Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Methadone to Suboxene length of time need to withdrawl

I have been taking Methadone for almost 3 yrs now and am supposed to switch to Sub on Monday.  My Doc told me not to take any Methadone this weekend so I can be in withdrawl.  Well today I have been feeling horrible like massive flu I have never had withdrawls this bad after not taking methadone within a 24hr period,,so I took 10mg of the Methadone today because Im feeling bad.  My question is will I still beable to switch to the sub Monday or do I have to wait now.
29 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Good Luck to you. You've been thru hell and I admire you for not giving up.!! Keep trying to get clean. You can do it for you and your child.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You need to check the scale and go by that; the longer the better though...You don't want to throw yourself into precipitated wd's...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
well do u have any usefull info on how long i should wait ct 48 or 72, maybe you can help. thanks hun! I am going to check out this scale!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
lol, they still get an email no, oops, oh well!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
yep, 10-22$ here depending on dosage, methadone=FREE! so did it work, were u able to take the subs, is so i am just doing 48 hours as dr. said, sttwitch to 30 mgs, which is half normal dose, feel ok, but withdrawal a little. but i thought 72 hours just in case. screw the torture if 48 will do. Thanks!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Highballer-  Just want to tell you that you're replying to people who haven't been here in awhile. Check the dates Hon...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
dump the rest, u will be tempted or at least wait to see what they say as you may need to stay on another week, highly likely!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i am so convinced the fibro is from lack of nutrients do to methadone, could be wrong, but i suffer tremendously, never before i was on methadone though! Also I take codeine for it, along with my back, my dr. says i can still take codeine whilst on subs and two pharmacists have agreed, this i don't understand. I dont know why you are quitting, put along with thyroid, etc, i sweat like pig, went from 120, modelling, to 150, even though for height, i still feel fat, lazy, exhausted worthless, heard subs make you feel more energized and don't give you awful sweats, etc. I am taking tons of niacin, calcium/magnesium, clonidine with valium of course, I have major sleep issues, so far still able to sleep, trying to sweat it out, eat, as much as it is hard to but raw veggies and fruit, soup and plenty of liquids! I wish you very best as i know this is no life!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
oh my god no, when they say 48-72 hours they mean if, within 24 hours the methadone is not even remotely out of your system. You will be in the worst precipitated withdrawal in your entire life! if there is even a fraction of methadone in your system, whilst you take subs. You will need 2 more days now, i quit methadone, unsuccessfully obviously for as long as 2 years, you can handle 2 days, i am switching to subs to on thurs., I am going to wait 72 hours, just in case!~ They do not do this to make you suffer, they are actually timiing it prevent just this!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yes, you are right, bupenorphine will over ride all other opiates and put you in precipitated withdrawal. Google the COWS scale and it will tell you when to induce. There is no length of time to determine butran induction, it is based on withdrawal symptoms. Also, the suboxone/subutex FAQs at the bottom right of this page give a lot of great info on bupenorphine. Butrans do work well for many chronic pain patients.

You may get more responses if you start your own thread. You posted on a thread from 2011. Keep us posted on how you're doing.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I was in a horrible cycle accident and woke up out of my coma after 3 weeks with the doctors giving me methadone for pain. I was in hospital for months and was given both methadone oxys etc for breakthrough pain among other muscle relaxers etc.After a couple months I went up to 45mgs of methadone along with my oxy 5s for breakthrough.I became a different person the longer I was on metha. and finally decided at last appt to tell them since the pain isnt controlled and the meds are making it impossible(the oxys dont) for wife and kids to deal with my angry hostile attitude(normally a happy and sweet guy).The doctor suggested Butrans which i hear does help with pain well and put me on the highest dose of the 20mcg patch.She was aware of me still yaking the methadone and oxys and didnt seem concerned with precipitated withdrawals which i have been through and death seems like a better choice than the hell of having those!I asked her and a pharmacist and neither think it will cause this to happen?I have the most serious injuries anyone in the surgeons office has ever lived through and they know i need strong round the clock pain relief. My worry is this...if switching from methadone immediately to butrans(have weened down to two or three 10 mgs am i going to experience bad precipitated withdrawals?Been there and it is hell right here on earth!Are doc and pharmacists crazy?Even if they still give me oxy 5mgs isnt the bupe going to override any other opiods?What is up? Any advice would be so great!!!Help
Helpful - 0
198154 tn?1337787265
everyones different, theres no certain length of time for withdrawals to end.  It depends on the amount of time you been using, your age, your over all health, your weight, the highest mg used
....LOTS of  variables.

