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199177 tn?1490498534

Suboxone how hard is it to come off of .

I have seen any in the last week considering suboxone .We have many that are still taking it .I think it would really helpful for  many posters trying to research whether it a good chioce for them to hear what people that are now off it have to say .
Did you take it short term or long term? How long if at all did you have WD going off it?.If you had to do it all over would you make the same choice?
50 Responses
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Avatar universal
I don't get what u mean by " u'r not getting high &/or acting as an addict would?  I've never been an addict, so am i acting? & yes it does make sence because your friend is 16mg instead of 40mg. Good luck with everything
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I don't get what u mean by " u'r not getting high &/or acting as an addict would?  I've never been an addict, so am i acting? & yes it does make sence because your friend is 16mg instead of 40mg. Good luck with everything
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hello  my name is diane an im from kentucky my daughter  just started  suboxones today april 17 2012  im glad your ok  my daughter is 28  with no kids  but has a boyfriend  that dose drugs  i told her it is going to be hard forn her   with this if her boyfriend still dose them  what am i looking  at as  she gos thought this with suboxones u know  what im asking i hope  so im not into none of the drugs  or drinking  how hard will it be  on her about two weeks ago she was in the hospital over dose  that about killed me  i sure dont want to go thought that no one
Helpful - 0
1895503 tn?1332373374
HI,
I am in the same situation.  I am going to try to taper this week.  I am considering going back to rehab (I just got back 2 weeks ago--I got off Opana ER).  I had tapered a lot on Opana--for 4 months.  I will private message you some more info.

Marie
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am ready to quit subs ive been on the for over I year,now I buy them off the street cause I dont have the money to go to the dr. before subs I snorted about ten perc 30s a day im glad im not on those anymore im just ready to get all the way clean not half way im just wondering if anyone knows the best way to quit thank for any advice
Helpful - 0
1709908 tn?1308122593
Everybody that puts suboxone down needs to ask themselves If suboxone did not exist where would I be today ? That's not too hard to figure out. You would be where most other "long term" addicts are, DEAD or PRISON . Suboxone saved my life and I thank God for it.I know alot of people who took suboxone and tapered off to completely quit. Every person is different but one thing remains the same A SLOW TAPER. My Doctor never told me coming off suboxone was easy,because I never asked.I wanted off the pain meds and the living hell that comes with them.I took 3- 8mgs. a day for a year. The next year I gradually went to 1/4 of a 2mg to literally a crumb a day for several weeks. Did I experience W/Ds? Hell yes I did for about 2 weeks.If it wasnt for suboxone I would not be posting this I would be in the spirit world. That is my experience with this "evil" bla bla bla drug.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have been taking Subs since Feb. 20, this year.. I started out on 4 mg. and I'm down to 2 mg., dropping to 1 mg. in 2 days. I plan to do that for 2 weeks then cut em.  I feel like I have the flu for about 5 days after dosing down then I seem to feel better. Can I probably expect the same thing when I stop them?
Helpful - 0
864730 tn?1239484706
I've been on subutex 8years now and i'm so **** scared of my detox in 6weeks .

My doc says i'll be drugged up to the max not to notice the withdaws but i don't believe that one bit no detox is painfree.

I'm on 16mg and i get given 2x 8mg tabs and they're only small and i can nver judge the amount they brake into once i razor them into little bits.

has anyone got any ideas to minimise my wiothdraws and do a comfprtable taper ???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
bump
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have a 40 yr old friend who came off heroin with methadone (she took the methadone for about a year) and has been on 8 mil of sub for about a year. She wants to stop and is coming to my house from 800 miles a way to do so...I know nothing about this drug and do not know anything about the withdrawls but from what I have read on these postings...What do I need to know or do to help her???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have detoxed c/t from both but when i followed dr's orders this time it was much eisier but was on it 13 months and did ezcatly as he said, it GAVE ME, BACK TOO ME. I think it saved my life, b/c i could not work until i got on it, today is day seven. GOOD FOR ME
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I would say that you should only use Suboxone according to what and how you are using.  If you're on Hydros or something similar, have a steady RX for them, then I wouldn't bother with Suboxone, you can taper down with your own supply, because that is essentially what you will be doing eventually with suboxone.  If you're living day to day trying to stay ahead of the wd's on heroin or Oxys and doing risky **** to keep the habit going, then you should get on Suboxone imo.   Getting on Suboxone gives you the chance to stabilize your life and make changes, then when you're ready you can make the jump to sobriety.  

