Nubain is to weak for anyone to get really hooked on it.
I've read differently ...
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Nubain…..The Dirty Little Secret
By Trevor Smith
In the sport of bodybuilding, few people understand the dark realities of the sport. It is these dark realities, that if continue to go unaddressed, are going to forever limit the growth and expansion of the sport from it's modified side-show carnival existence, to a more grandiose, publicly accepted past time. In this article, I would like to focus on one of the dark realities of the sport that is quietly and almost unnoticeably wreaking havoc on people both directly and indirectly associated with the sport: Nalbuphine HCL a.k.a. Nubain.
In fairness, I personally believe that the problems currently caused by Nubain use in the sport occurred purely by accident. You see about 7 or 8 years ago, information began to spread from some respected authorities (i.e. the late Dan Duchaine) that the substance Nalbuphine HCL had the ability to lower cortisol levels. Now for anyone that understands even a small bit about what occurs during a rigorous pre-contest diet, you can clearly see what a huge benefit this could be. Cortisol, simply put, is a bodybuilder's worst nightmare while dieting for a show, because it is a corticosteroid whose function is to catabolize muscle tissue in an effort to keep a homeostatic environment during periods of intense stress.
Now it terms of bodybuilding, no time is more stressful on the system then during the 12 weeks before a show, when energy expenditure is increased while at the same time, nutrient levels and calories are decreased in an effort to shed bodyfat. The theory is simple. If you can keep cortisol levels low during dieting, you have the ability to hold on to more of your hard-earned muscle tissue. Enter Nubain. It was suggested by certain individuals, that small amounts of Nubain spread throughout the day during the pre-contest phase, would go a long way to lowering corisol and sparing muscle from being catabolized. Because of this 10-12 administrations of Nubain were being done in amounts of 10-25iu per day.*[more like 10-12 injections of 50-150iu...RingsOfSaturn]* However, one of the major problems of this suggested use (in my opinion) is that it was said to administer the shots intravenously for a better effect. Utter nonsense as the product is clearly labeled as being used for intramuscular, intravenous or even subcutaneous use. Intravenous use simply caused the drug to "hit" the system faster by the order of a whole 5 minutes (as if that is too long of a wait). The end result is that you have a bodybuilder "shooting up" a dozen times a day like a common street junkie and unbeknownst to the bodybuilder, Nubain was an opiate which meant addiction (both physically but more so psychologically), was going to soon follow.
Now whether or not Nubain actually lowered cortisol levels is a mute point. The fact is, drugs like cytadren do this just fine, and you don't run the risk of turning into an addict. You see bodybuilders quickly realized that the euphoria/high they received when they used Nubain, was much more enticing then the fact that they were possibly keeping the cortisol levels down.
Eventually, the doses were increased to get a bigger high, and you soon wound up with the current situation. Bodybuilders using 10cc's of Nubain per day for the sole purpose of getting high. Now the great thing about this, is that these bodybuilders still try and convince themselves that Nubain is useful to their physique goals and that they use it the same way they use sustenon 250.
Simply put, they bullshit themselves because they don't want to admit they are addicted, weak and no different then your run of the mill heroin junkie. They spend their days in an anesthetized existence, numb from the realities of the world. They are high on Nubain when they train, when they eat, when they sleep (even getting up a few times during the night to have a shot) and best of all, when they are on stage. That's right, on stage. Take a close look at your favorite bodybuilder the next time you see them on stage or walking the expo of a big show. If you see the redness, the sweating, the black almost empty look in their eyes chances are, your "Hero" is got a Nubain problem if they fit this mold. Now the purpose in writing this article is to convey to the fans that this is in no way, shape or form a cool thing to be doing and it is a completely useless compound for anything other than getting high. It is not part of the bodybuilding lifestyle as it should be, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is either trying to sell you Nubain or wants you to join them in their misery so they don't feel as bad about themselves.
