Mandatory Taper?

[Paregoric Kid]

in the US, if a person is prescribed suboxone for months, enough to cause physical dependence to bupe, do doctors have to at least taper you off or can they just drop you? I've heard from people on pain meds say that the docs usually have to at least give you a final script with instructions on tapering off of the medication. something about this is fucked up. this doc is a fucking douche bag, he is fucking many of my friends over in a number of different ways. glad I never got involved, in my town I think the whole program is a money scam.

[pharmboy]

It seems to me that what ever gets OK'd in the U.S. as a treatment for addiction

is usually a.) NOT in the addicts best interests b.) always in the financial interest

of some slick group of sharks c.) usually dosen't work in the long run.

They always want to put you in some program where they have ALL the power

make ALL the rules get ALL the money they can and give you a poor substitute

of what you were taking but with NO euphoria. Sounds like a fucked up deal

to me. But of course they make playing the game the way you want to almost

imposable so one is really between a rock and a hard place. Esp. CPP's:mad:

[oxy kid]

I was looking for info on this topic as well. I'm sorry to hear that your doctor is a dick, that's never good. I've been going to my doctor for over a year, and he's starting to slim me down slowly. I've been tapering myself, so it really isn't hurting me too bad. Instead of him saying dose twice a day, now on my script it says dose once a day.

Best of luck to you. Let us know how it goes.

[Bluemagician]

In the US, I believe the scripting policy is pretty much up to the individual doctor.. I had a friend that was on 8mg of suboxone a day, and the doctor lowered his dose to 4mg for one month, then told him to stop taking it and that he'd have minimal withdrawl symptoms and could easily quit.. Obviously, this doc was into s&m or knew nothing about bupe in the least, because after one week, he relapsed back onto heroin due to the withdrawl symptoms.. I've been talking to my doctor, and his plan to get me off is to lower the dose 2mg every month until I reach 2mg.. Then lower the dose to 1mg.. Then 1mg every other day until I feel comfortable to jump off, with a prescription to xanax and colonidine (sp?) to help with any withdrawl/anxiety.

Some bupe doctors also have a policy of only writing you one more prescripttion to taper down yourself if you keep failing urine tests... It seems that there is no real set program for those that want to get off/forced off, it seems to be up to the individual doctor. There are many bad bupenorphine doctors, and one of the reasons that I advize those those that want to go on bupe to shop around for a doctor that actually cares for their patients and knows everything they can about the medication that they are prescribing. I went through 3 bupe doctors until I found one that was knowledgeable and caring.

[Oxydation]

It seems to me that what ever gets OK'd in the U.S. as a treatment for addiction

is usually a.) NOT in the addicts best interests b.) always in the financial interest

of some slick group of sharks c.) usually dosen't work in the long run.

They always want to put you in some program where they have ALL the power

make ALL the rules get ALL the money they can and give you a poor substitute

of what you were taking but with NO euphoria. Sounds like a fucked up deal

to me. But of course they make playing the game the way you want to almost

imposable so one is really between a rock and a hard place. Esp. CPP's:mad:


It seems as though what you've stated is the norm these days. I definitely realize how lucky I am to have the Sub Doc that I do have. He's been nothing but cool about when I want to get off of them, how fast or slow I go about getting off of them (with his recommendations of course). I wish everyone here had the same luck. Then again...I've been on them for about a year now and it's really sucking to jump off these little bastards.

[Opiyum]

in the US, if a person is prescribed suboxone for months, enough to cause physical dependence to bupe, do doctors have to at least taper you off or can they just drop you? I've heard from people on pain meds say that the docs usually have to at least give you a final script with instructions on tapering off of the medication. something about this is fucked up. this doc is a fucking douche bag, he is fucking many of my friends over in a number of different ways. glad I never got involved, in my town I think the whole program is a money scam.

Some doctors (Edit:(one doctor) have tried this on me but I've always talked them out of it. Anyhow if a doctor did decide he didn't want your money every month and was hell bent on cutting you off you could always find another doctor willing to take your money. Most of the sub doctors I've seen, in fact all but the one mentioned and like I said I talked him out of it, have had the attitude that I can stay on as long as I want to.