There is no magical fix for opiate addiction, it takes work and there will be discomfort at times- but Suboxone gives you a good chance to get sober again.  Going to the clinic, getting on Methadone and then switching to Suboxone, saved my life.  There are going to be painful moments, you are going to feel like **** at times, but if I added up all those painful moments they still wouldn't equal one day of going cold turkey off of a bad Oxy habit.  I've been going the clinic 9 months, started off on Methadone and tapered down to 30mg of that, then switched to 6mg of Suboxone. Tapered down to 2mg and Today is DAY 6 of being totally off of everything, and I'm feeling pretty damn good, very light wd's (no sweating, no chills, no  runny nose) but mild aches and RLS.  

The best advice I can give on Suboxone is keep your dose as low as possible, it truly is a 'less is more' kind of drug.  I would also go to a clinic if there is a decent one in your area, the support structure there has been vital to me, and they are allowing me to continue to see my counselor and go to meetings after I finished the program.  Some of the **** I've read about the Dr.'s that prescribe Suboxone is ridiculous, they don't know what they're doing, don't know anything about addiction or even much about Suboxone itself- giving you a bottle of pills and hoping you'll manage.  I've been to my regular doctor and an endocrinologist while I was taking Suboxone and neither one of them had a clue what it was.  Scary
Helpful - 0
228936 tn?1249094248
Do you really think sub saved your life? You could have gotten the same "lifesaving effect" from other longer acting accesible narcotic. I glad it helped you but I generally don't believe in drug solutions for drug addiction, but who knows. all the best
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i agree 100%....
Helpful - 0
614557 tn?1243708351
Unless the brain and body have had enough time to heal from our opiate abuse- withdrawal from Suboxone will have difficulties.There was a time when I tried to wean to 4mg from 8mg,and I had some physical issues- decided to go back to 8mg for a few months.I tried again at that time, and did not experience any problems at all.Now, I can comfortably take 4mg every other day.
Sometimes, our bodies tell us we are not ready to taper, and as much as we want to be off of Sub, we have to wait.Choosing this type of treatment has ups and downs, and the sad part is, allot of doctors prescribing it don't know **** about it.Then people feel mislead, and say how awful this drug is.It is not the drug- it is the miseducation behind it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
what & how much are you withdrawling from
Helpful - 0
597547 tn?1251036764
this makes me scared to even use the 2 sub pills i have

sheez

i may just say the heck with it and use the muscle relaxers to sleep and chill out

ahhh this ***** though cuz i GOT to go to school and work this week
Helpful - 0
569676 tn?1315641158
Hey all,

  I wont get into my history of drug use,as the point is I used IV pharmaceutical opiates. I used a lot for 7 years, went the methadone route, and even underwent Ultra rapid anesthesia assisted detox, and now I am on sub.

Sub saved my life, but it is a real B**** to get off of.  I have been taking sub since March 25th, 2008 inducted at 16 mgs daily.  I am now at 1mg daily and having a hell of a time getting off.  I dont know if the wd's for me are worse than ct or just different.

I have noticed that people coming off sub either have one of two experiences... Pure hell or a cakewalk.

For me my sub wd's consist of Itching, sleeplessness, depression, and a lot of RLS, tremors, and aggitation with a lot of nervousness/jitteryness.  

I do believe that naivity can play a huge role in wd symptoms.

My personal experience the first time I wd from my DOC was unique, but i hear this from others from time to time.  The first time I ct'd I was using somewhere around 1200mcg's of IV fentanyl every 2 hours round the clock.  This went on for roughly 4 months until I got caught diverting drugs from work.  (I was a surgical tech)

At that time I didnt know what wd's were.  The ONLY symptom I got was some dizziness if I stood up too fast, or turned my head real fast.  And that was all.  It wasnt until I started researching and reading all the horror stories and pain that people go through with wd's that I started having symptoms the next time I ct'd or tapered my doc.

