Suboxone Withdrawl..

[kittyem]

I have been clean for about a year now (yes really!) I was on Methadone for about 10years and transferred over to Suboxone nearly a year ago.and have been reducing with pretty much no discomfort..What sort of withdrawls should I expect...I been told so many different things from barely any to hardcore, awful awful awful..I am having a week off to work am i insane is this enough time?

[livingthelie]

Roz many will agree or disagree with what i am about to say but there is really not a right or wrong method in getting clean in MY OPINION ONLY....speacialy during the withdrawal stage.  7 days off sub maybe a little longer ,some minor discomfort..so WITH THAT SAID...

yes i did have some ATIVAN for my aniexty...i am sort of un-orthodox or maybe SPOT ON when it comes to this clean up period,,and one thing i DO believe in personally is crossing over chemicals for step down,,we all know amounts and duration breeds dependance (phyiscal and mental)...a short cross over on a step down has proven to work if done properly...My case i used ATIVAN enough to ease my aniexty for a solid week...it worked for me..here i am day 24 and i do not crave ATIVAN..nor do i take it..but i did use large enough amounts to help me thru the rough periods,,but I WAS AWARE ENOUGH TO BACK THIS OFF AS THE W'/DS went away..Plus i am totally turned off by the way ativan makes me feel outside of rest and sleep..she is no where near as good as my mistress HYDRO...so with that said a little tough for me to keep taking something i really have no use for anyhow..it was a tool and i used it to my advantage...can't see getting excited about taking an ativan on a Saturday night..i will pass....:)

i think todays short term Sub programs used primarly for detox backs up what i am saying above...all that is being done here is chemical jumping and stepping your body down to a more tolerable w/d...but as with any drug (amount and duration)..stay on large does of sub for long periods of time and you still have a delima on your heads...

the thing is.. your gonna have to land ( trust me i have tried to stay up..:) ....so preapring for the landing is the key ..you try to cushion your fall as much as possible...thats all this is about softening the hit..
i was once told FALLING isn't so bad..its when you land ..it gets tricky ..

I do not know you personally but i know your condition all too well,,,we been married for the last 10 yrs...lol..
trust a stanger thats been there...take a little suffering now and work down to 2mgs..stay there as long as the drug last..if you can break the last 7 days down to 1 mg..and if you can break this up to 1/2 mg in am and 1/2 in pm...the smallest amount you can get to the further your gonna be ahead..

i know what your thinking." i'm gonna stash a few of these subs back just in case i can't hack it "..
wrong thing to do..you are much better breaking these up stretching out your tapper a little longer on the 2mgs or lower......you been on this a year...i was on 15 months,,WE NEED  a much longer taper then the 6 week Sub detox program patients...we got on it for so long to let the brain heal,,because in reality we probably use more and a longer duration that a 6 week program called for..i know  at least our Docs thought so....

thats why i never went for the waissman method...you know..where they put you to sleep for 3 hours then give you something to make you go into w/'d..and supposdely they rid your bodies receptors from all opiates...all for $6,000..

i don't know maybe i been around too long and got too wise for my own good..but it seems after years of abuse how can anyone go under for 3 hours and come out feeling NONE OF THE EFFECTS..I am not buying it..

anyhow hope i wasn't long winded..i guess this helps me talking about this as much as who is willing to listen...lol..

love and peace

Brian

[rozetat2]

Thank you so much Brian-- really appreciate your reply. Did you have any comfort meds when you jumped off? I stopped seeing my dr. in september-- I have scripts for clonidine and seroquel. I have a lot of vitamins and all kinds of supplements Ive been stocking up on waiting for the big day--- Ive been dreading this for months- but I know it has to be done-- I want to bring in the New year clean-- If Im still on this stuff I will be so depressed and disappointed in myself. Well best of luck to you and hope youre back to normal in no time. I hope you keep posting your progress--thanks! roze

[livingthelie]

yes i jumped at 2mg...after being at 2 mgs a day..for close to 2 months...i had to run out or i would have stayed on it longer...thats how i planned it...i saw the day coming like a speed limit sign..i knew october the 21st was it..and i tried to prepare myself mentally best i could.....

i had 3 days vacation left and took them leading into a weekend giving me 5 days on my back or whatever i needed to do...

i would STRONGLY suggest to try to discipline your yourself and let your body adapt to the 2mgs BEST you can.....even if it means taking the 2mgs...and if i got to suffering much i would take just a chip off my next day 1/4 tab...keep in mind i was breaking up 8mg tabs..( i tapered and jumped without DOcs help)...i DO NOT RECOMMEND this to everyone..it was the way i had to to it ..cause my DOc would have still had me at 16mgs a day and i am now 24 days off.

