Suboxone for Vicodin Dependency with Mood Disorder
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anonymous Asks ...
i have beeen taking prescribed vicodin for 3 years about 15- 30 mg max a day. I actually only took 4 to 5 pills a day several times.
I am now at a 2- 3 5 mg pill habit. I take to feel better. I already have a mood disorder and wonder if this is making me worse and is suboxodene? an answer to stop or is it better to slowly decrease my dose of vicodin? -
Dr. David Sack Says ...
First, it is important for you to understand that trying to detox yourself from Vicodin is usually not an effective recovery plan. If you have a mood disorder, are you being treated medically for that mood disorder? If not, you are simply masking symptoms of your disorder with an opiate. Your first goal should be to get a proper assessment of your mood disorder and an effective treatment plan.
Suboxone may be an appropriate treatment for your Vicoden dependency, but I believe Suboxone is most effective when used with a therapeutic program (day patient/outpatient or residential) that helps you develop behavioral/coping skills to deal with your mood disorder. This program should have a psychiatrist who understands addiction and co-occurring mood disorders. Mood disorders can generally be treated with non-addictive drugs, and that will give you a much higher quality of life than daily Vicodin use.
