A longer leash.

Are you taking Subutex or Suboxone?

Suboxone.

Did they start you on Subutex?

No, because we weren’t strung out when we started so we didn’t need that, that…

Transition.

Yeah, transition.

How much did they start you on?

They started me on 2 milligrams. You can get as much as you want. I knew a bunch of people on 16 milligrams, so I was like, “I need to get up to that,” but I felt like it was too much for me. I mean, it was kind of pointless, like it doesn’t matter if you’re taking 2 milligrams or 16 milligrams: you don’t get high. You don’t feel it. And—it sounds stupid—but they taste bad. I mean, the worst taste. At first, it’s good, like tropical fruit, but later it’s horrible, just worse and worse.  And when you’re at 16 milligrams, I mean, it’s to where you just don’t even want to take it. So I cut back and now I’m at 4 [milligrams].

But you know, like I can actually go a week without it. It doesn’t bother me. It works almost like, kind of a like an anti-depressant, and it gives you a little energy. But you don’t get any high off it. It’s weird.

It’s like an anti-depressant? That gives you energy?

Yeah, I was kind of moping around before I started taking it, you know, being in jail, worried about a job and stuff, but buprenorphine, it’s like natural energy. It’s not weird. It kind of just gets you going but you don’t really feel it.

When you were dropping from 16 milligrams to 4 milligrams, did you feel any withdrawal symptoms?

No, not at all. It’s nothing like methadone. Like if I don’t take it, I don’t really trip out at all. It’s different for different people, but I actually haven’t felt any detox from it.

Do you recommend buprenorphine?

Definitely. I recommend it for people that need to get away from the lifestyle, away from the clinic and certain people. It doesn’t get you high. It’s hard to explain what it’s doing, but it does take away the withdrawal symptoms, the urges to use.

Percocet is the brand name for a drug that combines oxycodone and acetaminophen. This same combination but in different strengths can also be found in the brand name drugs, Roxicet, Tylox and Endocet, but Percocet is by far the most popular prescription painkiller.

Unfortunately, it’s pretty easily prescribed: get a tooth pulled at the dentist or a couple stitches at the doctor’s office and head home with a bottle of Percocet (or at least a script for one). Take them for too long and you end up with something much worse than that: a physical dependence upon Percocet, otherwise known as Percocet addiction.

Now, the acetaminophen in Percocet is relatively innocuous. Though you can overdose on the drug and it can kill you, my understanding is that it would take a couple of weeks and it’s a long, slow, painful death. The oxycodone in Percocet, on the other hand, can end your life with a single overdose depending upon your tolerance. It also impairs your ability to think clearly, to make good decisions and your hand-eye coordination. Driving is extremely dangerous under the influence.

So what’s it like to go through a Percocet withdrawal? Not fun. Just like all opiate painkillers, your body comes to depend upon a certain amount of the drug in your system at all times. When you stop taking it without warning, your body kind of goes into shock, which translates into withdrawal symptoms that are nothing nice. It’s like the flu with fever, sweating and chills, runny nose and eyes, anxiety, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea…. I could go on and on. In short, it’s not fun. But there are ways to get off the Percocet without experiencing the withdrawal symptoms that go along with a cold turkey Percocet detox.

Taking advantage of buprenorphine in the form of Suboxone and Subutex is one way to bypass the most fierce symptoms and, in some cases, avoid them altogether. Depending upon what dose you are at and how long you have been maintaining your Percocet addiction, your Suboxone detox will be shorter or longer. With a treatment plan, you can be off it and complete drug-free in as few as six weeks. Check it out!