Godo Luck though
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
how  long  does  it  take to  withdraw  off  suboxone 4mg
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hi my name is james and im 20 years old and have been on just about every pain pill there is and heroin,methadone and suboxone.Right now im on 65 mgs of methadone a day and i had the same hellish expirience i missed a day of my methadone so i did a 4 mg shot of subutex and it was one of my top withdraws i have ever been through and trust me i have been through some really bad ****.after i did it it took about 5-10 minutes for the withdraw to come on then over the next 20 minutes just got worse n worse until i just wanted to blow my brains out n get it over with my stomoch instantly started cringing like somone squezzing a wet towel and i started projectile vomoting and ******** on the toilet (didnt make it there first by the way)i was pouring sweat i was so hot n at same time cold and could feel every nerve in my entire body and all other symptoms too subutex bad idea with methadone
Helpful - 0
1130845 tn?1260227428
i made that fatal mistake of not waiting long enough. I was taking between 100 and 300mgs daily of methadone and weened down to 30mgs i waited a little over 24hrs and took one 8mg sub and it threw me into the worst withdrawls ever. I honestly felt like i was going to die and lose my mind. I was panting and sweating but freezing and shaking my heart was racing along with every other withdrawl symptom. Trust me if u really want to quit u have to deal with those minor witdrawl symptoms to start subs. But they r great and do work. U can also go from methadones to vicodins to help. take a low methadone dose then goto vicodin for 3 to 5 days it takes the gamble out of switching to subs. After 3 to 5 days of the v's make sure u wait 12 to 24hrs. Let ur body do the talking. U r the only one who will really know when its time. u need to be having moderate withdrawls to start subs. Good luck im going thru quiting yet again myself. I was sober for 4 months but i let myself get sucked in again cuz my childs dad and boyfriend at the time was still addicted and wouldnt quit. But now hes out of my life and i have to quit so i can have a life again. Ive been going thru this for about 8 yrs and im tired of losing everything and not being a whole person.

Thanks to all u guys for all your posts, it helps a lot to have somewhere u can openly talk about it. Im like a lot of u. No one can know i hve kept this a secret from my parents being they will try and take my child away from me if they find out im taking pills again. I wish everyone of you the best of luck. Ive got a lot of experience with this whole process so i can probably answer a lot of questions. I just cant tell you how to stay sober thats the one thing i have not been able to do thusfar but this time im making sure i dont go back. Its so much easier to stay clean then it is to kick all over again.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
In the old days they would inject you with naloxone lay you on a bed and watch you withdraw for an hour to workout how much done to give you.They would gauge it by how sweaty your palms got how large your pupils dilated and tremors and cramps.I have just had 6mg of suboxone after my last methadone dose(20ml) 24 hrs ago(7th time on done 3yrs this go)  i felt sick and had the runs but within 2hrs the bup had overtaken the receptors go for it.The methadone is not a treatment its just cheaper than smack.Cheers.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I was on methodone to beat 2 year oxy habit, yes you need to be in withdraw or sub will make you sick, Ive weened down to 1mg a day it last 24 hrs then that creepy **** starts, Ive found if you can keep busy its helps, if you sit around feeling of withdraw comes on faster, but you are traded one for another, even if insurance doesn't cover think about what you were paying om the street,I was up to 300 a week, still fight temptation and now Ive stopped 2nd day haven't slept at all maybe 3 hr in 48, but have job interview don't want to explain, have 5 kids wife to care for, I want my life back I feel so stupid, but I still remember how it felt so good made you so strong, but every one around you thinks your a ****, good luck never stop trying
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My previous message was to Becky102, sorry for the mishap. Thanks.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello rae, I am 23 years old and I was taking 100mgs of prescribed methadone daily for at least 4 years for an addiction to heroin. Today is January 24th, 2009 and the last time I took any methadone was on new years eve of 2008. I was prescribed suboxone to help deal with the withdrawal and I have been taking it for about 3 weeks. I stopped taking the methadone at 22mgs and made the switch to sub. My goal is to stop taking the suboxone as soon as the methadone is out of my system - which from what I heard takes anywhere from 3 - 5 weeks. Everyday recently I have tried going without the subs to see how I feel without it, but the methadone is still coming out of my system so I still feel quite sick. I also have a little problem - I don't want to take the subs too long for fear of becoming dependent on them - and then starting ALL OVER with a new addiction. I know it has been quite a while since anyone posted on here, but if anyone is reading this I would like to hear of a similar experience. I am currently going into my 4th semester of college and I really need to beat this. Rae, please let me know how your husband is doing. Thanks.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My husband has been on methadone for over 12 years and is tapering down for the last few months from a high of 135mgs.  Right now he's hovering between 70 and 80 mgs.  I have to congratulate you on even getting down to 5 or 10 mgs.  That's an accomplishment in itself!
He has degenerative disc disease and chronic headaches which led to his abuse of pain medication and his referral to a methadone clinic all those years ago.  It worked great for his pain and he has been drug free all this time, but I'm sure you'll understand the drawbacks and why he'd like to get off the methadone.
I would love it if you could keep us informed on how the suboxone treatment is going.  
I've been wondering if suboxone could be used to help with withdrawals from methadone - the plan being to start the suboxone and immediately start tapering down with the goal of being off all drugs in a few months.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you so much for the info.  The friend of yours who did have w/d do you know how many mg's he/she was on of Methadone before the switch
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
sorry I should re phrase my previous entry before I attempted to stop on Sat I was taking  the 5 to 10mg's
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
when i stopped last week I was taking 5 and 10mg's I usually alternate between the two different mg's depending on how I feel that day,,so then on Sat I took a 10 I took nothing yest and havent taken anything yet today and got my script for sub but foiunf out my ins will not pay for it and 20 pills cost a whopping 149 dollars so now Im tryin to figure out what to do about this.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
How much methadone were you on just before you stopped?
Helpful - 0
2
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Addiction: Substance Abuse Community

Top Addiction Answerers
495284 tn?1333894042
City of Dominatrix, MN
Avatar universal
phoenix, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
If you think marijuana has no ill effects on your health, this article from Missouri Medicine may make you think again.
Julia Aharonov, DO, reveals the quickest way to beat drug withdrawal.
Tricks to help you quit for good.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.