Getting of Suboxone

I am tapering off suboxone and down to 2mgs. I have been on it a month starting on 4mgs. I am having a horrible time emotionally. After about 6 hours I become very depressed and extremely anxious.  Does anyone know when this damn medicine stops blocking your receptors after the last dose. Coming off of Vicodens is much easier than this hell. Any information would be appreciated.

[BonnieAnn]

Welcome!

I started Suboxone 10 days ago. I started with 5mg. The doctor wanted to give me a lot more, but I refused. On the 2nd day I started tapering. I am now down to 1mg a day and will stop in a few days.

Suboxone has a half life of about 24 to 60 hours, depending on the person. That means that is how long it takes to leave your body.

I have been feeling w/d sypmtoms since I started tapering. I get leg cramps so bad that I want to scream. Walking 15 feet is an effort. Yet, I want to be off all pills so it is worth it for me.

I understand the depression and anxiety also. Would your doctor provide you with something like Xanax? A small dose I mean, just to take the edge off? You may want to ask.

Hot baths have been a big help for me. At least I get some relief.

Are you experiencing any physical pain? I guess what I mean is-I assume you were taking pain meds for something, then went to Suboxone? So, if that is the case, is the original pain back?

Keep posting and let us know.

Bonnie

[OhMy444]

First I have Klonopin and I take about 1mg and it helps. As you I am aching all over and it seems to hit my weakest spot. I had mild back pain and my back is killing me as well as my neck. If  I had to do it over again I would detox the old fashion way , clonodine . At least when it is over you feel better. The emotional drop from suboxone is awful. It is stonger and more addictive than anything I have ever taken. Thank you for rewponding and please keep posting. Thank you

[princ]

Your information was most helpful. Thanks.

[princ]

I hope you feel better. I do not have any information or wisdom as I have never taken that drug. Sorry but I just want to say remember even though it is hell it will stop and when it does you will realize how much better off you are. Take care

[TJack]

I am so sorry to hear you are having such a horrible time with the suboxone and it scares me, as i start a program of suboxone a week from Monday.
I was thinking of it as a GOD send to be accepted to this study and get on suboxone.  Some people on here used the suboxone and had nothing but good results.  Maybe you are cutting back too soon?  It is all so scary.  I know i am going to be out of pain pills in a couple of days and don't know what i am going to do for the week i have to wait to get the suboxone.  I was even thinking of trying to order some online, just for a week to get by.  I am so afraid of the withdrawals and now I will be fearful of the suboxone.  
I hope Fladdict will see your post and respond.  She is so knowledgeable on all of this and was on the suboxone for 21 days, i think it was and did great.  
I wish you the best on your road to recovery.  I just want Myself back and I would guess you do as well.   Hang in there and keep posting.  TJack

[lucyred68]

you had better talk to the dr who is putting you on the suboxone study.  i think you have to be just starting to withdraw for it to be effective, and you will be most of the way through wd's before you can get any.

Lucy

[OhMy444]

i do not want to mislead you. I am not having a horrible time. I have been weaning of for the past week. I am fine until about 3 00 pm everyday then I feel very tired , depressed etc. Monday is my last dose and I am just anxious not knowing what to expect. I may be going through the hard part now since I have been on it less than three weeks. I have a feeling I will have two or three lousy days ,not horrible then it will get better. From what I have read it is hard when one is on it for a long period of time and on doses of 16mgs. or more. After the first 48 hrs I was never on more than 4 mgs. and have been on two for the last week. TJack , Suboxne can be used for withdrawal and maintenance or both . Sounds like you will be doing maintenence. Do be honest if I had to do it over I would no mess with it.Pretty soon you have to come of it.Just my opinion however , everyone is differant. Good luck.

[BonnieAnn]

I just got home. It is 6:45 PM here. I so hope you are feeling better. The funny thing about Sub is that it effects everyone different.

Please, if you need to talk, e-mail me at:

***@****

I had to write it like that, if you write it the "right" way, it will be deleted. I am no expert, but I will talk to you and share with you my experiences.

Hang in there.

Hugs, Bonnie

[BonnieAnn]

Please don't be scared. Like I said, it works and reacts, different for everyone.

If you don't mind, can you tell me why you decided on Sub instead of cold turkey?

BTW...PLEASE, PLEASE do not order pills online. Most of them these days, since the DEA has shut most everyone down, are manufactured and shipped from overseas. You will not know how these pills are manufactured or what is in them. It is pretty scary!

Please post back and telk.

Thank you!

[TJack]

Well, that is enough for me.  I didn't know about the online ordering.  I won't be attempting that.  My dr. has been so good on writing me scripts, but i know the insurance will not fill another script yet.  I would be willing to buy just enough to get me through till friday.  That is my first day to meet with the dr. and whoever at the suboxone study.  I decided on the sub because i tried cold turkey and thought i was going to lose my mind.  I felt so awful physically and mentally it was as bad or worse.  I saved fladdicts emails on how she did the suboxone and had no trouble with it.  She was only on it for 21 days.  I just hope they don't want to put me on higher doses than i need and for a longer time than i need.  I don't want to trade one problem for another.
Thank you for your response and concern.  I do appreciate it.   Time for bed.
I will look on here tomorrow.  TJack

[BonnieAnn]

Good Morning!

It is 6:19 am here. Getting ready to go out. Just wanted to tell you, when you start the Suboxone, remember a few things.

