The cortisone shots I get are for neck and back injuries, and they help fairly well as long as you do your stretching exercises. If you don't do any of the exercises you have to get the shots more frequently. It's been nine months since my last series of shots and I'm probably going to get the next ones in a month or two.......If suboxone helps I would use it, withdrawls can be nasty. I'd recommend having several cannabis concentrates available, really helps to calm plus healthy stuff to eat and drink, you should be exercising somehow to pass the time and the dope from your system. And I always wish'd I thought ahead and got a weeks of benzodiazepines because my heart just beats too fast in withdrawl. Seriously do not recommend benzos otherwise, whole different problem...........When I was going to the California pain management they were testing for 9-12 substances and charging about 150.00 every month. They said it was a d.e.a requirement.