Can You Free Yourself from Pain Management with Suboxone?

Can you free yourself from pain management with Suboxone? Well, if you or someone you know is or was in pain management, then you know that’s just about the only place that doctors can treat chronic pain with high doses of narcotic (opioid) medications. Not to mention, sleeping aids, medicines for anxiety, depression, ADHD and much more. Pain management is able to do what family practitioners cannot – Prescribe high amounts of oxycodone, OxyContin, hydrocodone and others in order to increase quality of life for those suffering from chronic pain.

When I started pain management in 2000 I was being prescribed two 5mg hydrocodone daily. It wouldn’t take long for my tolerance to opioids to increase, leaving me no choice but to ask for larger quantities and higher doses. I even went as far as researching who I thought might be the most “understanding” pain management doctor in Nashville, someone who would give me enough medicine to mask my lower back pain.

By year 2013 I was taking over 225mg of oxycodone & OxyContin per day. Back then, the prescribing laws were slightly different for pain management doctors. Some pain doctors, like the one I sought out, prescribed whatever they thought would best manage chronic pain. And, since there’s really no way to measure pain, it’s ultimately up to the pain doctor to determine how much medicine to prescribe. Those were the good ol days.

Prescribing seemed to change around the beginning of 2013. The Nashville-based pain management doctor I was seeing back then was asked by the Tennessee State Medical Board to retire. Turns out he had written more narcotic medication prescriptions in 2011 & 2012 than any other doctor in the State of Tennessee. I was then shuffled off with the rest of his patients to a different pain management doctor. A doctor who did not share the same liberal prescribing habits as he had.

The first thing my new doctor did was cut my dose in half. Now that I think about it, it was a cruel move. Yet, he had no choice since the state was telling all doctors to stay within a certain threshold unless all possibilities had been attempted. Things like physical therapy, steroid injections, massage, etc. I did opt for the epidural steroids, but I honestly can’t tell you if they worked or not. I was taking too much pain medication to know.

So, I was forced to drop from 225mg of oxycodone & OxyContin per day down to 120mg. Sadly, I was not able to make that change. That’s when I started buying pills on the street. Turns out, if you know where to look you can find pretty much any drug you want to buy on the street if you have the money. I didn’t really have the money, but cutting my dose in half was not going to happen quickly. So, I bought as many pills on the street as I could afford. That’s when I knew I had a serious addiction to opioids.

That’s when I knew I had a serious addiction to opioids

Pain management is its own unique animal. As one doctor told me, there’s no way to measure an individual’s pain. Therefor, it’s up to the doctor to determine how much pain medication a patient needs. It’s all about treating and improving quality of life.

By end of 2013 I had had enough. I was ready to do anything vs. taking those damn pills for the rest of my life. I checked myself into inpatient treatment, thinking that when I got out after 2-4 weeks that all of my troubles would be over. I could not have been more wrong.

I suffered 13 days and nights of very painful withdrawals. My cravings were such that I even drank my son’s cough medicine with codeine. I faked having a sore through to get more codeine cough medicine from a walk-in clinic. I begged, borrowed and stole from people who had pain medications. I resorted to asking neighbors I barely knew if they had any pain meds. In short, I relapsed 6 times in less than five weeks of leaving inpatient treatment. Had I only know that Suboxone would have saved me from the living hell I was going through.

For Me, Suboxone Works Very Well for Chronic Pain, and Lasts a Lot Longer

Sadly, according to state medical guidelines Suboxone is to be prescribed only for opioid use disorder and not for pain management. When I started taking Suboxone in January 204 I was taking it to put an end to the withdrawals and cravings I’d been experiencing for weeks. I didn’t even consider it would help with pain. Boy was I wrong. My second day on Suboxone I immediately noticed a substantial reduction of pain in my lower back as well as my withdrawals and cravings completely eliminated. That week I stopped taking everything except for Suboxone and ibuprofen. My back pain since then has been minimal. It actually hurts less now than it did before I began taking hydrocodone in 2000.

The Half-Life of Suboxone is What’s Truly Incredible

When I was taking OxyContin and oxycodone, I was constantly craving more and more. It didn’t matter how much I had, my cravings for opioids were insatiable. That’s because oxycodone only last for a few hours before your brain begins to crave more. OxyContin (extended release oxycodone) is supposed to last for up to 24 hours. Not sure who approved that claim, but I don’t believe it to be anywhere close to the truth. I actually think my cravings for extended release OxyContin were just as strong after 2-3 hours than were my cravings for oxycodone. Basically, every 2-3 hours I needed more and more and more. Opioid addiction is a vicious cycle that you simply cannot win.

Opioid addiction is a vicious cycle that you simply cannot win

Suboxone on the other hand has a long half-life of 24 to 42 hours. You take it once or twice per day and that’s the last you think of it. You don’t wake up craving Suboxone like you do with normal opioids. A doctor once told me that it takes almost three full days after you stop taking Suboxone before you’ll begin feeling withdrawal symptoms.

Yes, Suboxone is addictive. Yet, due to its chemical makeup does not leave you feeling “high”, dizzy or sleepy like normal opioids. Suboxone also has fewer side effects than straightforward opiates, specifically less constipation, less sedation, less immunosuppressant effect, less induction of gallbladder spasm, less or even no decrease in sex hormones, less risk for heart rhythm problems (QT abnormalities) and it is even safe to use in older clients with chronic kidney disease.

My personal experience with Suboxone:

• Helps with my chronic pain
• Does not make me feel “high”
• Works for me as a mild antidepressant
• Provides me with a feeling of “well-being”
• 100% eliminated my withdrawals and cravings

Ultimately, using Suboxone for pain management is something the state says you can’t do. Yet, it provides relief from chronic pain and has fewer side-effects than regular opioids. Knowing this, I would recommend anyone consider Suboxone as an alternate solution for pain management, and especially as a tool for transitioning away from pain management without experiencing withdrawals and cravings.

Subcone worked for me, and therefore I’m a believer. The only way to know of Suboxone will work for you is to try it by setting an appointment either online using telemedicine, or at the Nashville Suboxone Recovery clinic.

If you’re addicted to opioids like I was and are suffering from chronic pain, I know how you feel. All I can tell you is that life gets better after freeing yourself from opioid addiction. It just sa happens that Suboxone helped with my pain, which was an incredible added blessing.

Note: All information provided on this website is intended for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a recommendation or substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.