I am currently 78 hours off of Subutex after almost 3 years on Suboxone after checking into a detox center for Opiod dependency, and last Monday I told my doctor that I wanted to get off of the Subutex. I had been taking 2 mg 2 x a day or sometimes 1x a day and did pretty well. Now I am afraid that if I take the Vivitrol injection on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012 that I will again have to go through withdrawl symptoms like I am now. Currently I am taking Clonidine, Xanax, Phenegan, and Requip for the horrid restless, shall I say out of control involentary leg thrashings... Ugh... I have to continue working my 8-5 M-F job and I am afraid of the upcoming injection. The doc thinks I will only have to take the shot 1 or maybe 2 times (months).
Has anyone gone through this? Please reply ASAP as Tuesday is fast approaching. Thanks
Are there withdrawl symptoms with the Vivitrol Injection?
Question posted by hope_in_Indy on 25 Feb 2012
Last updated on 10 September 2018
5 Answers
I went to the ER and my doctors for the horrid RLS and use something over the counter but nothing helped NOTHING. Thats why i couldn't do it i wish someone could find a medicine to help...
Well I take it for alcohol and im waiting for my second injection and I have had that while going through POST ACUTE WITHDRAW SYNDROME. I took seroquel 50mg at bed time for sleep and slept 2 hours which I dont take often and I only slept 2 hours.
My response to this question is late, but I only just read it, and I want to share my experience. I am a 26 year old, veteran of the Marine Corps. I have been overseas multiple times. My occupation in the military was a scout, to put it simply. My job took me to some dangerous places (I mean that in many different ways). During my time in the military, and even before that, playing sports in high school, I have been injured a lot, and had a "few" surgeries, obviously being on and off pain meds for years. I never even knew you could get addicted to them, because I was ignorant! In early fall of 2011, I was told I had chronic pain in my left knee, and my meds were "upped'. Anyone that has taken pain killers for a while, and tries to say they don't like the way they make you feel... well, we know they are lying.
But to be honest, I just grew tired of feeling so polluted in the morning, and the meds affecting my workouts, so I decided to just stop taking them, and see if I could take a more holistic route. I stopped on a Friday, and by Sunday night I was in the Emergency room, because I couldn't even keep water down. I actually thought I had food poisoning! It didnt take me much longer to figure it out though, because the doctor in the ER, gave me percocet, and the symptoms started to subside. I figured it out, sought help, and I was put on Suboxone. I took it for about 3 months, successfully tapered down, and finished. I was back to normal, and not taking anything, and just dealing with the pain, as best as I could. But then I injured my knee again( 4th time on left knee), this time miniscus tear, ACL tear, and a hole in my knee cap. After another surgery, and another round of pain meds, came another round of suboxone. Only this time it wasn't quite so easy to taper down. The thing is, the suboxone was helping me with symptoms of other preexisting conditions, that were more mental, nightmares, and anxiety from my time in the USMC. Maybe that is why I was subconsciously reluctant to stop that time, as my PTSD was getting worse, but hey it was killing 3 or 4 birds... Some doctors feel that Suboxone, as long as it is working for the patient, can be taken as long as it is needed, because some medications can treat symptoms that the drug is not designed for. But then, many doctors feel that, hey, Suboxone is designed to overcome opiate dependency, and be done with it. This is how my doctor feels, and so we discussed getting off of the Suboxone again. My doctor told me there was this new shot, called Vivitrol, they were using, to help people quit Suboxone. I said I'm in. After a lot of hassle with insurance and almost two months of waiting the day finally came. Here is where it started. For one, when you get the Vivitrol shot, you are supposed to be off of opiates or synthetics(Suboxone/Subutex) for 7-10 days. My doctor told me to stop taking the Suboxone 48 hrs before I was to come in. WOW! I wish I had known then. So I go in, he decides not to give me the full shot, since my dosage was down, and told me if i needed it I could come back and get the rest. I asked him if I would experience any side effects, he said I would feel "kinda bad" that day, but should feel good the next day. It is a good thing he prescribed me Xanax ( I hate the way those make me feel), because within the hour I spun into rapid withdrawal. I wanted to die. For the next 5 days, I was lucky to get 3 hrs of sleep a night, cold sweats, RLS, Anxiety, RLS, Depression, RLS, Diarrhea, I could barely lift my 3 month old daughter, oh and did I mention the RLS??? I got the shot on a monday, and I didnt start to feel normal until the next tuesday, and that still wasnt completely normal, that was just being able to function without looking like a zombie. I apologize for this rant, but I wanted to share my story somewhere. Make sure you do your homework, and don't just go off of your doctor's opinion, even if their staff has gone out of their way to look out for you. Make sure you get as much info as possible, then make an informed decision on your plan of attack.
