Need to Increase Suboxone Dose

My daughter is taking 2mg of Suboxone per day. She takes 1mg in the morning and 1mg in the afternoon. We cut those tiny little pills in half. That dose has been fine but all of a sudden it's not working. Its very apparent to me now that if she hasn't taken her dose she is very upset. She is becoming more and more irritable and very quick to snap. In reading what some of you have posted, I think she might need her dose increased. I'm going to ask her Doctor if he will up her dose to 4mg per day and see if that helps her. She was started on 8mg twice a day in the beginning and she just couldn't take it. She would just sleep all the time. She hasn't used heroin since she started in December but she did admit to taking a zanax a couple of weeks ago because she believed she needed it. She said that it didn't really help so she won't take anymore. She said she'd rather just smoke. She's started smoking cigarettes...like constantly. What is that? Does suboxone make you smoke or is that something else? I'm confused... I wish she would go online and really talk about what she's feeling...it would really help her. Of course, now I feel guilty because she doesn't know that I'm on here writing about her...I've just never mentioned it.

Thank You For Your Help

About 6 weeks ago....I learned my 17 year old daughter was addicted to heroin. I was so upset I didn't know what to do. I started reading anything and everything on heroin addiction. Your posts helped me make the decision. She's had a few ups and downs with the suboxone treatment however, she hasn't used heroin...and that's a blessing.... exactly the results I was hoping for when she started the suboxone program. For the last 6 weeks, I've read so many posts from people who are in the same situation or very similar situation. People trying to help themselves or trying to help someone else. I can honestly say I've been given more information, hope and inspiration from the stories I've read than I ever imagined. Your stories helped me see what it really means to be addicted to a drug as powerful as heroin. In essence you helped me help my daughter. I just wanted to thank all of you for sharing your stories, experiences, and feelings.

Slight Suboxone Setback

Because of suboxone, she hasn't used heroin for 6 weeks and has started to think differently about her friends. She's been talking about what she wants to do with her life. She talking about a college she wants to go to and is being more responsible. She talks about her friends that are still using heroin as though she doesn't really care what happens to them. I'm not sure if that's just for my benefit or not. I gave her a prescription 4 days ago. I thought she could take the suboxone on her own. Wrong....for some reason she was very agitated and started acting differently. Definant. Emotional. I found her prescription and it was obvious she had taken more than she should. A 4-day supply is 4 tablets. She had taken 13 tablets in 4 days. I asked her where the suboxone was...and she immediately became for irritated. I told her I knew that 13 tablets were gone from the prescription. Of course, she was completely outraged by my snooping. She told me that I was going to cause her to go completely crazy...and that she was going to leave and never come back. I thought about it and decided that I would just remain firm. I took the car keys and the prescription and told her that I would be holding onto both until she was a little more responsible. Of course, she said she wasn't going to take the suboxone anymore. I told her that was just an excuse. I told her this wasn't a game. It was serious. How could her brain repair itself if she was not taking it as presribed. She was furious. Screaming. Raging. Crying. I didn't know if she was having a mental breakdown or what. I just walked away. I couldn't take it. One minute she was screaming and cussing...the next minute she was crying and telling me she hated me and that I was going to make her go out and do heroin. Later in the evening after she calmed down she told me that she took the suboxone to get high. If your normal dose is 1/2 tablet twice a day of 2mg suboxone and you increase it to 1 tablet twice a day or 2 tablets once a day is this damaging the healing process of the suboxone. I told her the reason I looked at the prescription was because she was acting the same way she did last summer when she claimed she was taking zanax. She told me today that she would be taking her prescribed dose from now on. I think maybe she realizes how bazaar her behavoir was last night...maybe she's still okay. Today she's acting fine. What do you think?

Suboxone World

I found this great link http://www.naabt.org...it has a world of information from finding a physician to how suboxone actually works as well as how to taper off the drug. There's been alot of message boards filled with folks worrying about the withdrawal process of suboxone. There is a forum with comments from suboxone users who have actually been through the entire process and are truly free from taking the suboxone....I was worried about the fact that I was helping my daughter substitute one drug for another drug..[heroin for suboxone]...In my opinion its safer for her in the long run to be addicted to suboxone than use heroin. But now after reading the posts from all the prior users of suboxone I feel certain that she will be able to taper off the suboxone without any problems. The naabt forum on how to taper off suboxone: http://www.naabt.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5324. After briefly reading this forum I feel as though I've done the right thing by seeking subxone help for my daughter. Time will tell.

Heroin Eye

Happy New Year to Everyone! My daughter is still clean. She made it through a New Year's Eve party. The suboxone is definitely working for her. Thanks for the comment...any feedback or comments are really appreciated. I'm looking forward to a fantastic year. I wish everyone a very happy, healthy, prosperous, [and let's not forget] opiate-free, New Year.