PHENOBARB FOR OPIATE WITHDRAWAL RX???
J Addict Dis 2005; 24(2):135 has an abstract from the Betty Ford Center describing a comparison trial of inpatient detox using buprenorphine vs. "a standard phenobarbital protocol." Anyone out there know of any current theoretical, pharmacological or empirical basis for using phenobarb for the "standard" detoxification of opiate-dependent individuals?
posted by RGNewman, MD @ 2:16 PM
20 comments
20 Comments:
Yes, my nephew entered rehab voluntarily 8/2/05 and they are using phenobarb to treat his addition to "street" methadone. I am his mother figure, as his mother is in another state taking care of her quadraplegic 20 yr old son. AS of last night, he had slept quite a bit and they were going to start tapering off the phenobarb. Family mtg is today and 3pm.
I'VE TRIED BARBS (SECONAL - 100 MG.). IT DOESN'T WORK. I'M ON METHADONE NOW AND WOULD LOVE TO FIND A WAY TO GET OFF OF IT, THAT I COULD AFFORD AND THAT RELIEVES SOME OF THE WITHDRAWALS, TO MAKE IT BEARABLE. GETTING OFF METHADONE IS THE HARDEST THING I'VE EVER DONE. WHAT'S SAD IS THE FACT THAT I KEEP PUTTING MYSELF IN THE SAME SITUATION. INSANITY! DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
I went through detox and did a 7 day phenobarb taper. I was coming off alcohol, pure codiene, and zopiclone (A hypnotic sleep agent..which produces euphoria if you take large amounts), also, they were giving me a Bach Remedy called 'Rescue Remedy' which has 27% grape alcohol solution to help with the withdrawls. That combination (Along with my desire to really get off the booze and drugs for good, as this was my 12th attempt at getting sober) really helped. Im still sober. I live in vancouver bc canada and the detoxes and hospitals are using phenobarb moreso these days, as a pose to ativan.
Yes methadone is hard to get off. But if it is working for you maybe its not time to get off. I work in a treatment center where I work closly with addicts. I tell them that if them had bad sugar they would need insuline, or if they had cancer or another disease. Any disease you have you would need a proper treatment with medication. Well addiction is a disease and methadone is a good treatment for it.
It saved my life. I never thought I could live a drug-free life. I thought I would be in jail or dead. I didn't care about anything except getting high.If you would have told me 8 years ago I would be where I am today I would of said you was dreaming. Its not a dream it's reality, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Methadone has a very low success rate. There are more people that use it as a legal way to still use. Some may even say methadone is not being clean. For the people that say that they have no idea what they are talking about.I am currently on a MSW to come down off my dose. I come down 2mg per week. If at some point I feel that it is danderous to come down so low I will wait or increase me dose. If I can complete my treatment great. If for some reason I have to stay on methadone I am content with that. I have a illness and that is a tool to cure my illness. There is nothing wrong with being on methadone maintence. Some people will be judgemental towards you so be careful about your treatment. Your treatment is yours, and noone can take that away from you.
Rapid Opiate Detoxification (ROD) is humane, fast, and efficient. It is also cost-effective, and would allow more of the health-care dollars spent on opiate addiction to go to programs that alter the social milieu and encourage sustained abstinence. The techniques involved in ROD require expertise and monitoring, but the patients are not critically ill and are detoxified electively; this detoxification would be best effected in centers for ROD and not in beds borrowed from the critical-care system.
I was prescribed Phenobarb 2x a day and Clonidine at night. I just told my doctor today that I have been using percocet all day every day for 6 months. I was too scared to withdraw on my own so he gave me those and said it should only take 2 weeks. I start later today, I really hope I will be okay and that I will not be dependant anymore.
I've been through 18 DETOX centers for Fentanyl WD. Pheno works better than anything i found out. Im a Cancer patient with severe chronic pain problems. I still have to be on Fentanyl today for chronic pain but i don't abuse it. I strongly suggest
That people don't use Methadone or Suboxone. They are just as hard to get off. Now i understand if people have a chronic pain prob and thay are addicts. Then i could understand the use of those to meds. Goodluck to u all. God Bless
Methadone is like liquid handcuffs. Yes, it's very useful in avoiding withdrawals and curbing the crimes that junkies commit to sustain a habit.
However, it is more difficult to kick than heroin. This is because of the long half-life that methadone has. On a side note, I'm always amused by the people who are on methadone and they are terrified of missing one dose, because they claim that they get very sick if they miss a day. Their claims couldn't be further from the truth. Unless someone is abusing amphetamines or something that runs the methadone out of their body faster, there's no way someone would be sick after just one day.
I've kicked methadone two times.. Once by weening down 2mg every three days for a year until I stopped completely at 14mg. Using gabapentin, clonodine, and trazedone it was relatively easy to do. Within two weeks I was 80% back to my regular self.
The second time I just stopped at 40mg and went cold turkey. No meds, no booze, no nothing. It took 3 days before the sickness really came on. Days 4-12 were hell, complete hell. So much worse than heroin withdrawal... It made heroin withdrawal seem like kindergarten.. By day 20, I finally began to feel better physically... Emotionally I was depressed, sad, suicidal, and bitter... It took several months for me to recover and rebuild the wiring in my brain in order for me to find and semblance of joy in anything let alone have enough motivation to get out of bed... And even longer to leave the house.. I would never wish what I went through upon even my worst enemy. I have an extremely fast metabolism also, so I can imagine that for those who don't, the kick will be longer.