PS; I know this comment is old btw. Hoping you will see my reply.
I know this is a very old post but I wish I would've read it before I got the vivitrol shot. My Dr did the same thing he gave it to me after only 48hrs clean and I'm on day 4 of the worst withdrawals of my life I have eaten anything since the shot due to the projectile vomiting and explosive diarehea but that's the least of my worries the restless legs are the worse part of it all my legs flop continuously all night I only sleep maybe 2 hours a day I'm hoping I'm almost over the hurdle but a lot of people say 5-7 days. I can't lift my son from being so weak from No sleep or food I will never ever do this again my dr told me oh you'll be fine you will just be sleepy for a couple days I can't believe he lied strait to my face and didn't give me a Damn thing to help at all. Don't do the vivitrol shot unless you have at least 7_10 days clean or you will seriously regret it.
Hi Hope,
I am going to explain my experience which is similar to yours. I read your last comment on deciding against the vivitrol injection and I wanted to give you an alternative way of looking at the situation.
I am from Indy also and took the approach that you did as well. I was on suboxone for about 5 months, taking approximately 10 mg a day. I did not taper at all and I stopped taking suboxone for 5 days then received my vivitrol injection. I was told that I would not feel withdrawal and that this was my miracle answer. My doctor lead me to believe things that were not true. The first week or so was not too bad but after that it was a struggle. It took about 8 weeks or so until I started to feel "normal" again but it goes up and down. My biggest struggle was that my stomach would not bounce back. I had constant cramping, gas, and all that fun stuff.
I actually convinced myself I had somehow become lactose intolerant because I could not fathom the withdrawal lasting as long at it had. May I ask why you are not interested in taking the vivitrol injection? I can tell you from experience that if you are truly READY to get off suboxone, then take the injection. You will be very uncomfortable and you will want to take that suboxone, but with the injection you prevent yourself from that chance of a weak moment. The vivitrol will not ease your withdrawal but I can promise you this, knowing that the use of any opiates for the next 30 days will be completely pointless will make the journey easier. Your brain will learn to accept that this is what you must do as opposed to that lingering feeling that you don't really HAVE to suffer like this, you could just take one little crumb and start again tomorrow... My understanding of vivtrol is that all it is is an opiate blocker. The only thing that it will affect is your ability to feel the effects of artificial endorphins. I have never heard that it affects the brains ability to release endorphins naturally. I know that when I was on it, there were days that I felt almost high because my brain was starting to release those endorphins again naturally. I did not have it affect me in any negative way. My only complaint was the lies that my doctor had fed me.
You CAN do this. I am not trying to scare you but just inform you of the facts because I know that many people will tell you what you want to hear and when you are tackling suboxone withdrawal, you need to know the facts. The withdrawal is not fun and it lasts for awhile but it is not as SEVERE as a 5 day withdrawal from hydrocodone, oxycodone or whatever your poison was. My boyfriend at the time worked an 8-5 Monday through Friday schedule and he still had this job to this day. He took off a few days to get through the really tough days but I know that if he hadn't had those sick days, he could have gone without. The trick is to stay positive, exercise, eat healthy, load yourself up with vitamins and gatorade and keep telling yourself that people have successfully gotten off suboxone before and that you will also.
