SOMEOne PLEASE HELP ME

Just my two cents....My husband and I are both on suboxone and we, in the beginning and sometimes still, wake up with extraordinarily stiff joints. It's mostly in the knuckles, ankles, wrists, knees. Too, our hands are far more prone to falling asleep, quite painfully so, now than they were before beginning this treatment. Neither he nor myself are on any other medications and this was not an issue before beginning suboxone which we began at the same time. (There's power in numbers. Lol.) I don't see how this could NOT be a side effect of suboxone considering the amount of people that have experienced it. As said before though there could be some kind of predisposition or underlying matter that we all have that makes us susceptible or more so to this specific side effect.

Hello. I've been lurking here for a few months. Finally, felt compelled to POST! My induction was in July 2009. My hands have been going to SLEEP at night as well, primarily my left one! (I'm a lefty.) I went to an orthopedic HAND specialist, after having seen my GP. The ortho Dr. said it's my ulnar nerve....GP said probably carpal tunnel. Hubby said I was sleeping on my hands too, BUT...I said I've BEEN AWAKE for TWO hours freaking out about it! I have NOT been laying on them!
I'm very grateful for this forum. Thanks to all......Happy trails...... Mr. Green

I have SEVERE pain in my elbow when I rake, stir things, (while cooking, mixing choc. chips into cookie dough, etc.) sweep, vacuum, scrub out the bath tub...... YOU name it. The Dr said to "take it easy." I HAVE, and everytime I THINK it's better, I go ahead w my activities of DAILY living & the pain flares up again. I've read that wrapping a TOWEL around the arm while sleeping keeps it straight.....but admit I haven't gone to that extreme yet. I DID purchase an elbow brace-not the strap-Dr said that would make it WORSE. I wear a carpal tunnel brace to BED, as the numbness/tingling is MUCH worse at night. I KNOW I grab the covers, curl my hands up snug under my chin just before going to Sleepytown. I've made a conscience effort to STOP that, & the "brace" will not ALLOW it....
I take the Advil gel caps for the pain, it DOES help......I'm just TIRED of popping pills! I have NOT gone forward w/ the nerve conduction study. (Insurance sucks!)
I too think it more than consequence that WE are having this type of problem. I was a long time Norco (massive hydrocodone addict) for nearly TEN years. It started out w/ neuralgia.......SEVERE lower back pain. At times, I was unable to move. I was sent to a pain mgnt. Dr. that rotated narcotics on me q 3 months so that I wouldn't become addicted....Ha! Between fentanyl patches, oxys....& norco I decided Norco was the lesser of the 3 evils. I was wrong. They're EQUALLY addictive. I finally owned up to the fact that I AM an addfict. (I KNEW it for a LONG time....) I went to work everyday, was never arrested.......by the grace of God! I learned I was NO different than the addict laying on the street, the ONLY difference was that I have a home & a job. Period. I started attending 12 step meetings. I prefer AA...personally. I find the thought of 20 drunks in a room TOGETHER NOT trying to talk over one another truly amazing! I attend a "sub only" group headed by a counselor; also a recovering opiate addict.... and I LOVE group nights. I'm not much of a drinker at all. Maybe a glass of wine every now & then w/ hubby.....smoked weed since I was just a kid-16.
Fast forward to now- I'm a 48 yr old wife, mother of 2 adult children that truly ARE wonderful. I'm trying to find my way BACK....I know it's gonna be one helluva a journey, but.....it's so nice to NOT be counting pills ten times a day, running out, being dopesick, being high, not being high.........not wasting time, money & effort scoring.....I do NOT have any cravings, thoughts, anything. I'm currently taking 24 mg suboxone q day. I'm going to tell my Dr. I think I'll be fine w/ 16 or 20 mg next visit........
Again, I thank you ALL for posting here. This is a wonderful forum. Thanks to Dr Junig for caring SO much....
and to all of you that post your ES&H here. For that, I'm grateful. Thanks all. [b]

I just want to say again, to everyone with joint & muscle pain, go to the bookstore and get The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. I kid you not, this book is amazing.
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You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.

-Jack Kornfield

Thanks DQ! Will do. It is probably beneficial for many other things as well, I'm assuming.

I can totally relate to your symptoms – I too have developed sore, arthritic-feeling joints (particularly in my hands) since starting on Suboxone. I have this symptom, along with several other side-effects (hot flashes, hypnic jerks, bizarre dreams, etc.) that aren’t ‘officially’ recognized according to my doctor as being associated w/ Suboxone, but which seem to commonly pop up on the online forums for Suboxone users that I’ve looked at. Of course, all of these symptoms could be just popping up by coincidence, but at a certain point I think you have to trust your own gut instincts about which effects are from the Suboxone and which are not. As a long-time drug user, I think I have some experience with discerning the effects of drugs, and I’m almost positive that this sore joints issue is an effect of the Suboxone.

On balance, I’m still ok with the fact that I’m on the Sub – it has had the desired effects of keeping me away from my drug of choice, and has some effectiveness as an antidepressant for me as well, but the side effects are a major drawback.