New to Suboxone

[Shelren]

I was on Oxycontin 80mgs 3 times a day for over 11 years for pain in my wrist. I have had a complete wrist fusion and I was in pain no matter how much meds I swallowed. I just didn't understand it. Then my doctor was raided by the DEA and his lic. taken away. I was refered to a pain dr. and just wanted to be off Oxy and not be in pain. This dr. gave me Neurotin and in 3 weeks my pain was GONE! I was elated. Now I had to get off Oxycontin. I am proud to say that I have been off it for several months. The catch is that when I got down to 10mg I started having withdrawls so my dr. put me on a low dose of Methadone (5mg) twice a day. I was on this for only 3 months. I went down to 5mg once a day and he told me as soon as I was ready to just stop and it would be a breeze. Well, 6 days ago I threw them away. I was feeling good and had tons of energy. Then they hit!!! Four days after not taking the Methadone I was in hell! I went to him today and he put me on Suboxone. I asked him if it would be hard to get off Sub and he said no. Now I am reading this and I am so scared. The dr. put me on 8mg for 30 days and then I am supposed to go down to 4mg then 2mg then poof! all done. Being on Suboxone such a short time I am hoping it won't be hell like I have been reading. Am I wrong? Please someone know the answer. I am losing faith in the dr. that has helped me so much so far. I just am sick to death of all this. I thought I was done. I am so sad.

[cattalina]

Tyson is right - a lower dose of sub is most effective. I've been on it since april 07 - not pretty. I started at 32 mgs a day and almost 2 years later I'm finally down to crumbs every other day. This has been the longest, drawn out, dramatic, horrific thing I can't even tell you. The biggest problem with sub is it won't get you high, it just makes you feel "normal" so you don't realize you're in trouble until it's too late. Although sub has a plateau effect, the buprenorphine in it is a VERY strong opiate, so wds coming off are a very real reality. Another problem with sub is it has a long half life, specifics are in debate, but the range is 36-72 hours ... meaning you take a pill today it will still be affecting your system in 3 days. Try and take the lowest dose possible to feel relief - 8 mgs may be too much. Try and start with 2 mgs at a time - you will feel the effects within 30 mins. Sub needs to build up in your system to acheive the maximum effect, so if you can handle being somewhat uncomfortable for a few days then please do it. You will greatly benefit in the end when it comes time to jump off this nightmare. This med is very new on the market, this isn't alot research about it in general but especially with long term effects. Most doctors honestly have no idea how difficult and insidious this medication is. My doctor also told me jumping off would be a piece of cake, no withdrawals involved... well, that wasn't true! Lowest dose possible, save yourself the stress cuz this med turns on people with a vengence. Not saying this will happen to you, but the consensus is pretty general, sub can be a great tool for getting to recovery but the positive/negative ratio changes over time. Sorry to babble so long - read posts on this site it's super helpful, set a plan before you start it and then stick to it, and don't depend on the sub to "fix" you cuz it won't!!! Keep posting! :)

[Annick444]

How did you ever get off 80m Oxycontin? It made me cry, as I have been on 80mg.4x daily, and I can't even slightly taper without going into panic attacks.

I think that for me, back pain aside, the root of my problems is EXTREME anxiety. I can't work or function. I am frightened to go outside or pick up the telephone. Life is HELL for me, truly.

How did you do what you did?

[outotown]

I was on sub 13 months, try not to be on it long, if one helped try 3/4 a pill in the morning and see what that might do in other words start at the lowest dose you can and work you way down. I will add you as a friend and holler at me and I will help you all I can. I wish I had went lower than the 2 mg before I jumped off them. Good Luck

[TysonRed]

The only way to take suboxone is sublingually (under your tongue), you absorb the buprenorphine while the naloxone is dissolved away.

[TysonRed]

I switched over from 30mgs of methadone to 8mgs of suboxone and I found sub w/d's to be a little easier to deal with than methadone or oxycontin. My advice to you is to start tapering as soon as possible, I actually found sub to be more effective when I got down to a lower dose. I dont want to give you advice on what dose you should take but if you were only on 5mgs of methadone you should be able to get by with a lower dose than 8mgs. Were all different in how we react to meds, but I had just gotten down to 30mgs after tapering from 140mgs and 8mgs of sub was plenty to keep the w/d's away. If you have any questions feel free to ask, but again I would start tapering your sub dose down to the lowest effective dose possible, it will only help you when it comes time to quit.

[Shelren]

It's a big orange pill that you put under your tongue until it melts. I was in heavy withdrawl today and my dr. gave me a Rx for it. It is bitter as hell and takes about 10 mins. to disolve. It did take my withdrawls away almost immediately. I am just worried about getting addicted to this nasty tasting stuff. Have you asked your dr. for it?

[melonoxys84]

I know How u feel in a sense. I didn't start for the same reason but I want to stop for the same reason. Maybe we would help eachother. Have you heard of Suboxone. It's my quest right now. Do you swallow the or sniff or shoot? Mel