For me, sub wd's at this point in my life hit me a little worse than they should.  Im taking some time off from medical school (2 years left) And I wanted to see the world, so I took a job as an international Flight attendant.  Its hard for me to wd and taper as I am gone on extended trips overseas usually 18-26 days in length.  I travel through many different time zones daily so my sleep and internal clock is already messed up.  Somedays I will start my day in Keflavik, Iceland where the temperature is 40 degrees farenheit and get on a plane and fly to Kuwait where the temp is 120 degrees.  I spend many hours in a VERY dry and pressurized enviroment where oxygen intake is limited.  My eating schedule is all out of whack. And the worst part is lets say I have a flight Early Monday Morning at 2am, I fly all morning and all day into the evening (Usually 18 hour trips) get back around Midnight tuesday. I sleep late into the morning tuesday, then Im up all night cause I slept all day.  But the problem is now Wednesday I have to fly again in the early Am.

Its so hard for me to go through wd's because my body is so messed up.  

For the time being Im going to stick to 1mg until I end my fling career which will be soon.  Once I have some stability in my life, then I will attack this taper with full force, and finally get truly clean.

Best of luck to everyone out there, and many thoughts and prayers for the addicts and their families out there that are still suffering.

Henry
Helpful - 0
401095 tn?1351391770
very true...some will have to use sub or methadone to get clean....it is better than not getting clean...just be sure u have to use these before u do it....no easy ride...i have used both...sub in a pinch to hold me over til pills arrived...methadone for pain short term...never had an addiction to either that i had to kick so i can not add to the struggle of kicking either...i knew better than to do either for long....but i do know that sub gave me a jolt/a high that methadone never did...never was a high quantity user so tolerence never was extreme...2 mg of sub would pop me into life with a sweet energetic high..the kind i liked...so i am afraid of it...methadone never did that to me at up to 25 mg a day...no jolt/no buzz...just a pain relief and peace without craving...but i am scared of methadone too...but i am more afraid of sub...and that is me and we all are different...fact is..be safe
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The Naabt site has a normal curve of sub stories, Some great, some, not- some in between. But they do have long threads of folks who have made it with sub. Here more folks seem to have have made it w/o sub. My view is "whatever works'. I am a great advocate of never giving up.Nothing beats a try but a failure- and keep on trying until you find your magic bullet.
Helpful - 0
214607 tn?1287677559
I didnt at all mean that he or anyone for that matter should feel they need to take more mgs to be able to qualify for sub.. But sub itself is highly addictive and very strong. Once it is started, your body becomes dependant upon it. If you are only addicted to 30mgs a day, why would you want to be put on something that is much stronger and the w.d will be much worse? That was my only point. I was addicted to Oxy Contin and taking between 800-1200mgs a day of it. For almost 4 years. My dr.put me on 16mgs a day of sub. My best friend was addicted to 40mgs of Percocet. That same dr. put her on 16mgs of sub a day. Does that make sense? I understand an addiction is an addiction, no matter how big or little. But in my opinion, why start another med that is stronger then what you have been taking. It would have been better (in my opinion only) to taper him down to as little as possible then discontinue altogher. Rahter then start him on something much stronger and taper from that. But I guess with Sub your not getting high and/or acting as an addict would. But I do also understand your point. Just letting you know I didn't mean it like that. Hope you are well.

Lisa
Helpful - 0
199177 tn?1490498534
I am going to take everyone's experiences and make an heath page so members can have a better idea what the suboxone both on and getting off experience is like.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
you won't know until you try..

counseling changed my life - completely. and many, many others i know... psychotherapy is life changing with the right therapist.  my addiction counselor has been truly great, too.

it will be a shame in my opinion if you don't at least try.  to discount it without trying could mean the difference - literally - of a great life, vs. a very unhappy one.

i hope you give it a try...

good luck,
mj
Helpful - 0
228936 tn?1249094248
Sub and methadone when used long term as reffered to as "harm redution therapies" by professionals. Neither one really help you get over addiction , they just put in on hold but allow you to stop drug seeking. I prefer methadone for this purpose as it more tried and tested but they are similar. I think there is a big profit motive for the doc who perscribe and learn about it at a weekend seminar and really don't seem to know how addictive sub is. I think it is a good detox drug when used for very short periods. It seems like the opinion here if more against it for long term here judging from people's experiences.
Helpful - 0
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