If the dose they have put you on is too strong, tel them right away and tell them you want a lower dose.
Stay on it for as short of a period as you can. The w/d from Suboxone can be worse than the w/d from pain meds.
Also, I don't know if they told you, but you have to be in moderate to severe w/d before they will start you. You actually have to show up at the office in w/d. I was about 12 or 15 hours, something like that when I got to the doc's office. It was hard to drive there and I was going crazy waiting for him to give me the first pill. He gave me a script and I had to go to the drugstore and get it filled, then come back. So from the time I got to the docs until the time I took my first pill, about 2 and 1/2 hours had passed. It was hard.

I hope it works out for you, just be careful.

Let us know how you are doing please.

Take care of yourself, Bonnie

[TJack]

First of all Lucyred i meant to respond to you.  You are exactly right, you have to be in withdrawal.  So, that means my doc will have to write me a script for about 20 pills and i will buy them myself
BonnieAnn, she did tell me to come in on friday and it would be for a 7 hour visit.  I dont' know what they will do during that time??  She wants me to be with out pills from that afternoon till 1 o'clock on Monday afternoon.  Which in my book is far too long.  I will be in withdrawal in less than a day.  So, i will be talking to them about that on friday.  I did ask her about the suboxone pills and they give them to you right there.  So, i won't be going to the pharmacy, which i am glad>>this is a small town.  How will i know if it is too high of a dose of suboxone?  Thanks for your posts.  TJack

[OhMy444]

I do not know who you were asking as to why they decidided to start suboxone. My story is I went to rehab to get of of Percs . I was taking about 10 a day. They detoxed me using suboxone. I had never felt so wonderful in my life or at least in years. On the first day I was feeling great. They had me on it for ten days weaning me off. I got home a felt bad,NOT HORRIBLE but I had no idea what was going on. The emotional letdown was awful. Going from thinking I was clean and  feeling so good naturaly to feeling sleepy, sluggish etc. I used after a couple of days self medicated what I now realize was mild suboxone withdrawal.It honestly was not awful it   was the combination of the letdown from feeling great to lousy and not knowing what the hell was gong on with me. I called a Suboxone Dr. here and he said they got me off to soon (ha) . I sort of became obsessed with wanting to  feel like I ddi while taking the suboxone. I thought it was some sort of miracle drug. So after being of 10 days of so I got back on a low amount. I detoxed from percs again went from one day on 8mgs. then 6 a week on four when I decided I wanted off after reearhing it more. I came to my own conclusion that it was great for detox but not for maintenence. So I asked the doc  to take me off. he cut me to 2mg. for a week then 1 for three days and tomorrow none. I was on it about 18 days. I hope it is not to bad tomorrow. It was not the last time and knowing what is going on will be a great help. It is wrong not to tell people in detox the reason they are feeling so good is the suboxone not that they are off drugs.  I guess I wanted that feeling any addict would of the first few days on Suboxone . That is what scares me  , how much i craved suboxone. Now that I am weaning of I do not feel great and have no passion for suboxone... Now I feel ok about half the day the I get very tired anxious and very depressed. I wonder if I accopmplished anything at all. I must have I look much better than when I was taking all the percs. Sorry for being long winded.

[LittleLai]

From everything I read going from 2 mg to 0 in 1.5 weeks is way too fast (the last little bit seems to be the worst.)

I was confused on your doc/insurance situation Can you get a script and take your time? I've heard more success stories being on 1 mg for a while, then 1/2 mg for a much longer time, then stopping. Like the board warns, don't act on advice from someone like me that is just starting to taper. But this is a common thread I have found from a significant amount of research.

Good luck...you're almost there!

[bupaddict]

Hope you do well-Please keep us posted!

[FLaddict]

YOu can totally go from 2mgs to 0 in a week and half....as long as you haven't been on it for years at super high doses... drop 0.5mgs a day or every other.... should be painless

[trinny apple]

Hello, I'm trinny apple and I'm on suboxon too. I have been on it for over a year. Presently I take a quater of an 8mg pill. Please let me say that if you are just starting this stick with it. It will get better. It took my body awhile to adjust itself to the drops I make, but it does level out. I have emotional issues on suboxon, but I keep thinking of the greater good and how one day this will all be a distant memory. I'm nervous now because I just recently dropped, I wanted to go off altogether, but I have work, and don't have the time to go down rapidly. Please push through any uncomforts at this point, for me I slowly started getting back into life. I use to be on methadone and really thought that I would be on it for the rest of my life. For me suboxon was a Godsend. I wish you the best and please keep me updated on how you feel. I will help you the best I can if you need anything, and the people in this forum are wonderful, kind and extremly helpful. Good Luck to you and I hope this message finds you well!!!

[OhMy444]

FLaddict is right , I have been on right at the three week mark. Yesterday I took 2mg. today nothing. So far so go. I little rapid heartbeat when I woke up and not much energy but that is about it. I have  a few valium just for this day and they have helped a great deal. I am going on about 34 hours being off. Trinny I think the key is how long you have been on it.

[helpme50]

I started suboxone three days ago. 12 mg. the first day, 8mg. day 2 and 3. I feel OK but I only have 20 subs and want to be off them by the time they are gone. Do you think weaning off subs fast is the easiest way to get off everything and not suffer withdrawals. I am scared.