Really Want To Be Successful Please Help

[BrooklynBoy8148]

I have learned on this forum that you have your users who are really against Suboxone and other that swear by it. Here is my case (will try an keep it short) four year user of Percs and OXY’s (high side 130MG a day), I built up a tolerance that I probably did not get a buzz for about four months now, maybe some short term buzz depending on if I eat. I started my Sub treatment yesterday at 16 MG (was actually instructed to take 24MG by doc), today I woke up and still feel okay. Mentally I feel very good because I was able to go with no perc for an entire day with no side effects. I know people do not advise on dosage but like I said I feel okay and want to see how far a day gets me with a half but I will take it if I only feel like $hit or WD comes on! Is this the right thing to do?  

[salsinator]

Hi Cable Guy,

The dosage of suboxone is really dependant on how much opiate you were taking before starting on the medication and how long it was before you last dose when you started.  Typically, when people are just getting started, the dose is between 16 - 24 mg.  With the dose of oxy you were taking, 16mg is quite normal.  I used suboxone for nearly 4 years and finally stopped taking it this past June.  My recommendation to you would be to keep on the dose you started on for at least the first several days before you begin to decrease the dose.  You are currently in the induction and detox phase.  Once you are detoxed from the oxy, then you can start to decrease your dose - talk with your doctor about doing that, but typically it is quite easy to decrease by 2-4mg at a time until you get down to about 2 mg.  If you are only on the medication for about 21 days or so, tapering off should be quite easy.  Once you take suboxone long enough to become addicted to that, then the tapering and withdrawal become much more difficult.  Keep posting, there are other here with experience.  Send me an email if you have some specific questions.  Congratulations on your desire to get clean!  Best of luck to you.

[refusingbondage]

Hi Cable guy.  Without getting into the pro/con sub debate, I can advise that a little goes a long way with sub.  There is no cookie cutter form for how much should be taken.  Listen to your body.  Listen to how you feel and go from there.  Sub should be used in small amounts just enough so you dont feel like shi*t.  No more, no less. Only you can really gauge this by reading your body and how you feel.  The one thing to note is you shouldnt be taking it *throughout the day*.  Figure out what you need and try to dose once daily.  If you feel the mgs is too small, use a little bit more, until you level off.  I think its great that YOU are taking charge of your treatment in an effort to get clean and not abuse the sub.  Most sub doctors will induct you in office, giving 2mgs every half hour until you feel 'ok' and they will continue to monitor you.. I spent a good 2 hours at my first sub appointment 'back in the day' lol.  Good luck and keep up the fight!

[BrooklynBoy8148]

To be honest I think my Doc is just there to write the script,  before going on it I read everything and when he instructed me to take 3 (8MG) tabs a day, I was a bit surprised and he did not do it in the office, he gave me my script and told me to start in the morning. In listening to the nightmares I want to taper quickly, so I started on 8MG at 8AM than I was meeting friends so I figure let me take one (2:30PM) just incase I get some anxiety. Today I woke up and I felt great that I did not have to start the day with a perc. One of the biggest things that I know helped was that I built up a tolerance to my DOC so over the last few month there was no buzz, I was taking just enough not to get sick. If I had a bottle of percs in front of me right now I would flush them down the bowl. I am not saying sub is a wonder drug, I recognized prior to starting they are just as addictive so I wanted to start with the least amount possible. My plan is to ride it out and not take anything until I start feeling like ****.

[august1965]

1) Sub is 50 times stronger than percocet.
2) Of course you feel "okay."
3) It is a massive ***** to get off.
4) don't do it.
5) got thru the bad couple weeks now with the percocet in your system.

[BrooklynBoy8148]

This may really be a stupid question but I have to ask, how long do I have to go without a sub to know that I feel the way I do because it is normal and not because I have a drug in my system?

[samigirl]

Hi CableGuy, I left you a message on your other post. Since you have a lot of questions and you don't have a good Sub. Doctor. There is some great info on these websites about Suboxone.  http://suboxone.activebb.net  and www.suboxoneassistedtreatment.org You can get answers to all your questions there. Congrats on your recovery!

[BrooklynBoy8148]

Thank you so much Sam, and you are right I walked in and my first appointment he wrote me out a script for 45 8MG pills and told me to take three a day and come back in two weeks. I have been reading about this stuff for about two months and knew it was too much. I took an full tab at 2:30PM yesterday, I had no crave or symptoms until about 5PM today where I got a really bad headache and started getting some WD symptoms. I broke off probable 3MG and took it and feel better still a minor headache but tolerable. Tomorrow morning I will start with only 2MG and see how it goes. I just glad he gave me the tools to fix myself. I think the biggest help was that for a month prior I was only taking enough OC not to get me sick so the want for the high was gone, as crazy as it may sound but not wanting to get high is a high in itself as I am happy that I know I do not need to be tweaked out to function properly…..    

[BrooklynBoy8148]

Also, had such fear anxiety going on when I was tapering on the OC that really contributed and brought on the WD, at least the Sub gives me an opportunity to get a straight head and know the difference between right and wrong!