I have heard too many stories of people going from Nubain to harsher drugs such as heroin and winding up looking like they aged 50 years, losing everything they have and losing their wives, girlfriends and loved ones. In many of my articles I talk about embracing the pain and that beneath all suffering lies the beauty of opportunity. For those of you lost in the sea of madness that is Nubain addiction, my hope is that you admit to yourself that you are a junkie, admit to yourself that you are powerless against this drug, and admit to yourself that you do it simply because you like the high and that after you are addicted you "HAVE TO" have your fix otherwise you will start to go through withdrawals. Now, one positive about Nubain is that the misery one feels when cold-turkeying the drug only lasts a few days. Physiologically, your body will feel like shit and crave the drug for 5-7 days after which time, the addiction is purely in your head much the way someone might be "addicted" to chocolate. This is a good thing, for it presents to you an opportunity to sharpen your mental toughness. Make it through the first few days and you will fail only if your mind fails, not because your body "needs" Nubain. For those of you who loaded a fresh insulin pin with Nubain just before you read this article, I hope I have made some sense to you and hope you realize the path you are going down. For those who wish to end their Nubain nightmare understand that it can be done simply and easily if you simply desire it to be. Feel free to email me if you need help in dealing with your Nubain problem and remember, there is nothing wrong with making a mistake, for to err is human. However, failing to learn from your mistake once you are given the knowledge is inexcusable.
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Help For The Junior Junkies
by Dan Duchaine
Nubain is the Dupont trade name for nalbuphine hydrochloride, a clear injectable liquid with analgesic effects equivalent to morphine on a milligram by milligram basis. Although it is a prescription drug in the US, it is not specially scheduled by the FDA. For this reason, Nubain is generally available and reasonably priced on the sports black market.
I think that it’s safe to say that Nubain use (or abuse) seems to be a problem only in the bodybuilding and powerlifting subculture. I can say with authority that a substantial number of the top-placing competitors in any national or international bodybuilding contest are using Nubain. In some years, eight out of the top ten competitors in the Mr. Olympia contest use this drug.
Although Nubain users don’t fit the typical drug user profile, Nubain use is definitely a problem within the “fitness” subculture. Although the health problems caused by Nubain are not immediately apparent, Nubain users do suffer from withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking their drug of choice. Nubain withdrawal resembles a bad case of the flu. Symptoms include fever, tiredness, body ache, diarrhea, sneezing, and anxiety. Some ex-users experience even more severe symptoms, which we’ll discuss shortly.
Why did bodybuilders and powerlifters, supposedly the epitome of health and strength, start taking Nubain in the first place? The answer goes back almost two decades. In 1984, many major steroid dealers had been arrested, and most of the black market was being serviced out of Santa Clara, California by a man named Steven Coons, who was also the front man for the so-called “designer steroids” made by Jeff Feliciano. Coons touted the sedative, pain-killing, appetite-suppressing, diuretic, and euphoric properties of Nubain. He said that Nubain would help bodybuilders to endure the pain of extreme workouts, and he put a bottle of Nubain into many of the steroid orders that he was shipping nationwide. Like many Nubain users, I was a very “clean and sober” person when I first tried it in 1985. I didn’t smoke, consume alcohol, or take recreational drugs. Nubain was supposed to be totally harmless, and even beneficial.
Nubain can be injected in three ways: intramuscularly, subcutaneously, and intravenously. Because the intravenous route does not cause a stinging sensation, most Nubain users eventually switch to IV injections. Bodybuilders and powerlifters who are used to injecting steroids, unlike the general potion, are accustomed to needles and injections, so IV Nubain use is not that big of a jump. Perhaps the stigma of IV drug use is the reason that Nubain addiction has sta in this subculture and not spread to the general potion---unlike GHB - gamma hydroxybutyric - , which began as a bodybuilding and longevity drug, and was later adopted by reckless teenagers.
The wholesale price for 10 cc of generic, 20 mg/ml nalbuphine, made by Astra or Abbot, is about $15. The retail price of Nubain, over the counter in Tijuana, is about $35. In Mexico, all nalbuphines are prescription drugs, and Mexican-made Nubain is only available in a 10 mg/ml dose. However, most Tijuana pharmacies buy 20 mg/ml of Astra nalbuphine from San Diego wholesalers and smuggle it in to Mexico.
Although Nubain is not specially scheduled by the FDA, the dosing patterns of Nubain users indicate that it is a powerfully addictive drug. Users typically inject between 10 mg to 20 mg every two to four hours. A Nubain habit can be very expensive. Some users go through a whole 10 cc bottle every day---about $250 a week! And that’s in Southern California, where Nubain is relatively cheap. In some areas of the country, such as New Jersey, the retail black market price is close to $100 a bottle.