I hope this has helped you. Please let me know of any further questions.
Good luck!
Scaredlittlelady
Do I need to be clean of suboxone before taking my Vivitrol injection or will it hurt me?
Brittt, yes or you will go through rapid withdrawal. And I took vivitrol for two months and had no withdrawal symptoms.
I totally disagree! There is no point to further this and would advise to not take Vivitrol. Since it's been a few years can you tell us what you did?
Hi Hope,
After reading everything I could find on Vivitrol, and being opiate dependent myself, and trying to go off the meds and back on the meds, I actually took myself off of fentanyl 50 mcg every other day... but my neck and back pain hadn't cured themslves... so I went back on fentanyl (Uh Oh!), and I am a nurse, should say was a nurse, BUT... to your question... Hope, after all that you have been through trying to get yourself back together, and after coming this far, I don't have a doubt that you will be successful in getting your life back under your control... Vivitrol is just another assistive device in allowing you to complete the task in front of you.
The Vivitrol will block all of the mu receptors in your brain, mu equals opiate, and since you can manage most of the symptoms (I hate jerking and strectching till it hurts leg hoppies, too) already, I know that you have been through the worst part of getting clean, I'd say go for it. You can always ask for help if you absolutely need it.
Now, your question wanted input from people that have been through your exact situation, mine is just a similar situaton. I took myself off of oxys completely by myself, from 120 mgs a day to 0 a day, I kind of count that as a like experience.
Go for it girl... then sit back and pat yourself on the back. We are stronger than men when it gets right down to it, dontcha know? You can doit!
Good Luck and Your Karma Is Changing (bout time),
The Happy, Hopeful, Helpful, Sweetest. Smiling Hippie Chickie,
Laura
thank you for the encouraging words. I guess I am still confused though. if I am having withdrawls now from Subutex, isn't the Vivitrol the same make up chemically?
Yes, they are... but look at the bright side... can't get any worse and you are almost done... And you will have done something not many can do!
Now that's something to be proud of.
The Hippie Chichie
You know, I have researched quite a bit the past two days and have came to the conclusion that I am not going to take the Vivitrol injection. I do not want anything else messing with my brain receptors! :) I am starting to feel the music, the happiness and smile come back that I lost 10 years ago. I do want to keep posting or if I could ever help anyone else, would love to do that too! Who hoo... hoping the worst is behind me now...
Vivitrol is not the same as subutex in any way shape or form. Subutex is just buprenorphine. It does not contain naltrexone or any any opiod blocker. Suboxone on the other hand contains both buprenorphine and nalrexone. It is important to understand the difference. The buprenorphine is the opiate, its the reason that we don't go through withdrawal and that some people abuse the medication for the "high" feeling. Naltrexone is not an opiate, it is simply an opiate blocker. It prevents us from feeling any of the effects of pain killers. Vivitrol is just a fancy name for naltrexone. It is an injection administed in the muscle and releases over a period of roughly 30 days. The reason that it will not stop withdrawal is because it does not contain the buprenorphine that our bodies have become dependent on. Naltrexone is not physically addictive it is simply a bandaid. If you have an open wound you put a band aid on to prevent injection.
If you have a dependency to opiates or alcohol, you take naltrexone to block any opiates from affecting your brain. I am all for naltrexone for addicts and alcholics.
so, are we all in agreement here? Just what arewe trying to decide now?
Peace and Hope,
The Sweet Hippie
Thank you scaredlittlelady. So it sounds like my withdrawals may last longer than I think right? Maybe your right, I dont know what to do. I guess I will see tomorrow. Do you think your post Vivitol injection gave you those side effect you spoke of, or was it symptoms of withdrawl ? Did you happen to see dr bakulpatel? How many injections did you take... 2 ?
I'd love to know who you are Laura lol you seem like you could help..
I'd love to know who you are Laura lol you seem like you could help..
I'd love to know who you are Laura lol you seem like you could help..
Related topics
suboxone, subutex, vivitrol, opiate dependence, injection, detox, doctor