Phenobarbital is given to people mainly for alcohol w/d to keep from having seizures.. Sometimes it will be used for benzo withdrawal if the doctor thinks the patient may abuse clorazepate.
I wouldn't recommend mixing it with methadone unless you want to go to sleep sooner. There's no high, no euphoria, no pleasant relaxation feeling.. It also knocks the methadone molecules off of the brain's receptors more quickly than usual, thus reducing the half-life. However, as some people have stated, it does mine produce withdrawal symptoms, nor does one run the risk of precipitated withdrawals, it just won't happen.
Point being... Don't bother mixing the two. Save the phenobarbital for when you kick. It will be most effective then.
That's great that you have pretty much over came your addiction, it takes a lot too do so. But with that being said how can you even compare addiction to a TRUE disease such as a diabetic or someone with cancer? Being an addict is a choice having a chronic illness is not. I know people who have been on drugs, some have gotten clean, some have not and some have died. There is lots of resources to get help with an addict. As a type 1 diabetic I did not choose this disease, and there is nothing I did to make my pancreas quit producing insulin, it was just part of God's plan for me. Children are born with diseases, did they ask for that no! When you are born you don't come out taking drugs even if a baby is born an addict a mother who is a user makes them that way. So with all due respect you can not EVER compare an addict to someone with a chronic illness. I personally have tried lots of drugs in my day yeah I liked them but I chose to not do them bc my life was way to important to end up being an addict. My mother was an alcoholic, yes I drink but I'm not an alcoholic bc I chose not to be. I don't have an option to chose not to be a diabetic, that's the difference. Also methadone does help if you do it the proper way your supposed too, but with methadone your switching from one habit to another except methadone is "legal" and the government don't care about you or anyone else bc they are getting paid and making money over your addiction. Methadone clinics make me sick for that very reason, is bc they made a drug legal for all the addicts and they don't give a shit about you, as long as you have money you can go for the rest of your life. You keep up the good work, but as far as comparing an addiction to cancer or diabetes is not acceptable at all.
You are very uneducated regarding addiction. The AMA has declared addiction a disease. Please do some research on it.
hey mr diabetic, wtf are you talking about? were you born a diabetic? No one grows up and says "i want to be a junkie" any more than you asked to have diabetes. Once a person finds their way to the methadone clinic they are addicted to heroin, They became addicted because they were self medicating. I can bet you that 99% of the people who end up at the methadone clinic have an underlying chronic disease. As far as Gods plan for you becoming diabetic I can assure you was not in his plan. Sickness and disease is from the Devil himself. And tell me one junkie that methadone has helped....just one. Methadone and nothing else, no other medication for some other underlying cause. get your holier than thou facts straight before posting nonsense you are obviously uneducated about. ADDICTION IS A CHRONIC ILLNESS and your an idiot to think otherwise.
I totally understand putting urself in same situation. It sucks but how to feel comfortable. Without
I totally understand putting urself in same situation. It sucks but how to feel comfortable. Without
In my opinion methadone is the worst thing in the world to kick no matter what dose your on and suboxone(the greatest lie the drug companies ever told),is not much better.Bupe WD is just slightly less intense but the longevity of both are relentless.If you want the easiest detox from opiates,and its not easy,then somehow find some fentanyl and transition to that and then come off of it.I've detoxed off of every opiate that you could think of and fentanyl although had a very tough onset and first few days,ways the quickest detox I've ever had.Make sure to ask your Dr for some clonidine and if by some miracle he'll do it,ask for about two weeks worth of benzos.Don't ask for more than that because of the addictive nature of benzos.After the physical he'll has subsided then you move into the very miserable mental phase so maybe you wanna try something for depression.Be totally honest with your Dr and take notes at home every hour of every day about the symptoms your having so your Dr can treat you accordingly.
In my opinion methadone is the worst thing in the world to kick no matter what dose your on and suboxone(the greatest lie the drug companies ever told),is not much better.Bupe WD is just slightly less intense but the longevity of both are relentless.If you want the easiest detox from opiates,and its not easy,then somehow find some fentanyl and transition to that and then come off of it.I've detoxed off of every opiate that you could think of and fentanyl although had a very tough onset and first few days,ways the quickest detox I've ever had.Make sure to ask your Dr for some clonidine and if by some miracle he'll do it,ask for about two weeks worth of benzos.Don't ask for more than that because of the addictive nature of benzos.After the physical he'll has subsided then you move into the very miserable mental phase so maybe you wanna try something for depression.Be totally honest with your Dr and take notes at home every hour of every day about the symptoms your having so your Dr can treat you accordingly.
Does phenobarb work for comin off heroin cuz evry time i go to rehab thts wht thy gve
Thank you for that. So so much. His post really upset me. Just to try and process that ignorance beat my heart up.
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Well that's the actual definition of insanity, I'm also on methadone have been for 10 years and only reason why I am on methadone now it's because I'm scared of the withdrawal symptoms to come off of it phenobarbital is supposed to work with symptoms but some people it just doesn't work for as Subutex only works for certain people also
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