PBOY- I get what your saying but you gotta remember any treatment there is isn't going to work for everyone. Suboxone may have it's downsides but even if it has a 5% success rate (which for all I know it's higher or lower) then I would think it's worth. It shows at the very least that there are people out there trying to help. If they make a ton of money in the process I'm fine with that.
Bottom line being if there are any upsides to a new treatment then I think it's worth trying it out. As long as it isn't killing or seriously injuring a large percent of it's users or forcing them to take take it then at the very least it's a step in the right direction.

[oxy kid]

In the US, I believe the scripting policy is pretty much up to the individual doctor.. I had a friend that was on 8mg of suboxone a day, and the doctor lowered his dose to 4mg for one month, then told him to stop taking it and that he'd have minimal withdrawl symptoms and could easily quit.. Obviously, this doc was into s&m or knew nothing about bupe in the least, because after one week, he relapsed back onto heroin due to the withdrawl symptoms.. I've been talking to my doctor, and his plan to get me off is to lower the dose 2mg every month until I reach 2mg.. Then lower the dose to 1mg.. Then 1mg every other day until I feel comfortable to jump off, with a prescription to xanax and colonidine (sp?) to help with any withdrawl/anxiety.

Some bupe doctors also have a policy of only writing you one more prescripttion to taper down yourself if you keep failing urine tests... It seems that there is no real set program for those that want to get off/forced off, it seems to be up to the individual doctor. There are many bad bupenorphine doctors, and one of the reasons that I advize those those that want to go on bupe to shop around for a doctor that actually cares for their patients and knows everything they can about the medication that they are prescribing. I went through 3 bupe doctors until I found one that was knowledgeable and caring.

So did your sub doc write you a script for those xannies?

[Narkotikon]

When I was at my last meeting with my Sub doc, and told him I couldn't afford to come back, he didn't mention tapering. So, I said, listen, I've been on these for two and a half months now, can you prescribe a short taper. I was thinking he'd give me a weeks worth. He wrote for 16 of the 8mg pills. He told me to take 1.5 for four days, 1 for four days, .75 for four days, .5 for four days, then .25 (or 2mg) for four days. So, I would have stopped at 2mg. Luckily I didn't take my full dose, and in addition to those 16, I had fourty more pills at home, so I was set for a while. Made a great taper schedule, where I would have ended at .25mg a day, which is a normal dose for a non-tolerant person, but you know how control and tapering goes. Those pills were gone by Thanksgiving day. In fact, I took my last 2mg on Thanksgiving day. Then got 2 more pills given to me by a wonderful Sub fairy, and that lasted another week. Now I have no Subs again. I counted on the calander tonight. It's been exactly 14 days since I had any bupe in me.

The doctor should write either a short taper of Subs, or give you a small script of clonidine and a benzo. Or, if you don't like clonidine (I don't), I'd ask for a beta-blocker like Propranolol. Lowers your heart-rate like clonidine, but doesn't give you that "exhausted" feeling. Helps a LITTLE bit with anxiety too, but not much. At the very least, he NEEDS to give you something. Good luck.

[Paregoric Kid]

thanks for the replies. by the way this is a friend of mine who is having a problem, I am not on suboxone.

[alowishus]

in the US, if a person is prescribed suboxone for months, enough to cause physical dependence to bupe, do doctors have to at least taper you off or can they just drop you? I've heard from people on pain meds say that the docs usually have to at least give you a final script with instructions on tapering off of the medication. something about this is fucked up. this doc is a fucking douche bag, he is fucking many of my friends over in a number of different ways. glad I never got involved, in my town I think the whole program is a money scam.


What do you mean Kid, please explain. Not to stick my head up your ass to far but I value you thoughts on this. Being in the tail end of my sub regiment I'd love to knoe what I'm in for.

[dharma bum]

When i left my ex-sub doc ( he is a 'recovering' addict himself) a taper was never mentioned till i mentioned it and told him i would get very sick. His response:" Well, you're sick anyway." Meaning NA disease sick. He wrote me 9, 8 mg's and 9, 2 mg.'s....with the taper going from 8 mgs down...down 2 mg's every three days till nothing. Stopping at two mg's.

I found a better doc though who said when i relayed prior story to him.." I won't fuck with you." was his response meaning no UA's or signed NA papers.