Intravenous drug users tend to favor certain injection sites. After months of consistent injections, the skin in this area becomes scarred, leaving “track marks” like those of heroin addicts. Some Nubain users routinely have a cosmetic surgeon cut out the track marks, because the scars from cosmetic surgery are less noticeable than the scars from the drug injections. A few bodybuilders use Stadol or Torbugesic instead of Nubain. Both Stadol (butorphanol tartrate) and Torbugesic (the veterinary version of Stadol) are about ten times stronger than Nubain. Two mg/cc of Stadol has the same effect of 20 mg/cc of Nubain! Although they are not scheduled by the FDA, these two drugs are more difficult to find on the black market than Nubain.
Researchers have shown that Stadol has greater effects on women than men. When I read about this effect, I postulated that women would have greater withdrawal symptoms coming off Nubain. I have found this to be true. Women definitely have more severe withdrawal symptoms than men. Of course, there are always “junior junkies” who grovel, beg, and drive hundreds of miles to avoid a Nubain withdrawal. Personally, I think that they are acting like big babies. I’m afraid that I may have had a part in encouraging these “junior junkies” to use Nubain. Because I’ve never had problems with withdrawal symptoms---or because I was too proud to show any weakness to my friends and relatives---I didn’t present the worst problems caused by Nubain addiction. To repair any damage I may have caused by my cavalier way of dispensing information about Nubain, I’m going to tell you how to get off Nubain (or Stadol) with absolutely no withdrawal symptoms.
First, a little science. Narcotic drugs attach to one or more of the three opiate receptors (delta, kappa, and mu). The most potent of these analgesics hit all three receptors, while Nubain primarily binds at the kappa receptor, and has a mixed agonist/antagonist action at the delta receptor.
The first step is to break the habit of intravenous injection. Many habitual Nubain users find it pleasurable to inject the drug. It’s a comfortable ritual that Nubain users miss in the same way that ex-smokers miss the whole ceremony of lighting up and inhaling a cigarette. What we need to take the place of Nubain is a non-scheduled oral analgesic.
Our prime candidate is tramadol hydrochloride, known in America as Ultram, which comes in a 50 mg tablet. It is also available in 50 mg capsules in Mexico as TRADOL, and costs about $20 for ten capsules. NOBLIGAN, another version of tramadol, is a real buy at $10 for ten capsules if you can find it. It was when Oliver Star and I previously discussed withdrawal protocols, when he mentioned that he had found an oral sedative to replace Nubain, the Ultram.
To start the process of withdrawal without symptoms, immediately stop using all Nubain, and start taking 50 mg of tramadol, three times a day. Tramadol only binds at the delta receptor, so it makes Nubain withdrawal much easier. You won’t feel any euphoria, but you also won’t feel the flu-like symptoms of an unassisted withdrawal. For the first week, take three 50 mg doses of tramadol a day. For the second week, take two per day, and take only one per day during the last week. After three weeks, you will feel relatively normal. The only side effects that may linger are sneezing or coughing, and perhaps a slight feeling of tiredness.
Tramadol is not strong enough for some female Nubain users. They need a stronger oral analgesic before they progress to tramadol. The best choice is TEMGESIC (buprenophine hydrochloride) sublingual tablets from Mexico. (Although there is an injectable version in the US called BUPRENEX, you want to avoid injectable compounds.) Temgesic is Schedule V in the US and prescription-only in Mexico. Unfortunately, it’s not cheap---about $25 for ten tablets in Tijuana pharmacies.
After complete Nubain cessation, women should use only one Temgesic sublingual (each tab contains .2 mg). Temgesic binds at the delta receptor for a very long time, which makes it effective for up to up to 24 hours. Use the Temgesic once daily for a week, and then switch to the tramadol protocol.
Is Nubain addiction a big problem? Well, compared to cocaine, marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol---in a word, no. More people are addicted to and die from the effects of these drugs than have even heard of Nubain. However, for the small corps of overly dependent Nubain users, I hope that this protocol will help to break the habit without unnecessary suffering.
Do we have a subculture Nubain problem, and should we do something about it? I believe that the problem is relatively minor. Nubain, from a medical standpoint, is pretty much inoffensive, other than the stigma of injectable drug use. Unfortunately, illustrating the problem in the media will probably rise too much interest, and we would end up with more people experimenting with Nubain, spreading it out of the subculture. There is a small core of Nubain users who are overly dependent on this drug, and we could debate the morality of such recreational drug use. It certainly is safer than marijuana, cocaine, tobacco and alcohol. Now that I have developed this Nubain withdrawal protocol, I’m hoping that all those who want to break the Nubain habit, can now do so with no suffering.
