Which treatment works better? I'm not talking about to get high or for recreational purposes. I'm asking which medication works better in helping addicts quit their opiates. I'm on Suboxone now and it keeps me feeling good but I still have horrible intense cravings for heroin. Does Methadone treat the cravings? I just want everyone's opinion of which they think works better.

This is a really tough question man...and there's no clear answer....

Believe me I know what you're going through (I'm struggling with a 9+ year heroin habit myself).

Based on my own personal experience and what I've seen, I'd say stick with the suboxone...Sure the methadone will probably be better at stopping cravings...but with methadone you're in for the long haul. Getting off methadone is a BITCH.

Suboxone on the other hand will keep you from getting sick, which is basically all you need from a medication. I find that once you take care of the sickness you need to deal with the psychological aspect, that is learning how to deal with the world while sober...

Methadone will take care of the sickness and it keeps you on a slight nod all the time which stops the cravings but leaves you an emotional cripple when it comes to dealing with life sober...thats what the cravings come from...not know how to deal with life while no nodding...


man I really would like to write at length and more intelligently about this...but I've been drinking a lot so please excuse me if my post isn't too helpful....

but anyway...take it from a fellow junkie who has tried both, and seen many people succeed and fail on both programs...

I would stick with suboxone....


Good luck and best wishes with your treatment man...

maybe you shouldn't have gotten addicted in the first place you stupid bitch.

IMO bupe works better for the cravings. wait until your stableized.

i find that methadone the less for giving of the two on the "24 hour clock" thinger..

you're so mean.

Hey Blaze,

Glad to hear your appt. went well. IMO, Suboxone is far superior to Methadone as far as kicking addiction behavior, cravings, etc. and helping to get on with your life. If you had terrible chronic pain, because of Methadone being a full agonist opiate (Compared to Suboxone being a partial agonist/antagonist), it is somewhat superior to battling pain, though smaller doses of Buprenorphine has been seen to battle pain very efficiently as well.

I've been on both Suboxone and Methadone long term and find that when I was on Methadone, it was great in the beginning, but then I would start to gain weight, which came mostly from it making me so lethargic and unmotivated that I didn't want to go to work or to the gym any more, it got me into a pretty bad depression.

When I switched to Suboxone, my head and thinking became so much more clear, my energy went through the roof, most of my depression went away and I can really only say good things about it.

In your case Blaze, it's going to be hard to fight the cravings and triggers at first because it's like separating from an old friend you used to see and have fun with every day. But counseling with absolutely help you to deal with that, and your body needs to become stable (i.e. your blood/plasma levels need to be saturated with Buprenorphine in order to achieve maximum benefits/results) on the medicine before you can really start feeling the benefit of no cravings, no withdrawals and no desire to go out and get drugs. This normally takes 5-7 days of taking the med, without adjusting the dose too, too much.

Personally, I would never go above 16mg, because even though when Suboxone first came out, the doctors thought the ceiling of it to be 32mg, then more recently thought to be 24mg, it is actually been proven to be much more near 16mg, so going over the dose you are now would be un-beneficial. In fact, once you stablize, and perhaps start feeling like 16mg is too much, speak with your doctor about going down a few mg's a month to see if that helps improve any. Don't get me wrong though, 16mg could be perfect for you, and I hope it is, but some/most will eventually end up going down to 8mg and be 100% fine. This is also recommended for someone in your situation since you can get the doctor to continue to give you a 16mg script and in a few months be down to taking 8mg [not telling him of course], so each day you can save a pill, which will add up and allow you to save up some for an emergency if you should happen to run out.

Of course, you should always be keeping your doctor informed and be talking to him before you make any changes, so it's really up to you. Just concentrate on getting stabilized (Taking the prescribed amount for at least the first week) and see how you feel. Cravings should subside after that week, if not sooner, and even if they do not, and you should happen to relapse, you will notice that if you try to boot heroin or take pretty much any other opiate while on Suboxone, you will feel absolutely nothing; though if this happens, be very, very careful, because some brave souls get so determined, that after their first shot, they will try double the amount, then double again, then over dosing (Because they were trying to feel a high that was being blocked by the Suboxone, thinking if they do more, it will eventually get past Buprenorphine's strong affinity for the receptors, wrong... pointless to try), then dying. Not good. So please keep that in mind! That alone should also help alleviate most cravings, knowing you won't get high, even if you tried. Though I do know the actual behavior of sticking a needle in your arm can be very addicting too, some people I know, in the beginning have actually just shot distilled water/saline to get over that, which isn't recommended because of the fact it in itself is addictive behavior, something you are trying to get far, far away from.

Take care and be safe!

djONE.