@jaders After reading up on the drug tests used in most PM clinics, the DHC may have shown up on the test but I'm too afraid to ask. The NP that I'm assigned to has been very sympathetic towards me and could've made an exception in my case.
I've stopped using DHC and now I'm being careful to pass the tests going forward. The bup patch that I'm prescribed is working much better for me than the DHC, and it's cheaper with no IOP rollercoaster involved.
Super surprised you like the bup patch. At my start on pain management they tried all the lower level stuff like bup patches, and I couldn't get anything good until I said the lower stuff didn't work. Bup you could have gotten in much larger quantities, with much less hassle and money, by just showing up at a detox clinic and telling them you're in withdraw. That would have scored you as much bup as you wanted.
Bup is a partial antagonist and not a full-opioid. They give it to addicts to fill their receptor and partially activate it. It has a ceiling effect, so taking more won't do anything, except block opioids for longer. They attempt to get addicts up to as high of a bup dose as possible to provide the longest block of other opioids as possible. The more you take the longer you are blocked.
Also if you ever have an emergency or somebody else gets into your med, naloxone will not reverse it and in an emergency operations or procedure, they cannot give you a full opioid b/c it can't knock bup off the receptor, so you would be stuck in pain for 72 hours+ until the bup got out of your system.
Horrible drug IMO.
This is only one take on Bupe, and an extremely bad one at that.
It’s fine that you post your personal experiences with it, but I happen to know of several others on here who deal with daily chronic pain, and are on Buprenorphine.
And they happen to be quite happy with how well it helps them manage their pain.
I believe it’s also used in the EU more than here in the US for chronic pain patients, instead of being more of a detox med in here the states. Which I think both are fine, as long as it’s doing what it’s meant to do for that individual.
Just because it didn’t work for you doesn’t mean it isn’t right for someone else.
And if you were really knowledgeable about bupe, you would know that with this med - more doesn’t always translate into being better. Often times.. less works much better than more.. so each person needs to find the level that works best for their needs.
I also happen to be in PM myself now for many years. Going along with what you consider heavier duty meds, I too have offered those
along with bupe, to try and help manage my pain.
I elected to go with two other meds after trying several - as my insurance dictates the ones you can try, and those that they will cover. It was a process of going through several that didn’t work, to find the ones that did. But recently, after reading up and educating myself, I wouldn’t rule out trying Bupe some day. Studies have show that it works well for chronic pain patients that deal with similar symptoms such as mine.
So hey - I’m glad you found what works for you. But that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone else has to go along with your regimen is, to find the med that works for them. And this person was taking DHC, and if IIRC, possibly tram too, which I would consider lower tier pk’s - so I can totally understand if bupe was enough for them to help cover their pain.
That’s what we strive for when we decide to go the PM route.. is to find help with meds that make the pain tolerable so we can live our lives and be as productive as we can.
So I don’t know why you would berate her post, for letting us know she’s in a better place now on the bupe patch?
@wintermute, I’m really happy you found something that works for you. Don’t listen to the naysayers, you do you and what works best for your pain needs.
