What do you wish others knew about OUD?
There are plenty of misconceptions out there about opioid use disorder. What's something you wish people understood about the condition, or your personal experience living with it?
Using opioids is not a disorder. Intractable pain is the disorder. Opioids are the solution for some. Try to understand more about people who need them. How about giving reasonable advice to the people with no other options but death.
That everyone who takes prescribed opiates does NOT go on to become addicted to Heroin, or need Narcan and Suboxone.
Absolutely. There can be so much harmful stigma around this topic and it's important to not jump to these types of conclusions. Everyone has their own unique experience, and keeping the nuance in mind can help us really understand each person's experience instead of just making assumptions based on bias, stigma, or judgment. Appreciate you sharing here! - Jake (Team Member)
This is such a sad topic , my husband struggles with this and to be honest the VA just does nothing to help. He is high as a kite on his Buprenorphine ! And it’s obvious . So is it helping or just preventing OD? I have lived this for 4+ years.
Hey
thanks for sharing a bit of your story with your husband here. Please know you're not alone. But I can imagine walking this journey with your husband has not been an easy one, especially living the way you have for the past 4 years or so...It can be exhausting and heartbreaking. And that definitely sounds frustrating how his treatment is going with the VA. Have you been able to voice this with them? I'd be curious to hear what they say, especially if he seems that impaired on the Buprenorphine. I'm including an article on our site here that talks about Buprenorphine, but also some other options if you're interested in taking a look. I imagine you're probably familiar with these but thought I'd share just in case it's helpful. Here's the link to that article: https://opioid-use-disorder.com/treatment.
- Jake (Team Member)
I have been on Suboxone for 8 years, after the 6th year I realized that I had been deceived, and that MAT is just a trap. I am battling hard and have been for 2 years or more to get off of Suboxone, but the withdrawal is horrible
Withdrawal is horrible…true. I’ve been through it b/c some doctors will stop you cold. The worst part is sites like this that try to shame you into stopping something that allows you to live a decent life. We’re not all junkies. We’re pain patients. Thanks for your compassion towards . You bring up an important point regarding pain, and I thought I'd share some articles on the site that focus on your point here: https://opioid-use-disorder.com/clinical/chronic-pain-stigma
https://opioid-use-disorder.com/living/chronic-pain-treatment
https://opioid-use-disorder.com/living/chronic-pain-care
Thanks! - Jake (Team Member)