MAKE THAT 2MGS last as long as possible..the longer you are on 2mgs the lesser the w/d's will be than say if you were at 4mg and so on...

what i did was that i waited as long in the morning to take my 2mg..normally 10:00 am...sometime i made it to 11:00am..the 2 mgs would take me into the pm hours feel reasonably comfortable....i worked it out to when i ran out of the 2mg dose i was done..i did not have any subs there to crutch on..cause i am an addict and i would not have laid there and took the w/d's..i do not know many addicts that will lay there and take it very long when something is there to give them relief..we always say we will try again tommorrow but you and i both know tommorrow never comes..RIGHT ?
WE SEEM TO ALWAYS HAVE THE ULTIMATE PLAN..but never can see our way past..

Don't be afraid,,the w/d's coming of 2mg of sub are way less painful than the other stuff i was on..

have your game plan ready....have your step down medication ready,,if you have any sub left over,,put it in a place to where you will have a hard time reaching it....go buy you some b-complex and good muti-vitamin ( start now)..sleep is gonna be patchy..so use your step downwisely..hot baths for cramps..immodium...and take comfort in the fact it will not last forever....my magic day i was shooting for was day 7 then 14..i have always heard good things about 14...and its true..

good luck and peace.

Brian

[rozetat2]

Did you  jump off of sub at 2mgs? Thats where Ill probably be jumping off of-- Im on 4mgs-- I keep going up and down and im messing myself up-- going to jump after Thanksgiving-- hopefully i will be at 2mgs-- Ive been on it over a year-- I just cant taper-- I keep messing up so i need to suffer and go through the w/d's. I have clonidine and seroquel-- I hope it helps-- thanks-- hope you feel 100% soon!

[kittyem]

Thanks for that..its funny you know, i've now been on a maintinence program for such a long time, that i have forgotten how hard it can be doing it on your own...and the fear has started to creep in.

Its awesome to know there are people out there doing it..and well done to you..

I know I (as in I actually can its possible) can do it..but this is, will be, the first time since I became an adult (if 17 counts as an adult) that i wont be shoving somthing in my arm or mouth everyday..

As you say 22 days and your feeling better everyday..thats a blink of an eye in a lifetime..

[livingthelie]

anytime you want to speak about this ..you just post up....i will find it..!..lol....

hey we cannot help we like how the dope makes us feel good ( at our peak) No one ever took their 1st pill and said "HEY i think i will become an addict and put myself thru HEll"...lol....we just got to hang in there and live the clean lifestyle..ONE DAY AT A TIME..for people like me and you and the others..each day we stay clean..its a battle WON.....for me it means staying away from active users and hang around people such as you trying to beat it ( even if its on the internet)..GOOD THERAPY !..i draw strength from u and everyone else on here i see battling the addiction..you are my brothers and sisters...'stay strong...you will be clean again....and the sub lets the brain heal...the best 15 months on dope i ever spent ! :)

Brian

[kittyem]

Thanks for your help and feedback, I am on 7mg at the moment, have come down from 15(?) over the last couple of months...Oh it is just sooo nice to actually be able to talk about this to people (other than doctors) who can give me real answers...

Oh God Anxiety, I forgot about that!!! I did the rapid detox about 10 years ago..and oh was i wound so tight..Its worth it though so sick of trips to chemist..

[livingthelie]

i am into my 22nd day off of sub..i was on sub for 15 months..begining at 16mg a day..then went down to 8 mg a day for 9 months at least.....then down to 4 mg for few months..then i stayed on 2 mg for 2 months...ran out october 21st 2007...i DID  have withdrawels but nothing like cold turkey off the tabs i was taking..worse part for me was the 1st 6 days.....day 14 i felt pretty good..still a little anxiety...day 22 much better then day 14..still just a little anxiety..sleep coming back..little restless legs...but over all its not been to bad..
i am dealing more with the mental part of being clean more than anything....

but i am gonna stay clean this time ..too much work inlvoved this last time around....

taper down as low as possible and you will be fine ..i assure you..

Brian

[FLaddict]

kitty, If you taper down to the smallest dose possible you should have very mild withdrawals. The problem with Sub is that the long half life makes even these mild withdrawals last quite awhile... I think you will be ok with a week off however you may still be having lingering chills and anxiousness for a few weeks. I suggest highly that you get some clonidine from the doc who gave you the Sub. That will help at the end of the taper.  If you go to my journal in my profile there is some info about withdrawals as well as info about Sub.

[IBKleen]

Hi Kitty!

Are you going cold turkey off the Sub? How much are you taking now? The amount you come off of will probably determine the extent of the withdrawal.