Fentanyl/Suboxone Addiction Question

Hello, recently detoxed at facility for Fentanyl Addiction. Now on Subs. And outpatient rehab. It has been 3-4 months. My dose is 3-2mgs per 24 hours. Last two days, I am at 2-2mgs per 24 hours. I want off this crap! Most all others in my rehab. are on 2-8mgs per 24 hrs, i think my dose is good, isnt it? they actually made mistake at detox, gave me 2mgs, they meant to give me 8mgs. i reacted well and felt good. After clinic discovered issue they wanted to up my dose asap to 8mgs. i pushed to stay ay 2mgs. i found this interesting....i kinda feel the clinic is really pushing the subs. but, i am pushing to taper and quit, clinic feels not good idea, now. Has anyone had experience with the Sub Taper? I am big believer in the Taper process, I did with Fentanyl and it sure helped. Any suggestions????

Also, pls never, NEVER, NEVER take the Fentanyl Patch, unless you are Terminal. Take the pain!! It is the Devil, the addiction almost killed me. I used for 2 years, started at 50yrs age. Never used before. This drug really *****!

[abritt121222]

And actually you will go down so low that it will be .25 every 48 hours because once u get to either 1mg or .5 mg u will skip a day and only dose every 48 house for 4-5 days then drop and do it again till u get down to .25 then after u skip a day for the 4th or 5th time on .25 u come off and withdrawal will be very minimal I have heard ppl actually after 4 days of skipping a day they skip two days then skip three days then come off just cause of the half life of suboxone it will still be working after 24 hours that's the point in skipping a day o u give ur body a little time of it wearing almost off before you take more

Good Luck and Godspeed
ABritt

[atthebeach]

hello and welcome.yes many times seems that people are put on way too high of a suboxone dose. we have heard of 32mgs in 24 hrs. the least dose that you can be maintained on is best.
after 3 to 4 months of suboxone yes it is definitely best to taper. suboxone withdrawal can be long and sometimes not so easy. continue with your taper. seems you are doing fine on it. is it a doctor recommendation or are you tapering yourself?  many times it can be a money maker and they want to people on it for extended periods of time, many times years.
that is great that you are also doing the outpatient rehab. that along with the subs will give you a good foundation and support system  to help prevent relapse. keep up the good work.
debbie

[abritt121222]

I have tapered off subs a few time and if done right its actually a pretty easy process and withdrawal at the end is very minimal if any at all you just have to follow the taper and do it the right way because the taper goes all the way down to just about nothing I went all the way down to .25mg before I came off

[Cheeky59]

Thanks for the reply Atthebeach! The Clinic doctor is not pushing the taper, I am. He wants me on this dose 2-3 years. He just writes the scripts, and not much conversation. Funny how they (clinic) really pushes the Sub Coupons! i have a ton of Coupons! Although thankful for Sub, very thankful, i find the Clinic scene very strange. Maybe because I am one of the few not Court Ordered. Very few voluntary folks there. i do get mixed information about Subs. some say use only for Detox (Dr. Drew) some say lifetime use if want. I do have appt. with pers. Dr. In few weeks, will push the issue then. Thanks again!!

[Cheeky59]

Wow! Thanks very much! Very encouraging information. .25mgs per 24 hour? Really?

[overeasy]

Hey cheeky - i second your opinion about fentanyl.  from my experience u have no highs and no lows - u just exist.  i came off that devil drug and can honestly say i know what hell is like.   great job getting off!!!!!  

[weaver71]

Many people taper down to .25mg and then start skipping days. Read the suboxone/subutex FAQ's in the Health Pages at the bottom of this page. The taper schedule mentioned can be modified for a slower taper. That page has a lot of good info on subs. I only used them for 20 days to get off high dose street methadone, and it was much more tolerable than methadone CT. Good news is, you haven't been on them a real long time and you stayed at a relatively low dose. You will be able to tell how much they effect you once they are gone. Taper, exercise, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and some form of aftercare will help a lot. I used the subs to build support in AA/NA, go to counseling, and make friends here. It's important to get some accountability and work on the mental part of addiction, so when the sub taper is over, you have everything you need in place to STAY clean. Subs are powerful. 1mg is similar to 40mg of morphine, hence the taper to .25mg. Stay strong and post often for support and questions that arise.

[kellkell2184]

Me personally I used Subs myself and I jumped at 8/2 and surprisingly did fine. But not everyone is able to do that I was just sick of using it I am 36 days clean off everything and I feel so much better. Good luck to you I hope you hope you get off when you can. :)

[Cheeky59]

Wow! Thanks everyone! This site is great support, 3 hours and all these posts! I feel so much better hearing this stuff, kinda felt alone out there. You people are great!

A kid died in my detox clinic just before i was there,eating 100 mg patch snuck in. Again, this stuff is extremely powerful. And I was chewing 24*7.....ouch!

[abritt121222]

And actually you will go down so low that it will be .25 every 48 hours because once u get to either 1mg or .5 mg u will skip a day and only dose every 48 house for 4-5 days then drop and do it again till u get down to .25 then after u skip a day for the 4th or 5th time on .25 u come off and withdrawal will be very minimal I have heard ppl actually after 4 days of skipping a day they skip two days then skip three days then come off just cause of the half life of suboxone it will still be working after 24 hours that's the point in skipping a day o u give ur body a little time of it wearing almost off before you take more

Good Luck and Godspeed
ABritt

[abritt121222]

And feel free to private msg me if you have by questions or anything and I will be glad to help you anyway I can

[deweyseth]

be patient, when down to .25 skipping days, you will start to stablize when you feel ready then jump, recommend .25mg skipping days than 2days than 3days, i would stretch it out for at least 21 days on .25mg before making jump, and exercise is also key, sleep was hardest for me, but looking back it wasen't really bad not saying it was easy, but you will find out how much better life is when off sub for awhile, if you make a long drawn out plan and stick to it, it will be so mush easier, whis you the best on your recovery! god bless!

[paman1980]

My suboxone doctor tried the same thing. he wanted me on 8mg's 2 times a day. I was doing anywhere between 100-200mg OC everyday for 8 years. They want you on it for a long time for money reasons. Replacing a narcotic with a narcotic is not the way. Today just turned day 16 and the first 5 days I used 1mg suboxone a day. Day 7 I had some with draw symptoms but not bad. Just went to a new doctor and got vivitrol. It's a opiate blocker with no opiates. I just takes the craving away and has 0 withdraw when you quit. Today was day 2 and works awesome. Any true rehab doctor will tell you thats the best way to go over suboxone. The catch is you have to be clean of opiates for 7 days. I have never felt better with my sobriety than now. If you can get it, I recommend and so do all the doctors on this forum.


Marty

[quitinoxys]

Cheeky I agree with atthebeach some clinics have found a cash cow with selling subs. It is as it was with oxycontin which they called the miracle drug for chronic pain sufferers. Well oxys weren't and neither are subs; don't get me wrong there are great outcomes with subs but some clinics are just getting rich off of people's suffering. Another thing you stated "  i find the Clinic scene very strange. Maybe because I am one of the few not Court Ordered. Very few voluntary folks there". Well think about that I'm sure you have good medical insurance and they know that, so why not work that ins to get the most out of it. I may sound cynical but I have found that most clinics are more in it for the money than getting people of of subs. That's just my two cents, I hope you can keep tapering and get off the drugs forever. Good luck and I will pray for you.