7years on subutex i need help

[dizzyshell]

hello i'm dizzy form uk i'm 26 .

i've been a slave to subutex now for 7years .I'm currently on 18ng aday split in 2 doses day and night .
I have tired reducing and i got to 2mg aday 3years ago but i've bi-polar disorder and i was sectioned in hospital and my clinic doctor advised me to go back on 18mg aday(why i dont know).

Is there anyone out there who has been on subs a long time and has any advise or even experiance on how the best way is too get off subs.I'm really scared about reducing and withdraws my health is bad i suffer with anxisty depression mania the lot .
How bad is subs withdrawals and how long do they last and what dose is best to jump off ????
my clinic offer me a home detox where they come out everyday to my home and feed me meds like valium ,and other benzos and a drug called lofexidene(cant spell it) this drug apprently helps with the withdraws .

please anyone who knows anything about subs withdrawals and tappers plese help me
thankyou so much love dizzy xxxx

[dizzyshell]

hey thanks for your reply.
im glad you did a detox and you're now happy and clean great news it helps us believe we ca do it too.

how was the withdrawals and how you feeling now?? was it as bad as methadone withdraws??

[salsinator]

Hi Dizzy, I went through a sub detox in June.  It was a program here in America, so I don't know if it would be different where you are.  It was an 8 day program, outpatient, but I had to go to the clinic each day.  I was on various meds for the 8 days and had narcan injections each day to help kick the sub off the brain.  It was the best choice I ever made - I did the detox coming off 4 years on sub at 4 mg, last dose was 48 hours before I started.  I hope that you find what you are looking for, you are taking the first step by posting here.  Keep coming back.

[dizzyshell]

i'd like to fisrtly thank everyone for your replies and advice its means alot thankyou.

You guys are brill here i use to be a member before but i forgot my name lol anyway i joined again .I use another similar forum called topix it's amethadone forum i joined when i was switching from methadone to subutex it's long story but basically i was put on methadone in march 09 for 3weeks .These guys in topix are also awsome i've made some friends for life .Anyone who's struggling with methadone and with withdraws please check this forum out its called methadone topix .

You guys are right there's never a good time to quit i suppose as addicts we make excuses to NOT do are detox .I'm no differnt for 7years i've avoided doing a detox i got there once 2mg but as i say was told i had bi-poalr and sectioned in hospital for 2months so that really set me back.Since that 2years ago now i'm on 18mg of subs.
Even the drops iof subs i'm scared of all though subs drops are much better than methadone drop[s that s for sure.
I'm gonna try 16mg tonight and stay on 16mg a week or less then 14mg etc etc then i'll let my clinic step in.I can go into hospital to get off subs because im registed in a hospital now for my illess they can let me detox in hospital under watch .The only prob i have about hospital is , is other paients who are like me un-predicatble i'd be scared plus i'd have not internet to talk with you guys with and the topix guys who are helping me aswell.But doing a home detox would of curse allow me to be online etc.I quess for me the best option would be hopsital at least you cant quit in hospital really where at home i might go on a high mania episode and start using subs again or even worse.


Has anyone gone through a subutex/subxone detox ??if so how was it??
im sure it must be better than a methadone or herion detox ?? i suppose its still an opaite so your gonna suffer one way or the other!!!

thankyou again for all your help and advise and love , this forum is ace like my topix forum i use its great to know were not alone.
,love dizzy xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[salsinator]

Hi Dizzy - I was on suboxone for about 4 years and went through a detox similar to the one that you have been offered to get off of it - it worked great for me.  I don't have bi-polar, but my sister is bi-polar and I know that there are some great medications that treat that and I would guess that you could become quite stable on other meds for the bi-polar and then detox.  One of the new meds here for bi-polar is Seroquil and I am sure there are many others available to you in the UK.  Are you stable right now?  My best advice would be like whitie says - try to taper down to a dose as low as you can - 2mg or less preferrable - then take up the clinic on their detox offer.  Of course, please consult with your doctor before you do anything like this, they will be able to give you the best advise.  Keep posting too, there are lots of great people here who can help you.  All the best to you Dizzy

[whitie]

yeah, sub needs to be tapered off to the  size of a crumb. there are some gals and guys that have done it with minimal wd's, others still suffered wd's like anyother opioid...

the right frame of mind is very important, though........must be very confident and dedicated to being clean, otherwise  you will back to one opioid or the other.

[redrodeo]

Dizzy, I've been taking the sub for about a year. Different doses. I have tried to stop several times and have failed. I am an addict, up until this I was sober for 10 years. I knew what I was getting into. Now I got this idea to stop taking the sub by using another narcotic for awhile. So I haven't taken any sub for about 8 days. I just feel like s...t about myself. I just want to stay in bed. I've done the methadone thing years ago and that *****, Theres just not alot of info on sub. My brain really messes with me. I really want to get clean again. Or at least I say I do. Please stay in touch it does help knowing we're not so alone.
Red

[gnarly_1]

well im lucky i only take risperdal and celexa some trazadone for sleep and zanex
for axzity, havent don the sub b/4 but i know what its like to go thew withdrawals
right now its been a ruff day of axzity and no sleep for me i was going to adjust down
to 3mg or methadone  but im not sleeping now so i think i need to slow it down near the end here....so  instead of every 72hr to 5 days im going to go to 7 days to give my body
time to adjust.....i dont want to throw myself into a manic episode so slow will have to work for now su@@s but i guess ive waited 8 mo whats one more month going to mater
annway glad i can give ya some insight and your not alone ill help you all i can just ether write it in forum or send me a message ....good luck with you taper im shure you will be successful...Gnarly

[dizzyshell]

Thankyou so much for your advise i appericate you taking the time to post back.

Yeah having bi-polar is difficult as you know because we 're not just addicts like some we've 2 disorders to get by with.I got to 2mg before and i didnt feel great obviosuly  but i got by , then i lost it a few  other things added to my breakdown  but it was a big set back.

I've also been an herion addict and i've been on methadone twice once when i was 16 and last year i was only on methadone for 3weeks then i swopped back to subs it was my clinics fault because i was sectioned they put me on 24mg of subs and when i got out of hospital 8weeks later i was struggling and my clinic put me on 60mls of methadone again i dont know why , but without their knowledge i swopped back to subs i had spares so i was ok.That was march 09 and ive been on 24mg i got to 18mg now so im on 18mgs at monent im dosing 2x aday its hard because of the anxisty im like a pressure cooker waiting to blow.

if you dont mind me asking are you on subs still??and what meds help you with your bi-polar i just had my valium took off me because my phscytrist said im on too many drugs im on temazepam 2antidpressents subutex ,valuim its bad im on loads .

thanks again dizzy shell from brum
xx

[gnarly_1]

hi dizzy i to am bi/polar and my vise is 6yrs of methadone both sub and done are a real bi##h to get off of....but as for your manic episode ....my dr dosent think getting off
methadone will send me into a mania ....im concerned it will due to the symptoms of withdrawal being so similar in many ways but i think that dr was just blowing smoke in your a## .....getting off anny narco has to be beter for you then livivng on it so i would
suggest you do a slow taper and like me STOP the taper and STAY AT the dose
your at till the symptoms of mania subside ..iv been tapering for 8 mo and have had to stop for that reason for several times but it has always past,.. good luck and im sure someone will post a doable taper for ya just check back in a few hrs