***The Truth about Suboxone***

I recently sent Alyssa to a detox/rehab to get off of suboxone after being on it 3 plus years….This is her experience in her own words.I have struggled with addiction for half of my life. I was introduced to Suboxone many years ago, at the first detox I went to. It was a miracle drug. It literally got rid of all the withdrawals from heroin. For the next five years I went to countless sub Drs, and got kicked out of all of them because I couldn’t stay clean. I also went to detox 14 different times for heroin. It was a never ending cycle. I would sell my subs, or trade them for dope. Everything came crashing down in February 2016. I was living with my parents and I overdosed and my dad found me. I put them through hell and back and they had enough. They kicked me out. I was homeless and without both of my kids. I couldn’t live anymore, I was miserable and disgusted with myself. After a failed suicide attempt, I knew I had to do something. I bought subs on the street to get through it. It began to be such a hassle to find and pay for. Before I knew it three months had gone by. I tried a couple times to get off subs, but I could never make it past day 4. So I decided to find a Dr again so I didn’t have to rely on anyone else to get my new drug. I had to go to a clinic almost three hours away. The clinic was always packed. I would only see the Dr long enough for him to write a script. The Drs never said anything bad about Suboxone. They always talked it up. I thought I was doing amazing. Before I knew it a year had gone by, then two years. I remember one time asking the Dr when I was going to get off subs and he said “oh no you’re going to be on the rest of your life”. That bothered me. It was the longest time I’ve ever gone without using a needle, but I still had to take it every day or I couldn’t function. I justified it by thinking”Well you’re not sticking a needle in your arm”, “You’re not stealing and robbing people”, and “I have my own place, a car, a good job so it can’t be that bad”. Reality slapped me in the face in September of this year. I went to the clinic, like every month, but this time would be the end. The Dr I was going to got shut down by the state. To say I was freaking out is an understatement. I probably called 50 clinics and none of them would work for me. This had been my life for the last three years and I couldn’t imagine a life without Suboxone. I felt defeated because when I got off heroin in 2016 I thought that was it. I thought I wouldn’t never have to experience the hell of withdrawals again. I was scared to death but I decided to go to Florida for detox/treatment. I always said heroin withdrawals was the worst thing I’ve experienced but now I can say it’s Suboxone withdrawals. But of course the Drs don’t tell you that part. Never did my Dr wean down my dosage in the whole almost three years. Never did he inform me of how powerful the drug is. They don’t tell you that you’re trading one addiction for another. If I knew then what I know how I would have never gone down that road. I was in Florida for 21 days. The first 8 days I was in detox I was on a Suboxone tapper so I didn’t feel too awlful. After the tapper it was HELL! For 3 weeks I couldn’t keep food or water down. I had nonstop diarrhea. I lost 15 pounds. I couldn’t sleep at all not even with sleeping meds. I was up for six straight days. I had restless legs every night. All this for three solid weeks, and that’s just the physical part. The mental part was just as bad if not worse. On day 5 I had a panic attack and seizure and ended up in the hospital. I had suicidal thoughts. I literally thought I was going crazy. When I came back to Ohio I was still withdrawaling. Looking back I don’t know how I got through it. Today I am 27 days clean from Suboxone, and I still don’t feel 100%. I’m doing way better than I was though, and every day gets better. Insomnia and my depression is still an issue. But the clinics don’t tell you that. They didn’t tell me the Suboxone is doing the same thing to my brain as heroin. But why would they, they wanted my money. They’re just legal drug dealers who view me as a dollar sign.

I have been of the humble opinion for some time that this is not a good alternative to treat addiction having heard such stories as the one above many times. If you are or have a loved one struggling with addiction and looking for help, please discuss all options and the consequences of those options